Each year, the National Club Conference’s timely and enriching educational programming, along with its celebrated social calendar, offers a one-of-kind experience for club leaders and industry professionals. The 2014 National Club Conference will be held on April 27-29, at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. We’re pleased to share just a few reasons why you can’t afford to miss this unique event:
1. You Want to Learn What’s on the Horizon for the Private Club Industry
With our innovative trends research, regular trends reporting, new Navigating the Future trends publication, and forthcoming online trends forum, many club leaders have come to rely on NCA for news about how the private club industry is changing in the short-term, and how best to respond while protecting club culture. The National Club Conference is yet another unparalleled opportunity to gain extensive insight into new and cutting-edge trends information.
In the conference’s first of three education tracks, Club Industry Outlook and Trends for the Future, attendees will learn from experts in the following sessions:
The Club Member of the Future
This discussion will help club leaders answer questions such as:
- What are the implications of a multicultural America?
- What will be the impact of generational power shifts?
- Which lifestyle changes are likely to have the biggest impact on clubs?
- How are the spending habits of the affluent changing?
The Future of Private Golf Clubs
This program presents the results of a multi-faceted National Golf Foundation study that takes a fresh look at the state of private golf in the U.S. and the future of the sport.
Outsourcing Strategies for Club Success:
Outsourcing specialized management areas can offer a club resources and expertise normally available only to large businesses, provide budget flexibility, and allows the club’s own staff to focus on its core services. Find out the pros and cons from specialists in several fields whether outsourcing is right for your club.
2. You Want to Hear the Latest from Capitol Hill, and the Impact On Your Club
The second of the National Club Conference’s education tracks, Legislative, Regulatory and Legal Issues for Clubs, will help you wade through key challenges facing clubs today in the courts and in government, building on NCA’s unique insight as the only organization actively lobbying for private clubs in Washington, D.C. These important sessions include information about:
The Changing Outlook for Private & Tax-Exempt Status: What’s Important Now and How It May Change
Learn how private and tax-exempt status differ and overlap, why you should keep your club truly private, and what it takes to do so, including:
- The impact of nonmember business activities
- The importance of selectivity in evaluating member prospects
- Bylaw provisions to protect private status
Private Clubs and the Legislative/Regulatory Outlook: Who’s Doing What and Why
Legislative and regulatory issues of key concern to private clubs are the subject of this dynamic panel discussion, which will address how clubs are dealing with a variety of challenges coming from Washington, D.C., including:
- How clubs are responding to the Affordable Care Act
- Recent developments with the National Labor Relations Board
- Pending immigration reform and requirements for hiring visa workers
3. You Strive to Foster Your Club’s Best Possible Board
A dynamic and effective board can empower a club to reach new levels of success, yet cultivating such leadership at a club can be a complicated, slow-moving process. The National Club Conference’s third and final education track, Strategic Issues for Private Club Governance, offers session to help you and your board members navigate governance issues such as:
Developing a Culture that Fosters Strategic Thinking
Strategic thinking is what enables a club to make timely and effective decisions to implement your strategic plan. This session offers suggestions on ways to leverage the impact of your plan and build a culture with board and staff leadership that will maximize your success with a shared purpose and vision.
The Board Chair-CEO Partnership: Keys to Success
With new club leaders regularly stepping into chief executive-board chair relationships, how do they develop a system for collaboration? This program provides background on ways to blend distinct personalities, operating styles, perspectives and preferences for a win-win situation.
4. You’re Concerned About the Economic Outlook for Clubs
The future outlook for the club industry is intrinsically tied to the financial health of the economy at both the federal and local levels. Many clubs have turned a corner and see a more positive outlook, yet some areas of the country still show signs of a lagging economic recovery.
This year’s National Club Conference will feature a special keynote address by Ken Fisher, the founder, chairman and CEO of Fisher Investments. He will provide an overview of the current state of the U.S. economy and the future economic outlook.
5. You Trust in the Opinion of Peers
The National Club Conference’s renowned education panels and presentation draw attendees from the top clubs in the country, as well as leaders of prominent industry businesses and allied organizations. Based on surveys of past conference attendees, 86 percent of club managers report that the high-quality information they gained at the conference was highly influential in helping them to improve operations at their club.
Terra Waldron, of the Desert Highlands Golf Club, stated, “The National Club Conference Provides critical information on topics that help me do my job effectively and efficiently.” Need to hear it for yourself? Please e-mail [email protected] and NCA will be happy to put you in touch with a past conference attendee from your area.
6. You Want To Make New Connections and Strengthen Old Ones
NCA knows that positive results come when club leaders join together. Whether comparing plates at the elegant dinner reception, teeing off during the golf outing, or grabbing coffee between presentations, the National Club Conference offers an intimate forum for you to catch up with old friends and make important new connections with peers that will help you stay ahead of the curve.
7. You’re Working to Maintain Your Certified Club Manager Designation
Do you maintain certification with CMAA as a Certified Club Manager (CCM)? Attendees of the National Club Conference may earn up to six continuing education credits to be applied toward the certification.
8. You Could Use a Vacation in Timeless San Francisco
San Francisco is not only one of the country’s most culturally vibrant and picturesque cities, it is also an important hub for hospitality and recreation, including numerous top-tier private clubs. The conference’s accommodations and education sessions will be held at the historic Fairmont Hotel, in the heart of the city. This stately luxury hotel will provide an ideal backdrop for the excellence in service and hospitality celebrated at the National Club Conference. Additional conference events will take place at such famed San Francisco clubs as the Pacific-Union Club, St. Francis Yacht Club and the California Golf Club.
9. Your West Coast Club Isn’t an NCA Member Yet
It is important to NCA that clubs make the most out of their NCA membership. As the National Club Conference prepares to arrive on the West Coast, we are offering free conference registration to clubs in California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona and Nevada that become new NCA members between March 1 and April 26, 2014. Don’t miss this chance to join us in your own backyard and to see what NCA has to offer.
10. You’re Ready to Help Us Celebrate 11 Years of Club Education
NCA works to make each year of the National Club Conference more informative, more enjoyable, and more impactful in advancing private clubs.. Building on more than a decade of excellence in educating private club leaders, the 2014 National Club Conference will feature an outstanding lineup of education sessions, dazzling social events and opportunities to expand your professional circle. Please visit the NCA website at www.nationalclubconference.org in order to learn more about the conference, and to submit your registration today.
Curtis Rogers is NCA’s Associate Manager, Marketing Communications.