The Board of Golf Management Australia (GMA) has confirmed the next GMA National Conference will be held on the Gold Coast from Monday 31st August to Thursday 3rd September 2015, at Jupiters Gold Coast.
GMA President Damon Lonnie said “The 2015 Conference follows on from a very successful educational programme delivered at the 2013 Conference in Sydney.
“The conference featured an impressive list of local and international speakers presenting a range of industry topics, and providing golf club managers with valuable information and management tools to take back to their Clubs. We look forward to 2015 with great excitement.”
GMA continues to receive wonderful support from its Conference Partner, Schweppes Australia.
National Account Manager – Retail for Schweppes, Daniel Christie said “Schweppes and GMA have forged a long-term relationship and we have been very pleased to have been their Conference Partner since GMA began conducting biennial conferences under their own banner in 2009.
“Since that time, there is no doubt that the bar has been lifted and the quality of speakers engaged have played a major part in the success of these conferences. We look forward to working with GMA to make the 2015 Conference something special for all delegates.”
The planning process for the next biennial GMA National Conference in 2015 commenced almost immediately, with Lonnie and GMA Executive Officer David Allen attending the 2014 CMAA World Conference & Club Business Expo in Orlando, Florida.
A healthy contingent of Australian Club Managers also made the trip to Orlando to take advantage of the world-class educational programme on offer.
A feature of the CMAA Conference is the International Breakfast which provides a forum for International representatives from visiting countries to speak about the state of the game and the club industry in their part of the world.
At the event, Damon spoke about the challenges facing Clubs in Australia in an increasingly competitive leisure market, but also reported on a number of initiatives GMA has delivered in the last 12 months including “The Green Book – The Essential Guide to Strategic planning for Golf Clubs”, a National benchmarking tool for golf clubs – launched at the 2013 Sydney Conference and the recent series of travelling roadshows in each state to promote these initiatives in addition to a presentation from Golf Australia on strategic initiatives to increase participation in golf.
A major reason the biennial GMA National Conference has been so successful in recent years has been the corporate partnerships GMA has fostered with a number of companies, including a long standing relationship with Conference Partner – Schweppes since 2009, and an impressive list of major sponsors including Host Plus, Club Car, Toro, Nexus Insurance, John Deere Golf, Greg Norman Golf Course Design and MiClub.
In addition to providing valuable exposure for these brands and numerous networking opportunities during Conference week – the GMA board works very hard to foster these important relationships during the year with various opportunities available to network with club managers at numerous industry and social events in addition to direct marketing opportunities to club managers in each state.
GMA offers a range of opportunities for companies to become involved, from a major sponsorship association, through to an exhibitor package to showcase your products and services during Conference week. A very popular feature of the GMA Conference is the 2-day Club Business Expo featuring the full range of products and the full range of services available in the club industry, and an invaluable opportunity for sponsors and exhibitors to network with over 200 golf club managers, management staff and industry people during conference week.
GMA has some exciting plans for the Club Business Expo at Jupiters Gold Coast in 2015, and a number of companies have already registered their interest in securing an exhibition booth at the next Conference.
For further information about the 2015 Conference or Sponsorship and Exhibitor opportunities, please contact David Allen at eo@gma.org.au
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