A common topic of conversation I have with
many boards is how to increase attendance and participation at local events.
I hear that it's often the time commitment. Too many members have to juggle time between their families and work. Between little league or soccer and other family commitments, there just doesn't seem to be time to attend a conference.
Some say it's a generational issue. The younger generation
just doesn't seem to want to engage -- they get all the education and networking
they need from their iPhones in the palms of their hands.
Then there are those
that simply don't have support from their facilities to attend the meetings. Some
can't attend because they are running such a tight crew and the course couldn't
manage without them, and some simply don't have the budget.
Trust me, I don't have
the golden answer that is going to solve all of these scenarios, but somehow, chapters are seeing a change. I'm seeing a few success stories lately, and hopefully this is a trend that continues into the future.
Last
week I had the privilege of attending the Idaho GCSA Spring Meeting in Boise,
Idaho. I started hearing the buzz about the meeting weeks prior to the event, so
I knew there could be a good crowd. In an association that has close to 57
Class A and SM members, there were 115 attendees at the day-and-a-half conference.
Idaho typically has two meetings a year. The Spring Meeting is always in Boise
at the Red Lion Inn, and the Fall Meeting moves around the state. Many times the
venue will dictate the success of an event. I'm not saying the Red Lion is not
a good venue, but it's not a five-star facility, so that discounts
the venue excuse.
However, the educational line-up was pretty good. The Gem
State has always lured some great speakers, and this meeting was no exception. There
were four speakers at this event providing solid and relevant education. They
included Thomas Nikolai, Ph.D.; Rob Golembiewski, Ph.D.; John Sorochan, Ph.D.; and
Terry Buchan, CGCS, MG. The highlight of the meeting was the Turfgrass Talk
Show hosted by Nikolai. It really seemed to create two-way exchange of
information between the speakers and the attendees. I heard from various
members that the information they learned was valuable and will be put to use
when they return to their courses.
There were at least five members who were
first-time attendees at the meeting -- a great thing! Over all, it was
estimated that close to 62% of the Idaho membership attended this meeting.
Just south of the State of Idaho, the
Intermountain GCSA has experienced similar success in its meeting attendance.
Just last month, on Jan. 29,the chapter held its winter conference at
Fox Hollow Golf Club in American Fork, Utah. I attended this event last year, and there were 100 attendees. This year wasn’t too far off the mark with 90
attendees.
Last year, Pat Finlen, CGCS, presented, along with The First Green
Foundation at Riverside Country Club in Provo. This year the subject was on
course renovation, and speakers included Steve Wolfard from Weibring – Wolfard Golf
Design, Jim Ruelle from GPS Golf As-Built Design and Rex Hanson from Rainbird
Golf Services. What stood out to me here was the offer of five hours of education
(.5 CEU’s) for only $30. The IGCSA has
kept the price affordable, which has attracted not only superintendents but
assistants as well. In this case, the IGCSA has roughly 50 As and SMs, but
they attracted over twice that in attendance, which is very similar to Idaho.
Like I said, I really don’t have the golden
answer, but from what I see, we are experiencing a positive trend among chapters so far this year. There are all kinds of ways to increase the attendance
at local meetings, the secret is finding the right recipe that fits your
demographic. There is a lot to be said if boards reach out to other boards and share ideas. GCSAA field staff representatives can also help
communicate BMPs amongst chapters as well.
Let’s continue to support the local
chapter in 2015. If you haven’t been to a meeting in some time, perhaps it is
time to make a change. The networking alone is invaluable, not to mention the quality of education that is offered at such an affordable price.
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