SPEAKER PROFILES

Jay has been the CEO of National Golf Course Owners Association since 2015, where he leads the golf industry’s trade association and initiatives to support the success of the golf course business, the largest segment of an $84B industry in the United States. Prior to his appointment at NGCOA, Jay was CEO of Select Registry, a portfolio of over 300 premier boutique hotels, inns and B&Bs. For seven years before that, Jay was President and CEO of the trade association representing owners of small, independent lodging businesses.  Jay was also with the NGCOA for ten years early in his career, having served the association in several roles.  

Jay holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Winthrop University, a Master of Arts degree in American History from the College of Charleston and is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) by the American Society of Association Executives. Jay serves as Chairman of the industry-wide advocacy coalition, We Are Golf, and as a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame advisory board and the Golf USA Tee Time Coalition, a joint initiative with the PGA of America.  He has also served on the boards of directors of the United States Travel Association and the College of Charleston’s Hospitality and Tourism Management degree program. The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, CBS Radio, NBC News, NPR, the Golf Channel, Golf Digest and many others call upon Jay for his insights on the golf industry. He speaks on industry issues throughout the United States and across the globe.  

Within the association community, Jay has become well known as a thought leader and progressive practitioner.  He has been asked by ASAE to author articles and make presentations on effective leadership and membership growth at many ASAE Annual Meetings.  Recently, he contributed to the books Membership Essentials and the ASAE Handbook of Professional Practices in Association Management.  Jay serves on ASAE’s Executive Management section council, Public Policy Committee and board of directors for ASAE Business Solutions Inc (for-profit subsidiary of ASAE).  In addition, Jay serves on the Advisory Board to McKinley Advisors, one of the association industry’s most respected consulting companies, and has been an advisor to the board of the Charleston Wine + Food Festival. 

On a personal note, Jay has been married for 19 years to an amazing woman, who is an independent college counselor, and they have two children: a 13-year old daughter and 10-year old son. His primary interests include spending as much time with his family as possible, playing golf, amateur photography, social media, contemplating the meaning of life, swinging a kettlebell or running trails on Daniel Island as often as he can, and eating foods that are really bad for him.

24 million golf participants. 16,752 golf courses. The US golf market is BIG! One of the highlights from Golf Business Forum 2016, we’re excited Jay is returning to Melbourne to share the latest insights from the world’s biggest golf market.

Jaquie Scammell is Australia’s leading customer service expert, helping create a service mindset, to those seeking growth in their organisations and themselves.

An entertaining, popular speaker who is obsessed about serving people in a very human way & with infectious energy from the stage. Her work helps organisations create the ultimate people plan to take care of their employees, so their employees take care of the customers.

Launching her own business as a Thought Leader of; Creating a Service Mindset, following a diverse career with 20+ years of leadership experience in public, private and not for profit sectors. Starting with the McDonalds franchise system, expanding to major sports and entertainment venues such as; Wembley National Stadium (UK), Emirates Stadium (UK) and the Australian Open Grand Slam. From experience, she knows what levers to pull for both employee and customer for inspiring connections.

Working with various business industries, the commonality is; wanting to improve the connection between employee and customer and create a service mindset that sticks for long term loyalty.

Her unique teachings reveal a deep appreciation for the human side of business and through practical experiences, has built a philosophy which concentrates on the leaders of the organisations first, equipping them to spread the DNA of a service mindset throughout their teams.

A published author; Creating a Customer Service Mindset & a regular blogger, Jaquie offers practical tools, resources & a set of Mindsets to help leaders transform their own behaviours & service habits to help them teach others.

Customers are the lifeblood of any golf business.  Without them, a business doesn’t exist.  No matter what your role in a golf business, you exist for the customer.  It’s time to create a service mindset.

“People will sit up and take notice of you if you will sit up and take notice of what makes them sit up and take notice.” (Harry Gordon Selfridge)

Don Rea is owner/operator of Augusta Ranch Golf Club, which his company Community Course Rescue Services, leases from the community homeowner’s association.

Don worked as a Minor League Professional Umpire for nine years before joining the golf business in 1999 starting at Augusta Ranch Golf Club. He became a Class – A member of the PGA of America in 2002 when he transferred to the Golf Club at Eagle Mountain.

