industry news
GMA announces 2015 conference venue
David Allen
GMA Executive Officer
[email protected]
T
he 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.
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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
[email protected] •