Despite thunderstorms that affected outdoor activities for three days, the 23rd Annual ING Spring Conference at Orlando’s Reunion Resort proved to be a successful event, based on the post-conference survey.
Approximately 73 percent of respondents rated the conference at excellent or above average, and another 21 percent rated their experience as average.
“One of the best moves I have ever made was to attend this ING Spring Conference,” said Dan Bonomo, President of PSP Golf. “I met some of the top people in the golf business.”
“Being a new member, we weren’t quite sure what to expect, but the business and networking was far more than we had imagined. The support and willingness of the entire group to help was refreshing and overwhelming,” Brent Pauley, CEO, Golfalyzer.
Other highlights from the survey:
Over 67 percent of attendees ranked the One-On-One Appointment Show as the No. 1 most important element of the ING Spring Conference. Finishing second at 12 percent were the educational sessions followed by the Demo Lab, networking elements, then golf.
Among the ING University elements, the Club Technology Panel with Sean Toulon, Frank Thomas and Steve Pike was the favorite, followed by the Best Practices session on Wednesday.
As for the quality of the various aspects of the conference, the One-On-One Appointment Show ranked first, followed by the Tuesday Night Banquet, Welcome Reception and SNAG Glow Golf.
In regards to educational topic suggestions, advertising/marketing was the leader, followed by state of the industry, social media and club technology.
As for future attendance, 93 percent said they would definitely or possibly attend the 2014 in Atlantic City June 1-4.
The majority of the negative comments in the survey were centered around the havoc played by the thunderstorms – specifically the golf tournaments on Monday and Wednesday. A positive to come out of this is that ING will return to the practice of producing rules sheets and instructions for the golf tournaments, to include provisions for inclement weather.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the survey.
