It’s full steam ahead at Golf Business Forum HQ in Melbourne as the first six speakers for the two day event are confirmed this week. Organisers Guy Chapple and Andrew Davies say that curating quality content for delegates was a key strength of the inaugural event in 2016, and they are carrying that discipline through into the speaker lineup for the July 2018 Golf Business Forum.

“It is a great process to go through,” enthuses Chapple. “Earlier this year we worked with a group of industry people who were willing to dedicate their own time to identify key issues and topics. We are now engaging amazing speakers whose areas of expertise really resonate with Australian golf.”

One of those areas is improving female participation in the game, a problem that the industry associations have made inroads into improving but one that grassroots facilities have been finding difficult to solve. The Forum has confirmed a speaker to address this issue head on. “Bec Brideson has been on our radar for some time,” explains Davies. “We are thrilled to lock her in as a speaker, as she is one of the country’s leading voices on best practice for marketing to women and really focuses on the revenue potential that brings.”

As previously announced, delegates will hear about Topgolf’s plans for Australia, direct from international COO Zach Shor. Delegates will also pick up handy tips from retail guru Ian James, and see what leading facilities Adelaide Shores and Curlewis Golf Club are doing to grow their businesses. Keynote speaker and author Chris Helder has been engaged to bring his unique insights into human potential, leadership and mastering the face-to-face customer experience.

This week special pre-release delegate passes have been made available to delegates who attended the inaugural 2016 Forum, with best-available rates for the 2018 event. Early-bird delegate passes will go on sale early in 2018, available to all golf industry participants.