As the 2018 Golf Industry Show (GIS) continues to creep up on the calendar, a few chapters in the region have been busy putting together opportunities for members to attend GIS at little or no cost.
The Northwestern Illinois GCSA began their 'Send Me to the Show' promotion in 2014, with that year's winner, 10-year GCSAA member Shane Bays, who is the superintendent at River Heights Golf Course in the DeKalb Park District, receiving an all-expense paid trip to GIS 2015 in San Antonio. They have held the promotion every year since, and are once again offering a Northwestern Illinois GCSA member an all-expense paid trip to San Antonio, including airfare, hotel stay, conference registration and two education seminars. Ingersoll golf course superintendent and 17-year GCSAA member Matt Dutkiewicz, who also serves as the NWIGCSA director of communications, had this to say about the success of the promotion: "As an association, we are always trying to find ways to provide maximum value to our members. Providing an opportunity for one of our members to attend GIS was an excellent way to add value, and promote the industry at the same time."
The Kentuckiana GCSA put together a similar program last year after a strategic planning session with GCSAA staff. To help a current member offset the expense of attending GIS, the chapter introduced the GIS Scholarship. The inaugural scholarship was won by Dalton Morgan, a three-year Class C GCSAA member and assistant superintendent at Hurstbourne Country Club in Louisville, Kentucky. This provided an excellent opportunity to give something back directly to the members, and the KGCSA is continuing with this scholarship in 2018. Regarding his experience in Orlando at GIS last year, Dalton had this to say:
"First and foremost, I would like to just give a huge thanks to the KGCSA membership, the board of directors, and all of the sponsors at the fundraiser for giving me the opportunity to attend the show. The scholarship helped cover everything I needed while attending the GIS. The Orlando show was the first one I’ve attended. I've always kept up with the show on Twitter every year but actually being there this past February was great. The classes I attended on Monday and Tuesday were super beneficial and the trade show was a blast. The amount of networking with other turf heads and knowledge gained from GIS 2017 was outstanding. I appreciate everything that the KGCSA has done and is continuing to do to benefit me as a turf professional."
Most recently, the Michigan GCSA created a promotion to send one of their members to GIS 2018 through a tee shirt fundraiser. During the two-week promotion, the MiGCSA sold 180 shirts.
Regarding the fundraiser, 19-year GCSAA member and MiGCSA Executive Director Adam Ikamas, CGCS added: "The MiGCSA Board is so happy to be able to provide the direct member benefit from the sales of these shirts, and the overwhelming showing of pride from our members to support their chapter is really a testament to the amazing community we have here in Michigan. This idea would not have happened if it were not for the original idea brought forth by Randy Robinson, Iowa executive director and seeing it put to action by Brian Laurent in Ohio, and the Michigan Turf tag line from Adam Garr, the Michigan Territory Manager for Syngenta, who has been using it on Twitter all summer. We look forward to expanding this fundraiser in the years to come."
The Northwestern Illinois GCSA began their 'Send Me to the Show' promotion in 2014, with that year's winner, 10-year GCSAA member Shane Bays, who is the superintendent at River Heights Golf Course in the DeKalb Park District, receiving an all-expense paid trip to GIS 2015 in San Antonio. They have held the promotion every year since, and are once again offering a Northwestern Illinois GCSA member an all-expense paid trip to San Antonio, including airfare, hotel stay, conference registration and two education seminars. Ingersoll golf course superintendent and 17-year GCSAA member Matt Dutkiewicz, who also serves as the NWIGCSA director of communications, had this to say about the success of the promotion: "As an association, we are always trying to find ways to provide maximum value to our members. Providing an opportunity for one of our members to attend GIS was an excellent way to add value, and promote the industry at the same time."
The Kentuckiana GCSA put together a similar program last year after a strategic planning session with GCSAA staff. To help a current member offset the expense of attending GIS, the chapter introduced the GIS Scholarship. The inaugural scholarship was won by Dalton Morgan, a three-year Class C GCSAA member and assistant superintendent at Hurstbourne Country Club in Louisville, Kentucky. This provided an excellent opportunity to give something back directly to the members, and the KGCSA is continuing with this scholarship in 2018. Regarding his experience in Orlando at GIS last year, Dalton had this to say:
"First and foremost, I would like to just give a huge thanks to the KGCSA membership, the board of directors, and all of the sponsors at the fundraiser for giving me the opportunity to attend the show. The scholarship helped cover everything I needed while attending the GIS. The Orlando show was the first one I’ve attended. I've always kept up with the show on Twitter every year but actually being there this past February was great. The classes I attended on Monday and Tuesday were super beneficial and the trade show was a blast. The amount of networking with other turf heads and knowledge gained from GIS 2017 was outstanding. I appreciate everything that the KGCSA has done and is continuing to do to benefit me as a turf professional."
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| Dalton Morgan at GIS 2017 in Orlando, Florida |
Regarding the fundraiser, 19-year GCSAA member and MiGCSA Executive Director Adam Ikamas, CGCS added: "The MiGCSA Board is so happy to be able to provide the direct member benefit from the sales of these shirts, and the overwhelming showing of pride from our members to support their chapter is really a testament to the amazing community we have here in Michigan. This idea would not have happened if it were not for the original idea brought forth by Randy Robinson, Iowa executive director and seeing it put to action by Brian Laurent in Ohio, and the Michigan Turf tag line from Adam Garr, the Michigan Territory Manager for Syngenta, who has been using it on Twitter all summer. We look forward to expanding this fundraiser in the years to come."
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