PGA Magazine Merchandisers of the Year Conference set for Jan. 25–27
Before taking to the floor of the PGA
Merchandise Show to decide what
products to sell this year, many of the
game’s top merchandisers will gather to
discuss best practices and the state of the
business. The 2009 PGA Magazine
Merchandisers of the Year Conference will
be held Jan. 25–27 at Ginn Reunion Resort
in Orlando, Fla., giving attendees at the
invitation-only event a chance to compare
notes on trends and challenges.
All section and national PGA
Merchandisers of the Year from 2008 have
been invited, along with top AGM
merchandisers and golf industry VIPs. This
month’s event will build on last year’s
inaugural conference, which brought
together more than 100 top PGA
Professional and AGM merchandisers at Ginn
Reunion Resort. More than 30 of the 2007
sectional award winners – and 2007 national
PGA Merchandisers of the Year Adam Carney
and Doug Steffen – were in attendance.
Another 30 past national and sectional PGA
Merchandisers of the Year also attended, as
well as more than 30 AGM members and
VIP invitees from around the country.
Over the course of three days, attendees
will meet in breakout groups to discuss
merchandising topics such as clubfitting,
marketing and promotion, product
selection and mix, tournaments, outings
and corporate sales, and training and
education. The breakout sessions will be
facilitated by PGA Professionals, and the
best practices discussed in each session
will be collected and presented to all
attendees at the end of the conference.
The discussions will also guide upcoming
stories in PGA Magazine. Attendees will
also have the opportunity to hear from
guest speakers, and there will also be time
for networking and relationship building.
The 2009 PGA Magazine Merchandisers
of the Year Conference will welcome the
addition of American Express and Ben
Hogan/Sport Haley as sponsors. The 2008
PGA Magazine Merchandisers of the Year
Conference was presented by Aldila,
AM&E, Ashworth and Ping. Supporting
sponsors were Amstel Light, Bonterra
Vineyards, OfficeMax and Pepsi.
PGA Magazine staff members recently
held six regional planning meetings to help
shape the agenda for the 2009 PGA
Magazine Merchandisers of the Year
Conference based on feedback from PGA
Professionals from across the country.
“The 2009 PGA Magazine Merchandisers
of the Year Conference will be centered on
open discussion on the trends, challenges
and opportunities that existing in golf
merchandising,” says PGA Magazine
Publisher Kirk Pagenkopf. “By discussing
best practices and innovative ideas,
attendees will benefit from the shared
knowledge of their peers – and future
stories in PGA Magazine will bring that
knowledge to a much wider audience.”
—Don Jozwiak
The Indoor
Demo Days at the
Equipment Test
Center lets
attendees try
equipment without
leaving the Show
floor.
entitled “PGA Performance Trak – Tools to Manage
Your Business.” The seminar will show PGA Professionals how to utilize Performance Trak to monitor facility performance and the performance of
other facilities in the same market through monthly, year-to-date and annual reporting services relative to golf rounds and key revenue and expense
statistics. Performance Trak allows PGA members
to benchmark performance against facilities in the
same region and local market and provides access
to a host of best practices collected by The PGA to
help facility managers effectively manage and grow
their business.
“Performance Trak is a particularly timely tool in
this economic downturn, since benchmarking your
facility’s rounds played and revenue per round is such
an important part of evaluating facility operations
and budgeting for the future,” notes Colclasure.
“Performance Trak has existed since June of 2005,
and we have 2,500 PGA of America and National
Golf Course Owners Association facilities that
participate each month in reporting their rounds
and Key Performance Indicators. So we have great
historical data to compare facility performance
from month to month and year to year.
“In this economic climate, that is very important
since your rounds might be down but your revenue
might be up. Or your rounds might be down, but
your rounds might still be above what like facilities
in your region are doing. Performance Trak lets PGA
Professionals know if they are keeping pace with
similar facilities in their market and how their facility compares in revenue generation. Those are key
points for facility owners and operators, and those
will be important message points in this Education
Conference presentation.”
Business Leaders Share Expertise
Larry Hirsh, president of Golf Property Analysts,
is among a roster of prominent business professionals
who will share their expertise with PGA Professionals
at the Education Conference in conjunction with
the PGA Merchandise Show. Hirsh will present a
seminar titled “Financial Reality – Owning a Golf
Course” that will detail methods of golf-property
evaluation, financial analysis, putting a deal together
and an exit strategy for anyone interested in owning
a golf facility.
