On The Cover - May 2008

One of the most picturesque and challenging golf holes at The Diplomat Golf Resort & Spa, sister property of The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, which offers planners the best of all worlds — a hotel with eight onsite dining options, tennis, championship golf, a pool, beach and a full-service spa — all conveniently located near Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport. Photo courtesy of The Diplomat Golf Resort & Spa

By Diana Rowe

It’s all about the golf. Meeting planners everywhere report that attendees consistently request (read: demand) golf on the itinerary. Hotels and resorts are attracting meetings business with new and renovated golf courses, celebrity-endorsed golf academies, as well as updated, state-of-the art meeting facilities and ultra-luxe accommodations and amenities, such as pampering spa experiences.

Why are golf and meetings such a natural combination?

According to Bryan Dague, video projects creative services for the Los Angeles-based Fox Broadcasting Company, the answer is simple — the meeting room isn’t the only place business gets done. “After

The two recently renovated 18-hole golf courses at Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, GA, are ideal for golfers of all skill levels. The resort also offers 60,000 square feet of meeting space, a variety of lodging options and a new spa. Photo courtesy of Callaway Gardens

spending four hours on a course with a captive audience (often major decision-makers), golf naturally builds camaraderie between players. For our clients and sales team, a golf event actually becomes important to building and maintaining relationships.”

Dague and Tomiko Iwata, vice president of special events for Fox Broadcasting Company, arrange an annual incentive/hospitality program for top advertisers and executives during the Super Bowl. Fox is the official broadcast network for the Super Bowl. Dague and Iwata’s challenge is to find a high-end resort with deluxe features and amenities, including onsite championship golf and spa. This year, The Phoenician was selected for the VIP event they hosted during Super Bowl XLII, the most-watched Super Bowl ever, and the second-most watched broadcast in television history.

Located in Scottsdale, AZ, the newly renovated 647-room Phoenician is in the midst of a $70 million transformation project that began in 2006. This summer they will break ground on a 42,000-square-foot conference facility and ballroom, which will be located at the southeast base of Camelback Mountain, and will complement the 64,000 square feet of meeting space currently available.

Another upscale option is the neighboring Canyon Suites at The Phoenician. Separate from the main resort, this boutique resort debuted last year after a $5.5 million renovation, which included the 60 guest rooms, private lobby, pool, cabanas and meeting space.

“This is not a typical meetings-intensive event,” Iwata added. “We bring in our top advertisers, host a hospitality tent as a thank you for their continued patronage, and basically treat them like a VIP. We realize our attendees are top executives who have other commitments, so we host them with as much flexibility as possible. Simply the logistics in transportation to offsite golf can change the whole timing, creating a major

Bernhard Langer, winner of the 2008 Ginn Championship at the Ginn Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, FL, receives a check from Bobby Ginn, the chairman and CEO of Ginn Resorts. Photo courtesy of Ginn Hammock Beach Resort

scheduling headache.”

For this golf-focused event, the knowledgeable and professional staff at The Phoenician helped create a successful event, said Iwata. “The Phoenician stepped up and set up a hospitality tent just off the golf course with windows on both sides with a great view. The tent also offered a tantalizing display of food, a big projection screen, monitors and sound system. We even offered Internet access for booking or confirming flights. It’s all about catering to our attendees.”

In order to maintain privacy and exclusivity for the attendees, the company bought out The Phoenician Golf Club’s 27 championship holes of golf — a unique combination of three nine-hole layouts — the Oasis, Canyon and Desert Courses. However, Dague had his doubts at first. Could the club manage the logistics?

“With three different courses, how could we ensure all 200-some golfers had an equal playing game and an equal chance at winning the prizes?” Dague said. “With the expert help and assurance of the event staff, every player was more than happy. The golf staff took care of everything — rental club issues; stocking our customers’ products in the beverage cart; coordinating the timing of our afternoon shotgun; and even the final calculation of the winners.”

When golf and amenities are important to the success of an event, both Iwata and Dague agree: “Find a golf resort, such as The Phoenician, with a reputation of catering to your caliber of attendees, and the meeting will fall into place.”

The Best Of All Worlds
Daryl Goodwin, president of the Atlanta, GA-based Goodwin Incentive Consultants Inc., an Atlanta, GA-based international group and incentive house, said, “If golf is an important aspect, excluding a golf resort would be like putting a CEO in a room by the elevator. When golf is that important, taking attendees to a non-golf resort where the staff may not be as comfortable running golf programs, well, that’s probably not a good idea.”

