The countdown clock to the World Golf Expo (WGE) has started and with six months to go, planning is hitting a fever pitch for the staging of one of the most important business summits in the golf industry.
The opening up of the world should fit in well with the scheduled staging of the WGE in Haikou, Hainan on November 4 – 7, 2021. The WGE, jointly organized and staged by the Mission Hills Group of China and ASIAN GOLF will be held at the sprawling Mission Hills Resort in Haikou.
“Our engines have been fired up and we are putting the finishing touches to the WGE and we are hopeful that this major event will happen as scheduled,” explained Tenniel Chu, Chairman of the WGE Organizing Committee and Group Vice Chairman of Mission Hills.
“Our peers in the industry have been forced into a state where face to face contact has been totally curtailed in most cases and being in the people business, it is imperative that we provide a safe and solid meeting space for everyone to come together and work towards getting our industry into top gear and moving,” Chu said.
“Given the fact that the industry has been cast into the doldrums, it makes good business sense to bounce back and bounce back in a forceful and committed manner,” declared Chu.
In the move to rebuild, WGE has adopted a revolutionary theme which is ideal for the industry’s comeback. The theme for the 2021 event is GOLF – BEYOND THE PANDEMIC. “We believe that this is a perfect platform upon which to build a business get together that will help share new thoughts and ideas to help us build an even more robust and resilient post pandemic industry,” said Mike Sebastian, CEO of ASIAN GOLF and the executive producer of WGE.
“Basically, we are looking at inculcating a whole new vision for a new era because many of the pre-pandemic business practices have been more or less voided by this sudden disruption,” Sebastian pointed out. According to him, the disruption has brought about a paradigm shift where digital technologies will play an increasingly larger role in the day-to-day operations of all aspects of the golf and golf club industry.
The top speakers have been drawn from a cross section of the golf industry and amongst the star-studded cast are:
- David Abeles, President of TaylorMade Golf, the brand that boasts some of the best professional golfers in the world as brand ambassadors.
- Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive Officer of the R&A, the international governing body of golf.
- Keith Pelley, Chief Executive Officer of the European Tour, one of the world’s top professional golf tours.
- Joseph Beditz, President of the National Golf Federation from the USA.
“These speakers form the crème de la crème of the global golf industry and we are indeed very fortunate to be able to have their services at the WGE,” said Sebastian.
A total of over 20 international speakers have been confirmed they will be coming from North America, Canada, Europe and Asia.
All of this will be delivered against one of the best backdrops in the resort world – the multi-billion-dollar Mission Hills Resort in Haikou.