ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FL – (May 16, 2006) – The 13th Annual ING Media Awards will be presented in a dozen categories during the 16th Annual ING Spring Conference May 21-25 in the Pinehurst, Southern Pines area of North Carolina. The Media Awards Banquet is sponsored by Aldila, and is scheduled for May 22, 8 p.m. at The National Golf Club in the Village of Pinehurst.
The conference is open to anyone involved in the golf industry or media, and a few spots remain. It is conducted by the non-profit International Network Of Golf. To register or for more information, visit www.inggolf.com, or call 407-328-0500.
The Media Awards Banquet is one of several special events at the conference. A panel of independent judges in 12 categories score the entries based on several criteria, and their scoring totals are added together by the Category Chair to determine first-place finishers and runners-up. Entries, in such categories as Equipment Writing, Travel Writing, Opinions, Profiles, etc, are stripped of identification before being sent to Category Chairs and judges to insure fairness.
Aldila is one of the golf industry’s leading manufacturers of high performance golf shafts and carbon fiber materials. Aldila graphite shafts are available for woods, irons and hybrid clubs through major manufacturers and distributors worldwide.
TaylorMade-adidas Golf will demonstrate its state of the art fitting system, utilizing the latest in radar technology to make sure players receive the perfect fit for their swing and game characteristics. That will take place May 23.
Another special event at the conference is the NITELITE® Golf Challenge. It is a casual competition set for Sunday evening May 21 at The National Golf Club’s 9th green. NITELITE® is a world leader in lighted sporting goods and glow- in-the dark golf balls. At this conference, NITELITE is introducing electric putting tournaments, and featuring the new NITELITE Majik golf ball, designed for both day and night.
The ING One-On-One Appointment Show, set for May 22, was created to place an emphasis on business relations between the media and golf companies, resorts, destinations and entrepreneurs. Participating companies set up tabletop displays. Beginning at 8 a.m. on May 22 at the Country Club of Whispering Pines Conference Center, private meetings will be held every 15 minutes, for four hours. The exhibitor and the visiting media member share the time, with the goal being to create win-win-win programs for the company, the media and the audience, whether it be advertising, feature stories or special promotions. At the very least, a business relationship is established or nurtured.
The ING staff gathers all meeting requests ahead of the conference and makes appropriate matches for the appointments. The entire schedule is determined and published prior to the show to allow for adequate planning time.
The One-On-One Appointment Show is set for Monday morning, May 22 at the Country Club of Whispering Pines. It is just one element of an action-packed ING schedule.
Educational workshops include: "Marketing Into The Future;" "The Future Of Golf;" "Working With The Media;" "The Edge Of Technology," "PR Of The Future;" and the "Publishers Roundtable." There will also be a Demo Lab for testing products on the range and green, several golf events, the ING Media Awards Banquet and other networking opportunities.
The recently renovated Comfort Inn of Pinehurst is the main hotel for the conference, joining National Golf Club and the Country Club Of Whispering Pines in hosting this annual gathering of media and industry leaders.
The refurbished Country Club of Whispering Pines will host all the ING Spring Conference morning activities, including the One-On-One Appointment Show, educational seminars and breakfasts. Also, the two Ellis Maples-designed golf courses will host three of the five golf outings.
The National Golf Club serves as headquarters for the ING Spring Conference. Conference registration, the Sunday Kickoff Golf event, the ING Demo Lab and all nightly functions will be hosted at this private club, which features some of the most beautiful grounds in all of the Sandhills, and a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course.
The other golf event, the International Pairs World Finals Qualifier, will be conducted on Wednesday May 24 at one of the region’s most famous golf courses, Tobacco Road. Winners from this two-player team net points event will represent the USA and ING in the International Pairs World Finals Aug. 9-12 at Celtic Manor in Wales. Tobacco Road is a Mike Strantz design that is nationally ranked and extremely challenging.
If you would like to reserve a room at one of the three specific properties described above, do so quickly, as the staff is filling the rooms first come, first served.
A full schedule of events, an entry form and other information can be found at www.inggolf.com/. Register now for the best choices. For more information, call 407-328-0500.
For more information about ING one-on-one golf show and for sponsorship information, visit www.inggolf.com.
Contact:
Mike Jamison
407-328-0500
mike@jamisongolf.com
