Planning and Governance at GMA Conference

When a speaker announces they are going to talk about Strategic Planning and Board Governance issues, most people roll their eyes and prepare themselves for an uninteresting session – or a seat close to the door. Yet, when those same people are surveyed asking which subjects they would like to learn more about at a conference, Strategic Planning and Board Governance always appear in the top five responses. The answer is likely to be “Yes, I need to learn more, but can you make it interesting?” At the GMA National Conference 2013, Tony Sernack (pictured) from the MACAW Consulting Group has accepted the challenge of presenting these two subjects in an interesting and dynamic way. According to Tony; “Strategic Planning tends to get a bad rap with many managers who see it as something they have to do but often without having the tools, experience or the understanding of what is involved or the full commitment of their board– obviously not a good start. “The process of strategic planning requires time and resources – two things in short supply in most clubs – so it is understandable that some are begrudging in accepting it as just one more burden on their already hefty to do list.  “Of course the benefits of having a clear strategic direction for a club, one that the board, management and members buy into really helps a club focus on what is important and a manager to get on with the job of executing strategy and meeting objectives. The written plan is just one element. Planning isn’t some extracurricular activity. It is at the core of any organisation’s success.” So how do you up the fun factor, get involvement and create a plan that becomes a practical blueprint for where your club is heading and how it is going to get there. Tony will address that question at the GMA National Conference 2013. On a separate but related topic Tony will also look at some key elements of Board Governance. This can be ‘a cat amongst the pigeons’ issue in many clubs. How do you work with your Board members and have clarity on where the lines of policy and management responsibilities start, stop and cross? What skills are needed on the board and how do boards actively work to ensure they are effective? Tony will cover these and other issues that face club boards and management today and how they relate ultimately to meeting strategic and business objectives through best utilising and aligning the skills of board, management (and indeed members and others who can add perspectives and expertise) to achieve objectives and make strategy happen. If you are serious about developing strategic direction for your club, you won’t want to miss these sessions.   Extension to Early Bird Closing Date GMA Conference Chairman, Damon Lonnie (pictured) has today announced a seven day extension to the closing date for Conference Early Bird Registration. Damon explained “We have received feedback from a small number of Managers who are very keen to attend the Conference, but are unable to obtain Board clearance until the end of June. We also received feedback from other Managers who would like the flexibility of including the Conference registration cost in their club’s next financial year (commencing 1st July). “We recognise both these issues as being relevant and are happy to extend the Early Bird closing date to Friday 5th July. “Registration is going very well and we believe it is vital that as many Managers as possible have the opportunity to attend and, apart from the valuable networking opportunities, also have the chance to gather a great deal of education and information from our very exciting presentation group.”   Current Programme Sunday 1 September 2013 3.00pm – 6.00pm   Early Registration 5.00pm – 7.00pm Welcome Cocktail Party   Monday 2 September 2013 INDUSTRY GOLF DAY 7.30am    Registration Opens. 8.30am – 9.00am Conference Opens – Day 1. 9.00am – 10.00am Opening Speaker – Jim James, Augusta National Golf Club – Driving Excellence. 10.30am  Bus Transfer to Golf Clubs from Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney.  12.00pm Approx start time for Group 1 at The Lakes Golf Club. 12.00pm Approx start time for Group 2 at NSW Golf Club. 6.00pm Groups to depart Golf Clubs for The Royal Sydney Golf Club. 6.45pm Opening Dinner at The Royal Sydney Golf Club. 10.30pm Bus Transfers to Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney.   Tuesday 3 September 2013 INDUSTRY GOLF DAY 7.30am    Registration Open. 9.00am – 9.45am Stephen Pitt and John Karren – The State of Golf in Australia. 9.50am – 10.35am Michael Leemhuis – Membership Trends. 11.30am – 12.30pm  Peter Thomson, Jack Newton, Brett Ogle, Craig Parry – Golf, The Game  1.30pm – 2.00pm Michael Horton – Keeping your Legal Options Open. 2.00pm – 2.45pm Greg DeRosa – Power Branding for you and your Club. 3.15pm – 4.00pm Gregg Patterson – Employment – Staff Training and Motivation. 10.35am – 4.00pm Exhibition Open   Wednesday 4 September 2013 OPERATIONAL DAY 7.30am    Registration Open. 7.00am – 8.00am “Open Mike – Breakfast with Jim”: Jim James, Augusta National Golf Club. 9.00am – 10.30am Martin Grunstein – Members: Why do they leave? Why do they stay? 11.00am – 12.00pm  Tony Sernack – Strategic Planning and Board Governance. 12.05pm – 1.05pm Concurrent Workshops (1st Session). – Guy Chapple – Catering Options at your Golf Club. – Jeff Blunden – Golf Pro Shop Ownership. – Gregg Patterson – Customer Service. – Michael Leemhuis – Hosting Major Events at your Club. 2.05pm – 3.00pm Speaker and subject announcement coming soon. 3.20pm – 4.20pm Concurrent Workshops (2nd Session). 10.30am – 6.00pm Exhibition Open (Note: Exhibition finishes at the end of this day). 4.20pm – 6.30pm Hospitality Suite.   Thursday 5 September 2013 OUTCOMES DAY 7.30am    Registration Open. 9.00am – 9.45am Todd Sampson – The Power of Creativity and Innovation. 9.45am – 10.30am Dominic Thurbon –  Generation Change. 11.00am – 11.45am  John Townsend – Effectively Managing and Motivating People. 11.45am – 12.30pm Speaker and subject announcement coming soon. 1.30pm – 2.15pm Speaker and subject announcement coming soon. 2.15pm – 3.45pm Gregg Patterson, Greg DeRosa, Gregg Chapple, Michael Leemhuis – Duelling Philosophies.  4.15pm – 5.15pm Keynote Closing Speaker (Announcement coming soon) 7.00pm – 11.00pm Closing Dinner at Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney.   (Please note: Programme is current but is subject to change)     More exciting announcements to come and further information is available on the Conference website  which you can access by clicking here.