5th European Golf Business Conference a Great Success

London, UK - 2. December 2010: Around 200 delegates attended this year's fifth European Golf Business Conference, organised by the European Golf Course Owners Association (EGCOA).

A growing number of golf courses were represented, compared to last year's conference in Amsterdam, demonstrating the significance of the event to a large number of participants.

Day 1 began with a successful second edition of the EGCOA Multi-Course Owners Meeting, which was attended by 40 of the largest operators in Europe. The MCO meeting was followed by an evening reception to officially open the conference.

Day 2 included a keynote by James Cronk, golf business guru from Canada, as well as other speakers who discussed human capital, third party internet bookings and best practices to grow the game of golf.

On Day 3, Kelli Jerome of the Golf Environment Organisation (GEO) and Peter Harradine of Harradine Golf presented a clear vision on sustainable golf business models. Marnix Von Bartheld of KPMG showed figures about the current state of the golf industry and how future changes will impact the business.

Part two of this discussion was in the form of a panel debate with David Krause - EIGCA and Philip Spogard of Spogard Van Der Vaart Golf Course Design, and was moderated by Gill Wilson. James Cronk closed proceedings with the second of his sessions, in which attendees were invited to raise the issues, which most impact them in today's industry environment.

Lodewijk Klootwijk, director of the EGCOA, said: "The success of the European Golf Business Conference in 2010 should be seen as a very positive sign of all the opportunities that lie ahead for the European golf industry. The success of the conference this year, shows the continued need to share information and experiences amongst golf course owners. We are very thankful that our sponsors continue to support this important event for the golf course industry."

The Conference took place this week at the prestigious Royal Horticultural Halls in central London.

For further information, please visit the Conference website.