California bound.

80th Annual CMAA World Conference, Feb. 23-27, 2007, & Golf Industry Show, Feb. 22-24, 2007, in Anaheim, CA

When club managers from around the country and around the world flock to Anaheim for the 80th Annual CMAA World Conference, scheduled for the week of Feb. 23-27, 2007, they will also get their first chance to experience the Golf Industry Show, scheduled for the days of Feb. 22-24. The Golf Industry Show, an innovative trade show designed for the owners and operators of golf facilities, also offers a wide array of unique product and demonstration areas suited for the professional members of the golf course and club management industries.

As always, club managers will be able to choose from more than 80 innovative educational sessions and workshops that will help keep them on the leading edge of the club industry. The 80th Annual CMAA World Conference also boasts an unrivaled array of premier social events scheduled throughout the week so that attendees can split their time effectively between professional education and networking. Returning favorites to the Conference will include the ever-popular Idea Fair, the Wine Society's Silent and Live Auctions, Bookmart, and the opportunity to participate in on-site voting for the CMAA offices of Director and Secretary-Treasurer.

The Career Opportunity Showcase is the place at Conference for club managers to seek out their next extry-level managers and interns. This unique job fair is designed for club managers and CMAA student members to network and to discuss potential employment. Similarly, the CMAA Career Services Center at Conference can provide managers with several useful job search tools, including resume critiques and boards listing vacant management positions. All positions will be listed--from GM/COO to intern. This service allows job seekers to leave their resumes for a club representative or search firm.

Guest Speakers

An incredible lineup of special guest speakers has once again been secured for this year's Conference. The Opening Business Session on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2007 will get kicked off by none other than Keynote Speaker Mitch Albom, the best-selling author of Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Albom-who has written nine books in all and is also a nationally syndicated columnist, radio host, and network television commentator--has won more than 100 writing awards from organizations such as the AP and the National Sports Writers and Broadcasters Associations for his outstanding sports writing. Club managers will be entertained and inspired by Albom's insights into work and life in general.

For the Closing Business Session, to be held on Tuesday, Feb. 27, attendees will be treated to the wisdom of lack Mitchell, chairman and CEO of Mitchell/Richards/Marsh's, a three-generation family business of high-end men's and women's stores in Westport and Greenwich, CT and Huntington, NY. During his talk, Mitchell will share with club managers the keys to his business's success; namely, fostering family harmony and maintaining strong, positive relationships with customers, clients, and vendors. Acknowledged in the April '05 issue of Inc. magazine as one of the "26 Most Fascinating Entrepreneurs," Mitchell can often be found on Saturdays and other busy times down on the selling floor of his store. He is also the author of his first book, Hug Your Customers, The Proven Way to Personalize Sales & Achieve Outstanding Results. In it, Mitchell outlines a series of principles that can be adopted by any company to gain a larger share of current business and to attract new customers.

Golf Industry Show

With the addition of CMAA as a presenting partner for the 2007 Golf Industry Show, event organizers are expecting to surpass the numbers from the first two Golf Industry Shows in terms of attendees, exhibitors, and exhibition space.

The Golf Industry Show is an innovative trade show designed for the owners/operators of golf facilities as well as the professional members of the golf course and club management industries. Featuring its signature interactive solution centers, as well as the largest exhibit floor in the industry, the event combines education, networking, and solutions for golf course superintendents, owners/operators, general managers, chief operating officers, architects, and builders.

Close to 700 exhibitors have signed on, accounting for 252,600 square feet of exhibit space at the Anaheim Convention Center. CMAA brings approximately 400 additional exhibitors to the Golf Industry Show, 40,000 supplementary square feet of exhibit space, and 2,500 extra qualified buyers to the event. A merger of trade shows hosted by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) and the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), the first Golf Industry Show in 2005 registered 22,723 attendees, 826 exhibitors, 270,760 net square feet of exhibitor space, and 8,150 qualified buyers, earning a ranking of the 82nd largest trade show in North America that year from Tradeshow Week 200.

In a joint statement, GCSAA CEO Steve Mona, CAE; NGCOA CEO Mike Hughes; and CMAA CEO Jim Singerling, CCM, CEC noted the favorable reception the Golf Industry Show has already received. "Attendees and exhibitors have been overwhelmingly positive about the Golf Industry Show. Attendees see the value of having the leadership team together to enhance decision-making, while exhibitors appreciate the efficiency of interacting with key facility leaders at the same time under the same roof. We believe the 2007 Golf Industry Show in Anaheim will build on the quality of the first two events."

The 2007 show floor layout will feature four Solution Centers and something for every member of the golf course, facility, and club management team: Team Solutions, Clubhouse Solutions, Golf Course Solutions, and Range and Outdoor Facility Solutions.

Front and center on the trade show floor, the Team Solutions Center will feature a center stage where dynamic presentations, demonstrations, and appearances will take place. Activities will focus on the importance of teamwork to the success of the facility. Appearances will include the Disney Institute, presented in partnership with The Toro Company; The American Culinary Federation Culinary Team USA, presented in partnership with CMAA; and Ray Evernham and NASCAR, presented in partnership with Ingersoll Rand/Club Car, Inc.

The Clubhouse Solutions Center will represent operations inside the clubhouse. Technology solutions will feature cutting edge products that improve the member, guest, and golfer experience. Attendees will visualize, experience, and learn the benefits of a flatly equipped and efficiently designed and managed spa facility at a course or club. The building of the spa will be presented by WTS International. Solutions to be highlighted include flexibility (i.e. multi-purpose rooms accommodating massage, nails, hair, etc.); creating atmosphere (i.e. lighting, sound-proofing, temperature, music, aromas); working within space constrictions; budgeting; how to solicit contractors for design, layout, and construction; hiring and training staff; services/product demonstrations; and merchandising. Finally, the American Culinary Federation Culinary Team USA will perform with educational cooking and equipment demonstrations, taste testing, a presentation by Entegra/ICs, and more.

The Golf Course Builders Association of America (GCBAA) and the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) will be constructing and renovating bunkers in the Golf Course Solutions Center. The construction and renovation projects will also be tied into one or more of the GCSAA Education Conference offerings throughout the week, including the Feb. 22 Remodeling University, where seminar participants will take a field trip onto the show floor to see the construction projects in action. Complementing the construction and renovation projects will be presentations by some of the marquee names in golf course architecture, construction, and renovation, offering solutions to successful bunker maintenance, drainage, and more.

The Range and Outdoor Facility Solutions Center will feature an Indoor Golf Studio, presented by Golf Greens "Fore" U, complete with hitting stations and tee boxes, simulators, a putting green, and a stage equipped with cameras to analyze swings. Another highlight will be an Outdoor Events Showcase where a facility can learn how to generate non-golf revenue through outdoor events such as weddings and receptions, family reunions, catered events, and more. Solutions featured will include outdoor flooring options, outdoor lighting, water features, outdoor furniture and fixtures, and state-of-the-art outdoor kitchen equipment. GPS and other outdoor facility technologies will also be showcased in this Solution Center, including on-cart GPS technology that allows golfers to measure distances and order food and beverage while on the course, and allows superintendents to monitor pace of play and track golf cart and utility vehicle travel. The technology also allows for personalized on-cart greetings, two-way communications, and swimming pool chemical monitoring from inside the clubhouse.

For more information on the Golf Industry Show, visit www.golfindustryshow.com. Read CMAA's Conference page at http://www.cmaa.org/conf/index.html.