Yet, according to Goodwin, golf resorts bring more to the table than just great golf. “Golf resorts are generally located in a warm weather climate, which offers planners and their attendees the best of all worlds: sun, fun, beach, golf and more.”

Recently, Goodwin planned a four-day incentive trip to PGA National Resort & Spa, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, because a golf event was a natural for his attendees — 50 male executives who enjoyed the game. “PGA National has a solid reputation amongst golfers, most recently as the new home to the Honda Classic. Why not schedule a meeting where attendees are excited to perform, so they have a chance to play world-renowned golf?”

Headquarters of the Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA), PGA National Resort & Spa, site of five famous 18-hole golf courses, hosts more professional golf events than any other resort in America. As part of a multimillion-dollar property-wide facelift, the 339-room PGA National Resort and Spa recently completed an extensive renovation of the legendary Arnold Palmer-designed golf course, The Palmer

The Boca Raton Resort & Club features two 18-hole championship golf courses — The Resort Course and The Country Club Course as well as the Boca Raton Resort & Club Golf Academy, featuring the Dave Pelz Scoring Game School. Photo courtesy of The Boca Raton Resort & Club

Course. Planners have ample meeting space as well — 34,000 square feet of conference space, and seven onsite restaurants and lounges.

Goodwin added, “Their staff is as good as it gets. They know golf, understand strategic play and pairings, and know how to organize such an event. I don’t have to double-check that the signage is on the golf carts, or that the sponsorships are on the correct hole because they do these golf tournaments every day. This might sound like it’s not a big deal, but the planner is only as good as the people running the golf event on the ground.”

Goodwin also enlisted the assistance of the Palm Beach County Convention & Visitors Bureau, a complimentary service that many planners forget to utilize. “The CVB connected us with the right vendors for transfers and offsite activities such as deep sea fishing, without the additional cost of a DMC. When you have a strong CVB, such as this one, and a solid relationship with the golf resort, the planner gets the best of both worlds.”

Great Value
Appearance, location and pricing brought Jody Anderson, meeting manager of the Racine, WI-based American Express at S.C. Johnson, to the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Destin, FL, this past February.

Although Anderson selected a golf resort for their annual national sales meeting for 400, business took 

Golf legend Arnold Palmer cuts the ribbon on his recently renovated namesake golf course, The Palmer Course at PGA National Resort & Spa, Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Photo courtesy of PGA National Resort & Spa

center stage. “The meeting space options at the Hilton Sandestin are never-ending. If I need several breakouts, they have 20. When I needed to bring my entire group together, they can offer me two ballrooms.”

The largest beachfront resort hotel in northwest Florida, the 600-room Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa boasts meeting and banquet facilities for more than 2,000. The hotel’s 32,000 square feet of meeting space has 20 breakout rooms and a 108-seat theater equipped for multimedia presentations.

Anderson added, “But when the meeting is over, it’s definitely a bonus for me as a planner to have in place whatever an attendee might want to do in their free time, right there at the hotel.” As the name implies, at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, attendees can enjoy the spa, swim, surf, sail, relax on the beach, try their luck at any one of four championship golf courses, or test their putting skills on the Dunes, an 18-hole contoured putting course.

Remember The Non-Golfers
Jeff Stegenga, managing director of Alvarez & Marsal, a Dallas-based consulting firm, knows exactly what he needs for his annual client appreciation event in October: a high-end hotel with a good golf program as well as alternatives for the non-golfers in his group. Stegenga found that and more at the Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort.

Roughly 30 minutes from the cobblestone streets of historic Charleston, the top-rated Kiawah Island Golf Resort is a secluded retreat in coastal South Carolina. The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort is an oceanfront hotel and spa, designed like a Southern plantation, with 255 guest rooms and more than 18,000 square feet of function space. For golfers, the island’s five distinctive golf courses are an instant attraction.

“The national recognition of the Ocean Course at Kiawah made the event for our golfers, as nothing pulls more than the ability to play a course that the golf legends have,” said Stegenga. “For non-golfers, the onsite tennis and spa, and the nearby sailing and kayaking were equally appealing.

“What we do for our 225 clients, spouses and internal people is reasonably elaborate,” explained Stegenga. “My expectations are directly related to the quality of service. I expect quality of food, attention to details and excellent accommodations. Selecting a high-end property can sometimes turn out ‘stuffy,’ but the staff stepped up with a warm attitude, creating an elegant event with a personalized touch.”

