Second International Great Britain and Ireland PGA Conference in Thailand hits the mark

The PGA Members’ International Conference returned to Thailand and the world renowned Laguna Phuket Resort last week following the resounding success of the inaugural event in 2017.

The conference, sponsored by the original Thai brewing company Singha and apparel company Fenix Xcell, was held from 11-14 November and brought together Great Britain and Ireland PGA Members from 14 countries across the globe.

The event offered attendees, in addition to the education element, the chance to learn from the best in the golf industry while enjoying some superb networking opportunities over the few days.

One of the conference’s key themes this year was “Supporting PGA Members in developing their careers and businesses” with a strong line-up of speakers to present during the two-day convention. The first day of education kicked off with highly respected performance coach, Ian Peek, who presented a framework for ‘optimising performance’, looking at how delegates can improve performance by examining their current models.

BREAKOUT QUOTE: What influences our daily performance? The bio psychological model suggests what we achieve is dependent on how our biological, psychological and social world come together as one unit.

PGA fellow Professional Richard Hughes continued in a breakout session after Peek and talked about the impact of using technology within their business. Hughes’ session looked at various pieces of software available on the market, including MySwing3d, K_Vest, BodiTrak and both FlightScope & Trackman launch monitors.

Another topic for debate on Day One was leadership, with Bruce Williams looking at the differences between managing and leading, as well as key leadership characteristics and competencies.

Other speakers included Asian Golf expert Mark Siegel, owner and managing director of Golfasian the region’s leading Golf Holiday operator and Peter Downie, General Manager at Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club. Siegal discussed the Asian golf tourism experience while Downie spoke to delegates about member retention through continual upgrading of assets.

To close out the day, a panel discussion followed, facilitated by Golf Industry Central’s own US/AUS PGA Member Mike Orloff. Bruce Williams Industry expert, Thai CC GM John Blanch and Clearwater Bay CEO Peter Downie discussed the various challenges for industry in the Asia region.

Day two had a focus on marketing and customer experience. Carl Heaton from Web Courses Bangkok discussed the various platforms and some strategies around promoting and engaging to your customers.

Mike Orloff presented on customer journey mapping and how to create a consistent customer experience day in and day out.

PGA Partner and leading customer service analysts and training provider, Simon Wordsworth, CEO of the 59Club, discussed the golf experience in Asia and how it compares across Europe and the Middle East.

Women’s participation in the game was a hot topic of discussion on the second day. One of the leading research companies in this area, Syngenta presented their findings on the subject and explained how the delegates could maximise the opportunities of getting more females playing.

Canadian PGA Member James Cronk wrapped up the two days well with a topic called Get Powered On. Some great insight on how to take what was learned at the conference and go back to your facility to make change. The presentation tied in many of the “takeaways” for the two days into some motivation to get started with change.

To close out Day 2, the PGA management team and CEO Robert Maxfield discussed the future of Association in a member’ meetings

”I was honoured to be asked to be involved this year. As a 20 year PGA Member it was great to meet other PGA Members from all parts of the world. We all have a common DNA in why we are in the industry. Ive made some great friends as well some fantastic insights that I can now share with my various clients. What a great location to have a conference and I look forward to watching this event grow each year.” Mike Orloff US/ Aus PGA Member and Founder of Golf Industry Central.