Menu

Why you Should Attend Conference Sunday

04 September 2025

Thinking of attending the 2025 Golf Club Management Conference & Exhibition? Here’s why you should attend Conference Sunday

Our full conference package includes attendance to the Conference & Exhibition from the afternoon of Sunday 16th November, and here’s what’s included.

Exhibition:

Our industry exhibition, featuring over 30 leading companies from across the golf sector opens at 16:00 on the Sunday. Get the first look at the latest products, solutions and technology the golf industry has to offer.

Welcome & Official Opening of Conference:

Tom Brooke, GCMA CEO will take to the stage to officially open the 2025 Golf Club Management Conference & Exhibition. Following the opening remarks, delegates are invited to enjoy a relaxed informal buffet and drinks reception, whether you’re reconnecting with familiar faces or meeting new peers from across the industry, this is the perfect setting to kick off the conference with great conversation, good food, and shared enthusiasm for the future of golf club management.

Quick Fire Team Challenge:

This year’s Sunday evening activity will be a tablet-based experience requiring clever thought, team management and a strong strategy. The goal is to successfully complete as many challenges within a given time frame. With mental, creative and physical challenges varying in difficulty levels and forms -photo, video, single answer, multiple choice, logic puzzles and more! Teams select the challenges they can complete successfully being mindful that each has a cost and reward.

Leadership Networking Breakfast:

Taking place on Monday 17th before the day’s main programme kicks off, this informal, interactive session offers extra networking, idea-sharing, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities. Seated in tables of 10 with a host to guide discussion, delegates set the agenda, covering the industry topics that matter most to them. Book as you would a breakout session, places are first come, first served.

SECURE YOUR PLACE AT CONFERENCE

The 2025 Golf Club Managers Conference & Exhibition promises a powerhouse of insights from an outstanding roster of keynote speakers. Covering themes like leadership, innovation, resilience, and strategic thinking, this year’s line-up features Colin MacLachlan, Jo Salter MBE, John Steele, and Allister Frost.

Each speaker brings a unique blend of experience and expertise to the stage, offering fresh perspectives and actionable strategies to elevate golf club management. Hear from two of our headline keynote speakers, Colin MacLachlan and John Steele, talking about their keynote sessions.

An Unmissable Event for the Industry

The Golf Club Management Conference & Exhibition 2025 will bring together experts, thought leaders, and innovators to share practical insights, strategies, and solutions for the future of golf club management. Attendees can expect a dynamic programme of keynote speakers, panel discussions, interactive workshops, and an expanded exhibition showcasing the latest products and services in the sector.

Read about our headline speakers

BOOK YOUR PLACE NOW

For updates and further information, register below or visit our conference site

Register for Conference Updates

Name(Required)
Are you a member of the GCMA?(Required)

By Mark Shanley

Categories

More from Your Association

GCMA Benevolent Fund Update

4 Dec 2025By Mark Shanley

At the GCMA AGM in April, changes were agreed to…

Save the Dates: AGM and National Members Championships 2026

27 Nov 2025By Mark Shanley

We’ll once more be heading to some of the UK’s…

Two Weeks Later: How to Turn Your Conference Experience into Real Progress

27 Nov 2025By Natalie McColl

It’s been a couple of weeks since we were together…

Close

Allister Frost

A former Microsoft Digital Strategy leader who now inspires audiences to discover the life-enhancing benefits of having a Future Ready Mindset. As a tech pioneer, Allister gained unique insights into how to transform uncertainty into opportunity, and now loves giving others the positive mindset and simple habits needed to:

  • Stay resilient in the face of uncertainty and change
  • Spot quick win opportunities for improvement
  • And *create* a brilliant future!

 

With AI and robots coming for our jobs (hint from Allister: they won’t, if we know how…), many people are anxious about the future. But Allister asserts that we’ve nothing to fear when we leverage our human superpowers and ingenuity to thrive alongside emerging technologies. That’s why having a Future Ready Mindset is now a must-have skill to remain competitive and relevant to the people we serve, our golf club members and the local community. And the best bit: everyone can do it!

This will close in 0 seconds

John Steele

John Steele is a former professional athlete, sports coach, Olympic Leader and is the Executive Director of Sport at Loughborough University. He has been Chief Executive across a range of sectors. Drawing on leadership experience of nine different Olympic and Paralympic Games (including the amazing events at the Rio Games), John reflects on the lessons from this unique period in British sport and relays his fascinating views on creating high performing teams.

Indeed, inspired from PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, by the most successful performance ever for Team GB, he has a whole host of new business and leadership insights into how this was brilliant performance was achieved and how it can translate back into your organisation.

