The Asia Pacific Golf Summit (APGS) has gone one full circle around the region and returns home to Singapore for the 2014 instalment of this major international conference on the business of golf.
APGS got its start in the bustling metropolis of Singapore in 2007 and it was the first time that the international golf industry witnessed the staging of a serious conference that addressed the many specialized areas of a highly complex business.
APGS 2014 will be staged at what is perhaps the most spectacular integrated resorts in the world, the imposing Marina Bay Sands which squats majestically on the outer fringes of the central business hub of Singapore. APGS has always had an impressive track record in selecting some of the most impressive venues and this year’s event has raised the ante by a few notches.
“APGS has certainly come a long way since and it is now in its eighth year and we plan to celebrate its home-coming in grand style,” revealed Mike Sebastian, chief executive officer of the Asia Pacific Golf Group, the owner and producer of the Summit.
The Summit dates have been set for 13 and 14 November.
“One can’t really refer to the Marina Bay Sands as a five-star hotel because it does not have a facility to match it in the entire world – it’s a one of a kind facility and we are proud to be staging APGS 2014 in a setting that is very befitting of its home-coming,” said Sylvan Braberry, the chief executive officer of the Asia Pacific Chapter of the Club Managers Association of America, an organizing partner of the Summit.
APGS has become renowned internationally as a very slick and well produced golf business event. “It is an extremely well-packaged event and is most definitely a very professionally produced show and I have no doubt in my mind that APGS 2014 will far exceed previous records,” stated Jim Singerling, chief executive officer of the Club Managers Association of America.
“APGS 2014 will be a cauldron bubbling with knowledge and I urge everyone who considers himself or herself to be a serious stake-holder in golf to make an effort to attend APGS 2014 – it will be a veritable showcase of new directions and solutions for the golf industry,” Braberry declared.
When asked to comment on APGS 2014, Sebastian said, “It will certainly be a well-produced conference as Singapore is really a state of the art centre for the production and staging of world class conferences – we will be using one of the finest convention centres in the world and this is motivation in itself to set new standards.”
He explained that APGS 2014 will address some very serious issues that currently face the global golf industry. “One such issue concerns the shine coming off the game of golf – we need to come up with innovative plans and initiatives to grow the game of golf against a setting where the game is in decline, rounds played are down and fewer people are coming on board to play and enjoy the game,” Sebastian said.
He was quick to point out that the challenges faced by the golf industry is global in nature with the only difference being that we in most of Asia have no access to market intelligence to track trends. Hence, the industry in this region is at a loss when it comes to ascertaining the size of the market, direction of market indicators and trends.
“There is an urgent need for Asia to grow the game of golf – we need to bring in more players, more youngsters, more women into golf and we need to find ways and means to encourage existing golfers to play more of the game.”
Given the challenges faced by the industry, APGS 2014 will assemble a pool of experts to share new and refreshing ideas to grow and expand the game. “For the first time, we will be going out of the realms of the industry to bring in experts from other fields to help revitalize the golf industry,” pointed out Sebastian.
APGS 2014 will be a launch pad for many out-of-the-box ideas. “We want the Summit to be a forum that flows with positive and exciting ideas …. We want all delegates to leave the Summit inspired and fired up to embark on innovative ways to grow the great game of golf,” Sebastian added.
The theme for APGS 2014 “New Drive. New Energy. A Revitalised Industry!” “We feel that this theme embodies everything that Asia can do to grow golf. It has the critical mass, a vibrant population base and the resources and wherewithal to make things happen for golf …. With a can do attitude, Asia can lead the way and breathe new life, vigour and vitality into the ancient game of golf,” emphasized Sebastian.
“It all sounds very profound but in actuality all that is needed is for everyone to set aside agendas, work in unison and focus on those areas where programmes and solutions can be put in place to turn around golf – it’s as simple as that!”
The sub-theme for APGS 2014 is KISS – the acronym for “Keep it simple, stupid”, a principle introduced by the U.S. Navy in 1960.
“We can guarantee everyone that APGS 2014 will be a truly dynamic event which will feature dynamic speakers with fresh perspectives aimed at giving the golf industry one giant booster shot in the arm,” said Sebastian. He believes that there is an urgent need to break away from convention and bust out into new frontiers of progressive thought.
APGS 2014 www.golfconference.org