Don was formerly the Senior Vice President of Operations and Business Development for Platinum Golf Properties in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Golf Club at Eagle Mountain was ranked #1 Public Golf Course in Arizona in 2006 and 2007 under his direction while achieving record-breaking years of profitability. Also, Augusta Ranch Golf Club has been rated the “Best Executive Golf Course in Arizona” by the Arizona Republic and was selected “Host Club of the Year” by the Arizona Women’s Golf Association.

He is a Certified PGA Professional in General Management and is a Past Board of Director of the PGA of America. He also is on the Board of Directors for the NGCOA and President of the Arizona NGCOA. Don is Certified in Advanced Hospitality Revenue Management: Pricing and Demand Strategies through Cornell University.

Don has been married 21 years to Karen and has a 28 yr old son Don III and a 17 yr old daughter Katie.

Marketing and revenue.  One is one of the most important things a golf business can do.  The other is one of the most important things a golf business needs (arising from customers).  Don will explain why marketing is essential to a golf business, and how to best achieve marketing success either within your team or working with your marketing partner.  Then, it’s all about maximising revenue from your golf rounds utilising insights into demand patterns and performance data.

An accomplished practitioner with 30 years’ experience in the Australian tourism industry, Karen Fitzgerald’s career has spanned a range of senior managerial and influential roles with tourism industry councils, tourism businesses, state/regional/local tourism organisations, visitor information centres and all levels of government.  From the Northern Territory to South East Queensland and now Tasmania, Karen believes she has the best job in Australia!

Currently Global Manager, Experiences, Karen leads Tourism Australia’s Signature Experiences of Australia program, which is designed to inspire travellers from around the world to visit Australia by highlighting special interest sectors that align to their passion points. 

This Program includes 8 marketing collectives (including Great Golf Courses of Australia) and represents 180 businesses offering a qualified inventory of over 700 tourism experiences that have been carefully designed to capture the imagination of consumers around the world. 

Consumers’ quest for authentic experiences is turbo-charging the tourism and travel industries.  What’s the opportunity for golf, and how should we take advantage of the market opportunities?

Jeremy Loeliger was appointed General Manager of the National Basketball League from 1 July 2015, Chief Executive Officer from 2016 and Commissioner from 2019.

Since that time Mr. Loeliger has overseen the League’s commercial transformation, establishing the foundations for a successful and sustainable future for professional basketball in Australia.

Before joining the NBL, Mr. Loeliger was a partner of a national law firm, practising corporate and commercial law with a focus on mergers and acquisitions and capital markets, but also including a successful niche sports law practice. Mr. Loeliger also is a champion of Sino-Australian trade and the important role of sports diplomacy.

The sports business world has changed, with customer expectations and experiences at the epicentre of this change – how the NBL has re-written the rules for delivering great customer experiences.

Brendan has been the General Manager at The Hills Golf Club, an exclusive private club near Arrowtown, New Zealand, since 2016.  He has previously been the Golf Course Superintendent of The Hills Golf Club, Royal Auckland Golf Club and Tauranga Golf Club, and has held Assistant roles at Russley Golf Club and Hamilton Golf Club. 

Brendan is a former President and Board member of the New Zealand Golf Course Superintendents Association (NZGCSA) and is a recipient of New Zealand’s premier turf management award, the NZGCSA Excellence Award.  He has held 7 New Zealand Open Championships and 2 NZPGA Championships, and sits on the NZ Open organising committee. 

Brendan has a unique education and work history, and a commitment to developing both people and the environment they work in.  He is passionate about golf courses and the role golf clubs can play in peoples lives, providing them with a connection with the outdoors and a sense of belonging, both as members and as employees.  He has spoken at a wide range of golf industry events on topics as diverse as environmentally sustainable practice, developing staff culture, and strategy development. 

Brendan is known for being an engaging, open,  honest, and occasionally irreverent speaker who advocates strongly for the role of smart Superintendents in strengthening golf clubs.

Consistently delivering high-quality experiences that at least meets, or exceeds, customer expectations is paramount to golf business success.   Whether it’s on the golf course, or off it, people are at the heart of delivering memorable customer experiences; and Brendan’s team is one of the best.

Carla Armanet is an experienced place and venue management executive. Driven by optimising engagement and providing positive customer experiences. Carla is widely known for her major event, commercial and operational expertise.

As Director, Sport and Recreation, with Botanic Gardens and Centennial Parklands Trust, she is motivated to encourage ongoing participation opportunities that achieve positive outcomes for the wellbeing of the community and the promotion of an active lifestyle.

