The programme for the 2010 Asia Pacific Golf Summit is taking shape and all indications point to this year’s event being a truly historic milestone.
Historic in the sense that for the first time, the Summit’s programme has been structured to identify some of the most pressing problems facing the golf industry in Asia and to seek out lasting solutions for these problems.
“We consider this to be very important especially as Asia enters a new phase of golf development,” explained Mike Sebastian, managing director of Asia Pacific Golf Developments Conferences (APGDC), the owner and producer of the Summit.
The 2010 Asia Pacific Golf Summit will be staged at the sprawling Bangkok International Convention Centre at Centara Grand Hotel from October 18-20. The Summit will be staged in conjunction with the 2010 Asia Pacific Golf Industry Show (APGIS), which will also be held at the same facility and on the same dates.
“We believe that by combining the conference and the industry show, we will be in a position to offer the golf industry in the region the ability to get up to speed on all the latest at a one-stop shop,” said Sebastian.
Georgina Wong, Executive Director of APGDC, who runs the APGIS said, “We are laying out close to 3000 square metres of high quality exhibition space at the exhibition hall and all arrangements have been made to ensure that exhibitors and visitors are treated to a world-class event.” According to Wong, space is being grabbed very quickly and she expects bookings to pick up in the next few weeks.
Given the clearly stated objectives of the 2010 Summit, the programme (already on the website at http://www.golfconference.org) has been put together to identify areas that are in urgent need of attention. Under the broad thematic umbrella – The Great Asian Golf Debate – the programme has been structured to address four operational areas:
• Club Management – changes and trends.
• Game Development – growth of golf.
• Turf Management – A wake-up call.
• Business Opportunities.
CLUB MANAGEMENT
This is an area that needs an urgent fix. While on the one hand, Asia is experiencing a “boom” of sorts in golf development, there are literally hundreds of golf clubs in the region that are languishing and mired in financial difficulties. Part of this is attributable to the fact that the growth in players has generally been on the decline, which in turn has impacted rounds played, and a whole range of other revenue streams. Club management needs help and needs to be shown innovative, new ways to halt the downward slide. The Summit’s programme will have modules that will look at whether Asia needs to start engaging management companies to run golf clubs in Asia; a re-think on how food and beverage services and catering can become a big revenue generator for golf clubs; exciting new ways to attract and retain members. “These are just some of the challenges that a lot of clubs in the region are experiencing and we hope to show these clubs that there are ways to get around these problems with solutions that will work,” pointed out Sebastian.
GAME DEVELOPMENT
The game of golf that is played today is not the game that our fathers used to play. It is important that this fact is clearly understood by all of us in the golf industry in Asia. It has gone through radical change driven primarily by technology. Golf clubs especially, need to understand this change and make sure that their members and golfers in general are kept abreast with changes in trends as it impacts the way the game is played. For example, most club members in Asia are not given the opportunity to test out new clubs at demo days. Why? Because club management are committed to their pro shops who frown upon “competitive” brands being brought in and demonstrated to club members. This is a mindset that needs to be changed and changed real fast. It borders on absolute absurdity. Club members need to be exposed to the latest and the best in terms of equipment, apparel and accessories and the best people to demonstrate this are the manufacturers. Clubs in Asia need to open their minds and their doors to allow this change to happen. Only this will help grow the game on a sustainable basis. The Summit’s programme will take on this challenge headlong and start the ball rolling towards change.
TURF MANAGEMENT
This is one area that has been a bone of contention ever since golf was introduced to Asia. There is an urgent need to educate golf club owners and operators that their single largest recurrent investment/cost is on turf – turf on their tee-boxes, fairways, roughs and greens. When turf goes bad, everything falls in line and goes ugly. “The Summit will lay special emphasis on the importance of an on-going culture and understanding amongst course owners and operators to understand and appreciate that turf care is of paramount importance and that the need to protect this single investment takes precedence over everything else,” exclaimed Sebastian. “We are bringing out the best team on turf that money can buy – the Turfgrass Management team from the University of Georgia lead by the guru himself, Dr. Earl Eisner – Earl and his team will share with owners and operators some of their revolutionary thinking on how turf can be managed on a sustainable basis,” Sebastian added. The thrust is to make sure that Asian golf courses are all set on the right path towards achieving the best grades in turf care and management.
Close to 50 international experts have been assembled to speak at the Summit. Amongst some of the top names who will be present at this year’s Summit are:
• Gary Player
• Peter Thomson
• Greg Norman
• Annika Sorenstam
• Hud Hinton
• Joe Louis Barrows Jr.
• Dr. Earl Eisner
Delegate registration is now open and interested parties can register on-line at http://www.golfconference.org
“If there is one international golf conference that you should attend this year, then make it the 2010 Asia Pacific Golf Summit – besides a top quality programme, the opportunities to network and socialize, there is nothing in the world of golf to match the Summit,” concluded Sebastian.
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