Stegenga noted that Kiawah’s ambience contributed to the overall success of the meeting. For example, the main event, an outdoor concert featuring John Mayer, was staged on the resort’s Grand Lawn, an exceptional seaside setting for their memorable reception and acoustic event overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Golf Outings
Sometimes, companies can take a successful one-day golf outing and add a tradeshow component. Such is the case for Sysco Food Services of northern New England. They now host this expanded event annually at Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, NH.

An easy two- to three-hour drive from Boston, Mount Washington Resort, at the base of Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast, is surrounded by nearly 800,000 acres of the White Mountain National

The Kingsmill Resort & Spa, Williamsburg, VA, features three world-class 18-hole golf courses, one nine-hole course, and an IACC-certified Conference Center. Photo courtesy of Kingsmill Resort & Spa

Forest. Accommodations include the Mount Washington Hotel, a 200-room National Historic Landmark; the Bretton Arms, a restored Victorian Inn; or the contemporary Lodge near the ski area.

An additional 30,000 square feet of meeting space and a new 25,000-square-foot spa will open this fall — part of an extensive $50 million renovation project.

Tom Mannett, Sysco’s vice president of merchandising and marketing, said that for 10 years it was simply a popular golf outing for key sales personnel and clients. It was so successful that they wanted to capitalize on the event’s popularity and increase attendance at their tradeshow.

“We originally did a tradeshow at a different time of year,” explained Mannett. “Merging it with the October golf event and adding a few days made both even more effective. The golf event continued as an opportunity to put key suppliers and customers together and further cultivate that relationship at the trade show. The continuity has paid off, and the golf outing/trade show has helped forge even better business relationships.

“It takes a certain type of resort to pull off this combination, and Mount Washington Resort is one of those few remaining grand, historic hotels still rich in tradition.” Mannett added, “Plus it’s easily accessible for our northern New England attendees.”

The golf is just as memorable, he continued. “Our next meeting will be in October, right after the completion of the course renovation, and our attendees can’t wait to get a shot at the new course.”

Mount Washington Resort is currently undergoing a $7 million renovation of its two golf courses. The first 18-hole restored Donald Ross course is set to open in August 2008, followed by the second 18-hole course.

More Options
Another resort steeped in Southern hospitality and history is the 425-room Kingsmill Resort & Spa. As Virginia’s largest golf resort, the Kingsmill boasts three world-class courses, one nine-hole par-three course, and a host of amenities to cater to both golfers and non-golfers. Golf enthusiasts are well aware of its rich golf history as home to PGA and LPGA events for more than 25 years.

The Kingsmill also offers an IACC-certified Conference Center. Overlooking the historic James River, the center offers 16,000 square feet of meeting space with 16 meeting rooms, providing a perfect complement to great golf.

Callaway Gardens, 60 miles southwest of Atlanta in Pine Mountain, GA, is home to two recently renovated 18-hole golf courses, the scenic Lake View and the Mountain View. With colorful azaleas bordering undulating fairways, this proud Georgia property boasts 60,000 square feet of meeting space at the Mountain Creek Conference Center (323 guest rooms) and 36,000 square feet of space at the new Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens (150 guest rooms) surrounded by lush gardens.

For a totally different golf experience, imagine launching a golf ball into the clear Rocky Mountain air on the championship golf courses at Keystone Resort & Conference Center, Keystone, CO, the highly rated, year-round mountain resort. Approximately 90 minutes from Denver International Airport, the resort offers a variety of winter activities, 1,400 accommodations and more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space.

When planners think Disney, golf may not be top-of-mind. However, golf at Disney in Orlando dates back to 1971, the first time the pros teed off at a Disney PGA Tour event.

Today, from the Mickey Mouse-shaped bunker at the Joe Lee-designed Magnolia, to Disney’s Palm, Disney’s Osprey Ridge and Disney’s Lake Buena Vista layout, golfers of all skill levels can compete and enjoy a truly great golf experience. In addition, Disney’s Oak Trail is a picturesque nine-hole walking course along nature trails. Furthermore, all of the courses are certified by Audubon International as Cooperative Wildlife Sanctuaries.

For more fun and games with teambuilding in mind, Disney introduced three new themed golf events for groups. “Putters of the Caribbean,” “Around the World in 18 Holes” and Disney’s Pro Golf Tour Event” are customized golf tournaments filled with the magic planners have come to expect. The Walt Disney Resort in Florida offers six dedicated convention resorts and more than 600,000 square feet of meeting and function space.

Planners are sure to “ace” their next meeting when they plan it at a premier golf resort. Whether they select a large, well-known golf resort or a unique retreat for a small incentive group, the key is to find a knowledgeable partner with a cart-load of golf experience.    C&IT