Centennial Parklands is now the largest single site sporting precinct in Australia and thrives on an eclectic mix of sporting and recreational pursuits, including Moore Park Golf, one of the busiest and most utilised public golf courses in Australia.

In addition to her role with the Parklands, Carla has been recognised for her place making and leadership role in the launch and activation of NSWs’ largest urban renewal projects, Sydney Olympic Park and most recently Barangaroo.

The way young and older Australians are participating in sport is changing. Learn how the nation’s largest and most diverse sporting precinct is reacting to this change, and successfully driving sport and physical activity participation.

A PGA of America member since 2001, Ryan holds a business marketing degree with a specialisation in Professional Golf Management from Coastal Carolina University.

His background includes a variety of roles at resort and private golf clubs, as well as significant time spent with one of the world’s largest private equity firms, The Blackstone Group. 

in 2009, he was recruited to serve as director of golf for Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers, both located on New Zealand’s North Island and ranked among the top 50 courses in the world. Upon his departure, he formed a consulting company that services a variety of clients around the world including delivering the New Zealand government’s golf tourism strategy.

Ryan currently serves as the golf specialist for Tourism New Zealand, the executive director of Golf Tourism New Zealand, and the golf advisor to the city of Auckland. He is an inaugural board member of the New Zealand Golf Industry Council, a board member of New Zealand's Institute of Golf, a regular contributor to Golf Digest, and the author of two books aimed at educating young PGA Professionals.

Tourism New Zealand’s international golf marketing strategy has been a success, particularly at attracting Australian golfers.  We’ll learn why the strategy is unique, the results its achieved, and how New Zealand golf facilities have embraced golf tourism. 

Gavin Kirkman was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the PGA of Australia (PGA) in March 2017 and has over 30 years experience in the golf industry.

The PGA owns and operates the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and is part of the Federation of Tours and PGA World Alliance that represents over 2,800 members. Gavin is committed to innovation and to see the industry collaborate to grow the business of golf through value and experiences.

The PGA’s key priority is to grow and develop the game across all areas including women, juniors and inclusion as well as creating player pathways and progression for Australasian Tour Professionals. In 2018, Gavin led the team in partnering with new sponsor Volkswagen to see a new era begin for the Volkswagen Scramble.  

Gavin’s career has seen him hold senior management roles in areas such as facility, club and resort management, event and commercial management, member services and development, government relations, governance and sports administration.

Prior to joining the PGA, Gavin’s past experience includes senior executive roles with globally recognised companies Panasonic, Club Corp, Morgan Stanley and RACV.

The PGA of Australia is getting involved with golf tourism.  It already stages a major golf professional tournament, now to be played in Brisbane, that attracts many fans, visitors to the region and is broadcast globally to showcase local tourism attractions.  Now it’s supporting and educating PGA Members to get involved with the visitor economy through golf tourism.

A focus on building strategic, innovate and agile solutions to drive value and connection for brands.

Sharon has worked for leading Leisure, Fitness & Entertainment brands for over 15 years including Village Roadshow Theme Parks, Vision Personal Training and Ardent Leisure Group before moving into Belgravia Leisure Group.

What’s marketing got to do with it?  Well, it is one of the most important things a golf business can do.  Together with Jodie McDonald, Sharon will share her marketing expertise and how she’s applying it to boost better golf and leisure business outcomes.

Jodie McDonald is an established Marketing professional with more than 20 years industry experience. Jodie specialises in direct marketing, customer loyalty programs and customer journey experiences.

With a Bachelor degree in Business and a mini MBA, Jodie was awarded Victorian Young Direct Marketer of the year early in her career.

Before joining the golf industry, Jodie held management positions with APT, Australia's largest family owned travel operator with roles from Marketing Manager to Customer Insights and Loyalty Manager.

Jodie moved to Sandhurst Club in 2019 and is enjoying a new industry and applying her marketing discipline in her new role as Sales and Marketing Manager. 

What’s marketing got to do with it?  Well, it is one of the most important things a golf business can do.  Together with Sharon Masson, Jodie will share her marketing expertise and how she’s applying it to boost better golf and leisure business outcomes.

Mike Orloff is a current US and Australian PGA Member with more than 30 years of industry-wide experience, including 18 years working for two of the biggest international golf management companies in Australia and the USA – American Golf Corporation and Clubcorp. The time spent with these companies set Mike up to provide unique operational and marketing perspectives to his clients throughout the region since 2007.

