|
Business meetings and conferences exist in an increasingly competitive market: time-crunched executives are faced with a dizzying array of choices, high airfare and gas prices, a faltering economy and limited time. Meeting planners are finding that it's no longer enough to put on a good meeting with strong speakers and timely topics; to stay afloat in this crowded field, meetings have to be great.
Interestingly, some of the things that propel a meeting from good to great are the things that would be considered meeting "extras" in a solid economy—things like golf.
A golf event creates bonding and networking experiences for attendees. It can also prompt them to consider bringing their family, making the meeting a vacation of sorts. This can give that meeting an edge over others. And in this market, every edge counts.
A well-planned golf tournament can go a long way in making the overall event memorable and talked about, which is beneficial for the subsequent year's events.
Organizing a successful golf outing as one piece of a larger meeting does have its challenges. Some of those are no different than planning any other piece of the overall event—choosing a day and time, reserving the course, trying to anticipate the number of participants, arranging catering or cart service if necessary, arranging transportation if the course is not at the same location as the meeting and making contingency plans (what if it rains? what about people who don't play?).
Others are unique to golf events—what kind of outing rules will the guests expect? How will the course accommodate the number of participants? How do you blend people of vastly different skill levels? How can you make the golf event memorable and fun for golfers who likely have never met? How do you schedule a golf event so that it doesn't distract from the business at hand and so that business event can fully appreciate the benefits of the golf event? How can you ensure that the more casual golf outing is firmly linked in the participants mind with the larger overall meeting?
Create Bonding Experiences
One of the most important reasons to incorporate golf into business meetings is the relationship building that occurs on the course.
"My dad used to say 'golf is like going to camp for a couple hours,'" says Nicole Suresky, founder of New York City-based The Event Catalyst, "It's relaxed, there's no pressure, so business happens more easily on the course. Golf inspires a camaraderie that screenings or other passive entertainments can't match."
"Relationship building is key," says Ellen Seebold, whose annual invitation-only CEO-Summit is capped at 100 CEO or chairman-level attendees. "Golf is the way that a lot of business gets done, so it's a natural fit for a high-end business conference."
Golf is enough of a relationship builder that some events offer more then one opportunity to play. Ernst & Young's Annual National Entrepreneurs of the Year Awards hosts one large (144 player) event at Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert, Calif., but also puts on several golf afternoons—one for the Southeast region, one for the Northeast region, etc., giving smaller teams of colleagues a chance to bond on the course.
Planning Foursomes
When Tracy Kwiker, of Los Angeles' Pivotal Events planned a golf tournament for the Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) at Trump National Golf Club, Palos Verdes, Calif., she knew that attorneys would be coming from all over the world. "We tried to make sure every foursome had a range of countries represented, but we also tried to ensure that the attorneys had something in common, so if there was a German intellectual property attorney and a Japanese intellectual property attorney, we not only put them in the same foursome, we put them in the same cart. People kept commenting on what good fortune they had to be paired together, not knowing we spent hours planning it. It enhanced relationships in a casual setting in a way that was very bond building."
In events where prospecting is important, Suresky tries to include one company representative, one prospect and one satisfied client in each foursome. Seebold allows the key sponsors (or the outing sponsor) to choose the people they want to golf with first, then the rest of the foursomes are matched to mix up the handicaps and to keep couples with other couples.
Much of the golf experience hinges on those one plays with; so extra effort put into planning the foursomes is well worth the time.
But Seebold warns, "No matter how carefully and strategically you plan, you have to be ready to make changes with a smile at the last minute. People will drop out of the tournament, or ask to be added at the last minute or desperately want to be paired together. Make sure your pro expects that."
Managing Expectations
Are your attendees die-hard, competitive golfers or laid-back duffers? Knowing the answer to that—and planning your event for the players your event attracts—can make the difference between golfers leaving the course saying "that was nice" and "I'll see you next year on the course!"
When Kwiker planned the IPBA tournament, she wanted to be sure the outing she set up met their expectations. She called Japan and talked with the Association's administration, and several senior level Japanese attorneys who the association knew would attend and play golf. She discovered that the Association traditionally played Double Peoria handicap rules. "It's a good thing I checked on it, because I'd never heard of it and I probably would have done something different, and not as well received," adds Kwiker.
If you think your golfers are more laid back, you can aim for a lighter touch—hole-side entertainment and more humorous awards; if you expect competitive golfers, post scores prominently and build excitement with an awards ceremony.
"We cap attendance at 100, and we know at least two-thirds will play golf. Having a tee time at Pebble Beach in spring is a draw, but our attendees are competitive," says CEO-Summit's Seebold. "They want a tournament, not just a tee-time."
Scheduling the Golf Event
Some planners feel its best to hold the golf event first, so that players enter the business meeting relaxed and bonded with each other; others suggest it is better to hold it at the end, so that participants are less distracted by upcoming speaking engagements or meetings, and the overall event ends on a fun note. Of course, if you don't plan early, you may not have a choice.
"You can make a good case for the tournament before or after the event," says Seebold. "We've done it both ways. Before the meeting, you give people a chance to build rapport. But our event is a very intensive day and half so it's nice to give them an afternoon of R&R afterwards. And it's nice to close with something fun and relaxing."
Suresky has also held golf events at both the beginning and the end of a conference. She prefers to start the event with golf. "It helps people connect immediately and sets the tone for the conference. And if they've already played, they are less likely to sneak out of a session to play," she adds. "And even the die-hard golfers are tired at the end of the conference; sometimes they cancel golf because they just want to go home to their families."
Make it Memorable
Mike Osgood, director of sales and marketing at Desert Willow Golf Resort suggests to make it interesting, "Don't just send them out to play golf, theme the event to make it fun, have games and surprises to keep them talking about it long after the event. It doesn't cost much and it makes a difference."
Allison Saget, San Francisco-based event marketing consultant and author of The Event Marketing Handbook sold hole sponsorships (which included an ad page in the program, signage at the hole and table-top signage at the breakfast table) and encouraged the sponsors to come up with creative presentations at the hole itself. "The hole sponsorship was at a field marketing cost of less than $5,000 per hole, so the partner didn't need to go to corporate for funding approval," she says. Sponsor activities at the holes included a cigar bar, a wine/margarita tasting hole and "find the hidden surprise and you get to deduct one stroke off your team's score."
Sagat also arranges for golf celebrities to do a meet and greet at the meal functions, give a brief motivational speech and host the awards ceremony. "We station the celebrity on a specific hole to take a photo with the foursome as well as tee-off and play out the hole with the individual group. Each person gets one-on-one time with the celebrity. On the back end, the sales representative schedules a meeting to hand deliver the foursome celebrity framed photo to the client or prospect to help to shorten the sales cycle."
At one evening gala at a golf resort, Suresky included night golf on the first tee and the putting greens. "There were these little glow sticks inside a clear golf ball—they looked like shooting stars when they were hit," she adds.
Seebold posts scores as the golfers leave the greens to build excitement towards the awards ceremony that follows.
Contingency Plans
Don't forget to plan simultaneous events for the non-golfers and prepare for rain or a heat wave. Seebold offers spa treatments and kayaking trips during the golf outing and a golf workshop for newbies that want to be on the green next year.
If the day breaks 100 degrees, amp up your cart service with plenty of bottled water. If the forecast calls for showers, have a cache of ponchos ready, because even rain won't dampen enthusiasm for a tournament during business meetings. "No matter where I've been," says Suresky, "if there's golf, it's better attended. Golf is always a draw."
Lisa Anderson Mann is a writer, specializing in travel and business topics. She is based in Northern California. | 
