The FIVB World Volleyball Grand Prix was created in 1993 as part of the FIVB’s marketing strategy to promote the sport of volleyball by establishing annual international competitions.
The Women’s World Grand Prix made volleyball very popular in Asia. The early competitions and the finals were usually held in Asia, because the volleyball market in Asia is large and has a large audience (such as Hong Kong). Later, some competitions were held in Europe and the United States. For example, the 2003 finals were held for the first time in Italy, and 2015 finals was held in the United States. My role was to promote the events which were held in Japan, both in Fukuoka & Tokyo.
The budget for prize money has been growing steadily since 1993, but at a rather slow pace. The prize money of 1 million dollars has reached $1.295 million.