[1] The Beach Volleyball Major Series arose out of a joint-venture between Austrian companies Red Bull and the ACTS Group.

The group has also been responsible for the organizing beach volleyball tournaments, including the FIVB Grand Slams in Klagenfurt, Carinthia, Austria.

The competition was overseen by the FIVB, the international governing body for the sports of indoor, beach and grass volleyball.

The Swatch Beach Volleyball FIVB World Tour Finals took place in Fort Lauderdale Florida, United States.

The 2016 Major Series schedule began in Hamburg, Germany, and took in further stops in Croatia, Switzerland and Klagenfurt in Austria.

[18] As part of the FIVB World Tour, the Swatch Major Series did include trips to Poreč and Gstaad.

The Swatch Major Series was also responsible for the organization of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Vienna in July and August.