Asian Club Managers Focus on ‘Preparing for the Future’

Organised by the Club Managers’ Association of Singapore (CMAS) in collaboration with the Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF) and the China Chapter of the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA), ‘Future Proofing Your Club’ was the theme.

Held at Singapore’s Orchid Country Club, the three-day event explored ‘challenges and innovative solutions’ for attending general managers and senior club management from around the region.

Among the keynote speakers were Oon Jin Teik, the Singapore Sport Hub’s Chief Operating Officer, Jeffrey Kreafle, General Manager at Congressional Country Club, and Andy Johnston, General Manager at Sentosa Golf Club, a Golf Facility Member of the AGIF.

Other presentations were made by Rob Hill, Global Golf Advisors; James Quilley, Emerald Golf; Michael Ma, IndoChine Group; Sean Laney, ClubCorp USA; Rathan Kumar, MobiCom Commune; Joshua Ko, Oracle Marketing Cloud ASEAN; Stephen Jones, Core Health and Fitness; and Narayan Krishnamoorthy, SAP HANA Analytics.

Day two also saw a Presidents’ Panel discussing trends across the region. Joining AGIF Chief Executive Officer Eric Lynge among the panellists were Alywin Tai, CMAA China Chapter; Mohd Rom Muslim, Malaysian Golf Club Managers Association; Budi Kosasih, CMA Indonesia; David Loan, CMA Hong Kong; and Ralph Kober, CMA Australia.

To enhance the conference, delegates were taken on a tour of the facilities at the Singapore Island Country Club, SAFRA Yishun, Seletar Country Club and National University of Singapore Society. Education Facility Tours were also arranged at Sentosa Golf Club and the Singapore Sports Hub.

Peter Goh, General Manager at Orchid Country Club and President of CMAS, said: “This year we took a bold step in charting new ground and placing the focus on preparing for the future.

“While the world is dynamic and clubs face many challenges, the content for the conference was specially curated to provide glimpses and potential solutions for owners and managers alike.”

Mark James, Sports and Recreation Director at The Tanglin Club and the Conference Chairman, added: “Private club management is a globally recognised industry contributing billions of dollars and employing millions of people.

“I believe we all recognise that within our chosen industry the on-going challenges are immense, but the rewards can be substantial.

“We lined up an eclectic mix of topics and speakers with the aim of providing delegates at the conference with tangible, structured and workable ideas on how to manage and improve club offerings to attract and retain members.

“From the feedback we have received, our goal to deliver a relevant, enlightening and, above all, an educational conference was met.”

The conference followed on from the first edition of the AGIF-organised Business Management Institute course.

Goh said: “We were delighted also to be collaborating with the Asian Golf Industry Federation on this conference and also for making the CMAA BMI available in Singapore for our delegates.

“This is a good platform for advancing the professional development of our club managers in Singapore and across the region.”

Asian Golf Industry Federation www.agif.asia