International Speakers Announced for GMA 2019 National Conference….
Following the first announcement of GMA 2019 National Conference speakers, including legendary Australian cyclist Anna Mears, keynote speaker of the year Michael McQueen, award winning author Michael Crossland and MCG CEO Stuart Fox, GMA is thrilled to now announce its two international speakers, who will no doubt make a strong contribution to this world class program.
Firstly, GMA is delighted to announce Executive Director of The Landings Golf Club in Savannah, Georgia, Steven Freund, who will deliver a presentation on improving the culture within a golf club. Steven was appointed to his role in 2010, and currently leads a club with nearly 3000 members, 450 staff, 6 championship golf courses, 33 tennis courts, 5 pools, 2 marinas and a 51,000 square foot wellness center in coastal Georgia. The Landings Club is one of the largest and most complex private clubs in the United States and is currently undertaking a substantial capital reinvestment and repositioning effort – an effort that will establish The Landings Club as a leader in its market segment.
Prior to his time at The Landings Golf Club, Steven has devoted over 40 years to the management of hotels, resorts, and restaurants. He spent 20 years as an executive with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, serving as general manager at several locations before opening The Ritz-Carlton Lodge at Reynolds Plantation in 2001. During his career in hotels and resorts, Steven served in senior leadership capacities in six AAA Five Diamond properties and two Mobil (now Forbes) Five Star hotels and was also involved in the opening of numerous hotels in Asia and North America.
Steven has presented numerous times at the Club Managers Association of America – World Conference and can deliver his principles on ‘creating strong culture’ that are relevant for any size golf club.
Further to the above, GMA is also rapt to confirm John King who is the co-founder of Golf Marketing University in Dublin.
The Golf Marketing University is a dedicated marketing training platform for golf clubs with John being a pioneer in developing dedicated online training programs for golf club marketing.
Not afraid to tell it like he sees it, John is an entertaining, thought-provoking golf club marketing speaker. His practical approach incorporates the fundamentals of consumer behavior and embeds this ethos throughout his marketing, centered on the customer first – not the product. John shares his message all around the world with the industry’s leading governing bodies, associations & federations.
Prepare yourself to leave motivated and armed with new ideas and a fresh perspective!
GMA will continue to provide further speaker announcements in the coming weeks, with many more outstanding speakers already locked away.












