Golf club managers, owners and operators from across continental Europe are being invited to attend the first ever Central and Eastern European Club Managers Conference www.cmae.org in Budapest, Hungary, November 10-11, 2011.
Among the panel of top guest speakers – all respected figures from various aspects of the club management sector – is Gregg Patterson, General Manager of The Beach Club in Santa Monica, California.
“Gregg Patterson is one of the most inspirational speakers in the club management industry today,” said Jerry Kilby, Chief Executive of the Club Managers Association of Europe. “He is passionate about the benefits and importance of creating real value for club members. To have his knowledge and expertise available for two days is a significant benefit for delegates.”
The two-day conference, which is expected to attract approximately 100 club managers from various sporting and leisure-related clubs, including golf, is being held at the stylish Novotel Budapest Congress Hotel. It has been organised by the Hungarian Club Managers Association (HCMA) in association with the CMAE.
Among the agenda topics on a packed programme of presentations and networking opportunities that will cover the CMAE’s 10 main fields of competence for club managers are Marketing, Club membership, Human resources, Leadership, Facility management, and Food & beverage management
Gregg Patterson’s three keynote presentations in Budapest will investigate:
- Dealing with Divas, and how best to handle ‘prima donna’ colleagues to prevent an adverse effect on your business;
- Creating a Trust Culture, between club managers and their members, boards and colleagues; and
- Creating a High Octane Service Culture, explaining why ‘effective service with personality’ sits at the heart of every great club culture.
Joining Mr Patterson on the speakers’ platform offering thought leadership will be Jerry Kilby CCM, CEO of the CMAE; John Hunt, Past President of the CMAE and Secretary of The Berkshire Golf Club; Balazs Kormany, President of the Budapest region of the Hotel Association of Hungary; Zsolt Berta, General Manager of Golf Management; Layosh Toth, General Manager of Miami Yacht Club, Florida; and Daniel Somogyi CCM, Club Manager of Mont Clair Golf Club, New Jersey.
A wide variety of educational topics will be covered in a practical manner. Delegates can also earn credits, which can be put towards studies on the CMAE’s industry-accredited Certified Club Manager education programme, for attending sessions.
Tamas Revesz, President of the HCMA, said: “This conference offers a great educational opportunity for us to tap into the extensive knowledge and experience of our colleagues within the CMAE network, develop valuable contacts and learn important lessons in the key areas of service quality and staffing.
“I would encourage all club managers from central and eastern Europe to attend this important event.”
Jerry Kilby commented: “While this event is for all club managers, golf club managers in this region face the specific challenges of widening the appeal of the game to a much broader audience, and selling the many health and social benefits that joining a golf club, which boasts a whole host of facilities, can bring.
“Constant self-improvement is an ethos we encourage in our members and it’s refreshing that our Central and Eastern European members wish to interact with their colleagues in other markets.”
The registration form can be downloaded from the CMAE website, which will also include full details of the conference, by visiting www.cmae.org.
The full registration, for which the deadline to register is October 15, 2011, is €250; however, CMAE and HCMA members will enjoy a 20% discount.