As an industry watcher and as a medium to continually update his personal knowledge, Mike launched the platform Golf Industry Central (GIC) in 2008, to function as a leading news and information resource for the golf industry in Australasia. In 2017 Golf Industry Central was awarded Queensland Golf Supplier of the year.

Mike’s passion now lies with assisting clubs, facilities, and businesses in improving client and member satisfaction by improving the overall experience in every transaction. He loves to facilitate workshops, present at conferences, and run various industry related events.

There are many different golf tourism initiatives, some big some small, occurring all around Australia.  Mike will highlight how some Australian golf regions are working together to drive golf tourism.  After that, Mike will host an expert panel session to discuss golf tourism.

Heralding from the fresh, salty coastline of North East Tasmania, Biz Sattler was born with an entrepreneurial spirit. The daughter of a hotelier come farmer who had embarked on a hugely challenging project of diversifying the family farm from sandy paddocks to smooth golfing greens, Biz lived and breathed the evolution of the now world renowned Barnbougle Golf facilities.  

Whilst Barnbougle’s first years of business saw Biz completing school, at the first opportunity she had after completing her University studies she set out to market and PR Barnbougle across the globe. Here laid the foundations of her own agency, Sattler PR, now Sattler & Co. 

Now 10 years in, Sattler & Co. possess an impressive network and client portfolio in the luxury lifestyle, golf, tourism and hospitality sectors in Australia and abroad. From hotel launches to luxury watches and global golf events, Biz understands marketing and communications and their functionality in driving consumer awareness.  

With their headquarters in Melbourne, Biz and the Sattler & Co. team manage the PR and marketing for a number of hospitality, golfing and lifestyle clients across Australia.

Why are international golfers visiting Australia to play golf?  What do they want? Where are they playing? How are we marketing Australian golf tourism to the world?  There’s many golf tourism questions.  Biz has the answers.

Sam has worked with Australia’s leading media and sports organisations. For five years she was the weekend sports presenter and senior sports reporter at Channel 9 Queensland before moving to Sydney to work with the NRL. Prior to that Sam worked as a Sports Presenter for Sky News and is the current host of Surfing Australia TV.

In 2014, Sam founded Sportette to provide an avenue to tell the incredible stories of our female athletes and it's grown to be a leading think tank on Women's Sports. With huge passion and desire to campaign change around the way brands, sports administrators and government bodies view Women in Sport, Sam has worked tirelessly to develop relationships and find ways to sustain the ongoing development of women's sports.

In 2017 Sam hosted the inaugural Sportette Summit for Women in Sport and Business, bringing together some of Australia's biggest Sports Administrators, Brands, Athletes and Government Bodies to educate and support the continued growth and sustainability of women's sports.

While juggling her TV presenting commitments and keynote speaking engagements, Sam is also an Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG) Board Director and a mum to her own little girl, Imogen.

Sam returns to the main stage as MC of Golf Business Forum.  She’ll be driving the Forum’s content program, weaving the narrative, and ensuring we obtain the very best insights from our speaker lineup.

Ali Terai is the Founder and CEO of Future Golf.

Launched in 2014 as a passion project, with a $100 website and a simple FB post. Future Golf is now Australia's largest community and golf pathway for younger golfers, with a database and following of 40,000, over 3,800 members (92% aged 20-39yo), 1,100 members who've converted into traditional golf club memberships, 80 partnerships with golf facilities and brands, hosts 170+ events and has injected $10million+ of new revenue into the golf industry. 
 
As a passion-driven entrepreneur, Ali believes in creating value through partnerships, connection and community. 

Recent achievements include winning a 2019 Telstra Business Award and being recognised as a finalist for the 2019 Young Entrepreneur of the Year and 2019 Young Business Leader of the Year.

Outside of Future Golf, Ali has founded The Inspire Project, which teaches disadvantaged youth about entrepreneurship. Ali is a consultant and advisor to a number of world class performers and organisations. Has authored, crowdfunded and published a children’s book, co-hosted a top 50 ranked iTunes golf podcast and was one of the youngest senior executives in Higher Education, leading a $300m portfolio by the age of 27. 

Ali’s achievements are impressive.  So, what are the important lessons Ali’s learned and how can they be applied to golf business?   Let’s start with pursuing your passions, exceeding expectations, creating value through partnerships, adapting to change, and recognising the essential role that marketing plays.  After that, Ali will host an expert panel session to discuss golf marketing.