European Tour Destinations, the network of world class golf venues, gathered for its annual conference at Finca Cortesin, Spain, in March to meet, learn from expert speakers and share best practice.
Joining established Destinations from across Europe, the Middle East and Asia were new partner venues Moscow Country Club and Tbilisi Hills Golf Resort, Georgia.
As well as golf industry leaders, including European Tour Chairman David Williams and European Golf Design’s Jeremy Slessor, a stellar line-up of speakers from outside of golf shared their insights and expertise on the importance of strategy, customer service and personalised luxury experiences.
Entrepreneur Ryan Howsam, Founder and Chairman of Staysure, title sponsor of the Staysure Tour, formerly the European Senior Tour, shared the secrets of his success and intense focus on strategy and customer retention in the over-50s market.
Volkswagen Group Director of Customer Experience, Digital Transformation and New Mobility Services, Pedro Mateos Diaz, revealed how leading car brands are painstakingly mapping customer journeys and making every step – from landing on a website to visiting a showroom – an experience, turning customers into fans.
And luxury brands advisor and founder of Meerson Watches, Alexandre Meerson, provided unique insights into the world of luxury, changing customer preferences and the growth of personalisation.
The conference also hosted European Tour Destinations’ annual awards, recognising the success of venues, based on the network’s ongoing consultancy services, auditing and mystery shopper initiatives.
The 2019 category winners are:
- Best Staff Operation: Finca Cortesin
- Best Staff Engagement: Finca Cortesin
- Best Sales Process: Terre Blanche
- Best Course Condition: Le Golf National
There was also a new award for Most Improved Course Condition, sponsored by Toro with the winning venue, London Golf Club, being presented with an all-expenses paid trip to St Andrews by Senior Sales Manager Andy Brown.
Iain McInally, Head of European Tour Properties, said: “The European Tour Destinations Annual Conference is an important opportunity for our venues to come together, network and share best practice.
“In addition to the marketing and operational benefits of being a member of the European Tour Destinations network, and the opportunity to host tournaments, it is clear that there is significant value for our member venues in working together, offering members and customers tournament quality experiences on and off the course.
“Our host venue for this year’s Conference, Finca Cortesin, is a perfect example of this. The quality of customer service, and the personalised approach, sets a benchmark for all hotels and golf venues.”
For more information about European Tour Destinations, please visit: www.europeantourproperties.com
ENDS
Video
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Picture Caption
Annual award winners joined by European Tour Destinations representatives. (l to r) Ian Knox, European Tour Destinations Operations Director; Stephen Follett, CEO, London Golf Club; Philippe Pilato, Director of Client Services, Le Golf National; Miguel Girbes, Director of Golf, Finca Cortesin; Rachel David, Sales & Marketing Director, Terre Blanche; Iain McInally, Head of European Tour Destinations.
Media Enquiries
European Tour Destinations c/o Landmark Golf Marketing & Communications
Manuela Whittaker manuela@landmark-media.com +44 (0)1780 723 058
About The European Tour
The European Tour celebrates men’s professional golf on a global stage, combining innovation, diversity and world-class golf.
In 2019, the European Tour International Schedule will feature a minimum of 48 tournaments in 31 countries, including eight Rolex Series events, all part of the Race to Dubai.
Celebrating the global connectivity of the European Tour and Dubai, the Race to Dubai is a season-long competition to crown the European Tour’s Number One player, an honour which in 2018 went to Italy’s Francesco Molinari for the first time, and which, since 2009, has also been achieved three times by Rory McIlroy, twice by Henrik Stenson, and once each by Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Luke Donald and Tommy Fleetwood.
Since its formation in 1972, the European Tour has witnessed 28 Members celebrate a total of 54 Major Championship titles between them, enjoyed 11 Members attaining the pinnacle of World Number One and has celebrated its diversity as players from 36 different countries have won on the Tour.
The European Tour also manages the developmental Challenge Tour and the Staysure Tour (formerly known as the Senior Tour) which is the men’s professional golf tour for members aged 50 and older.
The European Tour is also the Managing Partner of Ryder Cup Europe, the body which, alongside the PGA of America, administers golf’s greatest team contest, The Ryder Cup. In 2018, the 42nd staging of the biennial contest between Europe and the United States of America took place at Le Golf National, France, from September 28-30. Europe were the victors with a score of 17.5-10.5.
The European Tour broadcasts live coverage of its tournaments to more than 490 million homes in more than 150 countries every week, generating in excess of 2,200 global broadcast hours for each event. It also enjoys the support of many of the world’s leading business brands with Rolex, BMW, Dubai Duty Free, Emirates, Hilton and Titleist as Official Partners.
About European Tour Destinations
European Tour Destinations is a global network of over 30 world-class golf venues across more than 20 countries on three continents, which all have a close relationship with the European Tour, one of the game’s foremost organisations.
The network includes some of the most prestigious golf and lifestyle resorts in Europe, the Middle East, South East Asia, the Indian Ocean and Russia, with many of the venues home to courses which consistently feature prominently in international rankings. European Tour Destinations also host an array of prestigious tournaments, including the Ryder Cup and DP World Tour Championship.
The network also boasts the only two European Tour Performance Institutes in the world, at Terre Blanche Hotel Spa Golf Resort in Provence, and Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. The ETPI bases at both venues use the world class knowledge of the European Tour’s medical and performance services team and the latest in swing technology to improve the game of golfers of all abilities.