John moved into the corporate world, before he enjoyed an outstanding career as a professional rugby player achieving international honours. After his playing career, he turned his hand to coaching and achieved the highest accolade for a British club coach by winning the European Cup with Northampton Saints. He then became Executive Director on the Saints Board during a period of unprecedented growth, and served on the England Rugby Board during the successful world cup campaign of 2003. It was no surprise that John’s talents were called upon to drive through a change and modernisation programme as CEO of the Rugby Football Union – a challenge that became controversial and ended in his departure from the post after only a year, but with his dignity and professional pride intact.

Headhunted by UK Sport, John took up post as CEO the day before London won the 2012 Olympic bid – and this promising start was sustained as he embarked on developing the UK’s high performance sport system, which he led for a six-year period of unprecedented success through the Beijing and London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Post-London 2012, with the Olympic legacy in place and an obligation to continue inspiring a generation, John took up his post as Group Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust. He has also succeeded Steve Cram as Chairman of the English Institute of Sport, an organisation described as ‘the team behind the team’, which delivers a range of performance impacting solutions to over 40 Olympic and Paralympic sports and some non-Olympic sports.

This will close in 0 seconds

Dr Jo Salter MBE

Dr Jo Salter MBE is famed for becoming the first female fast jet pilot, having flown the Panavia Tornado ground attack aircraft during her services in the Royal Air Force. Joining the RAF aged 18, Jo has since taken Air Cadets into the skies as part of Air Experience Flights, become the Director of Global Transformative Leadership for PWC, and most recently become a Global Advisory of GenAI for PwC.

Jo has piloted flights in the Air Cadets Air Experience Flights and inspired countless budding armed service members to pioneer a male-dominated sector, having been the leader of an all-male squadron. Since leaving the military behind, Jo has established a strong business career working in roles such as Head of Technical Services for NetConnect, European Operations Manager for Automated Power Exchange and Managing Director of Saltin Ltd.

Having developed first-class expertise in leadership, analytical thinking and performing under pressure, Jo is now a highly sought-after public speaker to share stories from her time in the skies.

Jo is a passionate Trustee of The Royal Air Force Club and an Ambassador of the Global Angels charity, an organisation that gives communities around the world access to clean water, education, healthcare and encourages female and youth empowerment. Jo has also authored two books, titled Energy: 52 Ways to Fire Up Your Life and Become an Energy Angel and Energize: Spring Clean Your Mind and Body to Get Your Bounce Back Today and Every Day.

In recognition of her achievements throughout her career, Jo has also been named as one of the 50 Most Inspiring Women in the World by Harpers & Queen. She is now working as the Director of Global Transformation Leadership at PWC, after working in other roles such as Director of Risk Technology Strategy, Director Chief of Staff to Head of Technology & Investments and the Director of People & Organisations.

In 2022, Jo was invited personally by Tom Cruise to attend the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick. Most recently, Jo received an honorary doctorate of Arts from Bournemouth University.

This will close in 0 seconds

Colin MacLachlan

Colin Maclachlan, star of Channel Four's captivating reality TV drama SAS: Who Dares Wins and Channel 5’s ‘Secrets of the SAS’, is an operator with over 25 years of security and risk related experience who is a popular and frequent fixture on the speaking circuit.

Colin Maclachlan, celebrated for his roles on Channel Four's SAS: Who Dares Wins and Channel 5’s Secrets of the SAS, brings over three decades of expertise in security and risk management. Colin's military career began in 1989, and after serving nine years with the Royal Scots, he joined the elite 22 SAS at just 23. His time in the SAS saw him participating in numerous high-stakes operations, including the notable rescue of hostages from the West Side Boys in Sierra Leone—a mission so perilous it was dubbed Operation Certain Death.

Colin was also pivotal during the longest hostage siege on UK soil, when a hijacked Afghan plane landed in London in 2000. The standoff lasted four days with Colin as the first sniper on the scene.

After leaving the SAS, Colin exchanged insights with international forces such as Delta Force and Seal Team 6 and provided security consultancy to the Saudi Royal Family and various celebrities. His academic pursuits led him to earn a First Class MA (Hons.) in History from Edinburgh University and an M.Litt in Terrorism from St. Andrews University.

Today, Colin extends his expertise through television, books, radio, and video games. He supports numerous charities and has founded Who Dares Cares, which assists veterans and those experiencing stress. As a speaker, Colin excels in discussing Resilience, Teamwork and Leadership.

This will close in 0 seconds