The EGCOA has today announced the final programme for the 2013 European Golf Business Conference. The much anticipated event which will be hosted in less than two weeks time from the 23rd-25th October at the Tivoli Hotel in Lisbon Portugal has attracted a line up of leading industry speakers and delegates from around the world.
This year’s agenda will focus on getting back to basics. For the golf industry to evolve we must understand better what the customer wants. By identifying the root of issues such as falling levels of player participation we can clearly develop strategies & programmes in which to assist the industry in moving forward.
This year’s event will play host to the launch of the EGCOA latest project entitled ‘VISION 2020’The project will take an in-depth look under the hood of the European golf industry to create an overview of the current situation and develop an outlook for the development of golf till 2020. The research will be driven by participation and contribution from the Association’s nearly 1000 members across Europe.
The focus areas of the research will be: General Trends in the world affecting golf, quantitative analysis of golf in Europe, qualitative analysis of golf in Europe& the role of owners associations in the development of golf.
Driving the VISION discussion at the event will be Sander Allegro owner of Allegro INN-ovations. Sander is a leading strategic development and change consultant working with many of the world’s top hotels and hospitality venues. Sander will lead an interactive session with delegates gaining insights into what change is needed to drive the industry forward and to ensure its growth and success until 2020.
On the topic of change, the conference will shed light on the challenges and opportunities faced when connecting with the female golf market. With women accounting for more than 51% of the European population & 50% of the workforce, it goes without saying they fuel they fuel a major portion of the economy and a major growth sector in the golf industry.
Niamh Kitching– Lecturer at the Limerick Institute of Technology will share her ground breaking research on the dynamics & interaction of women & junior girls in the club environment. Niamh is truly leading the way for the development of women’s golf and was previously a girls’ development programme for Junior Golf Ireland, Niamh has also worked with the England Golf Partnership, where she supported coach education activities for the PGA. As Coach Education Manager for the PGA in Ireland, Niamh wrote the first ever coach workforce strategy for Ireland.
Following Niamh’s presentation the floor will be opened up to allow delegates to chance to voice their opinions on female golf development and to engage in a questions and answers session with a leading industry panel.
John Aherne of Golfgraffix and Sæþór Orri Guðjónsson of 247golf.net are just some of the names to lead the tech talk exploring Innovation in golf & the benefits of new software’s and technologies in the golf industry. From apps to potential technology traps, the expert panel will identify which innovative new technologies can save your business money in the long run and which actually provide operational efficiency.
Simon Weitzman & Paul Skellett Directors of Wonderland Creative Consultancy are getting back to basics with branding your business. The tag team from the UK say ‘There’s a reason your company was founded. There’s a reason why you’re in the industry you’re in. So dig in, and get honest with yourself. Why are you really in this business? Why does this matter to you? Once you know that, you’ve got the foundation of a real brand’
EGCOA Director Lodewijk Klootwijk said: “Lisbon as a destination is proving extremely popular with conference registrations being received daily from around the world. We have an action packed programme for guests this year and are very much looking forward to the event.”
He added: “We would like to thank the Lisbon Tourism board for their support of the conference and for welcoming us to the beautiful city of Lisbon.”
Registration for the European Golf Business Conference is still open at www.egcoaconference.eu
European Golf Course Owners Association www.egcoa.eu