GIS 17 Review – Is there really value?

This year I decided to really sit back and take in the show. Over the past 8 years I have attended the show from an educator / association stand point and not so much as an attendee. The biggest reason quite frankly is that there just isn’t enough time to see it from both angles. While I did present this year on Monday and Tuesday it was kind of refreshing to just enjoy the show after that. I figured why not write this months blog post on the value of the show. I always see the question asked, GCSAA asks following every show via survey questions and I get calls every year wondering whether a Super should send his technician.

First off it was great for me because I got to sleep in my own bed every evening. While the convienence of being where the action is turns into a 20 minute drive there is no substitute. I also had a buddy of mine Mike Kriz camping at my house so it eased the quiet drive home to be able to discuss what happened throughout the day. Typically we room with a few others in a condo for the week to minimize costs and also get together every year.

To start off the week John Cunningham (Assistant GM at Bellerive) and I did a presentation on Tech Skills which was very well attended I thought. We started off seeing what we were made of as we were presenting somehow between the upload of our presentation and the screen 9 of our slides were missing. The bad thing was we didn’t know until we started the presentation. So instead of making it known we just went with it telling a few more stories and staring at each other once it was all over. We had quite a few come up after the presentation to get more info or discuss some of the presentation and no one knew what happened so that was a relief. The biggest challenge to something like that is not having disconnect in the presentation when it occurs so we pushed through it. As far as value I am starting to see a lot of it now. While for me it was another first that I got to experience I have received quite a few emails asking for the materials we were discussing so they could implement them at their operations. I think when you approach each session in a “real world” manner and are able to relate your content to examples you have experienced it helps others relate to your content so much easier and keeps them interested.

The second days session was at my facility where we discussed shop renovation, tools of the trade, technology in the next 10 years and Q&A. I think overall one of my favorite sessions of all time. I think it helps when your teaching from your own facility but it is really great when you see so many walking around with note pads writing things down, taking pictures, and asking tons of questions. Something it seems typically we have to pry out of people in other sessions. The ability for everyone to come in and take something away that created value at their club was evident and I am thankful GCSAA took a risk on this seminar as I believe if they keep going with these types of events the sky’s the limit on what you can gain in value. Following the show I continue to get emails daily requesting pictures or want me to elaborate on some things they saw while on property. My only issue is that I wish we could have made it bigger. Having been the first seminar to sale out and doing that months before GIS there were many people who didn’t get a chance to attend.

GCSAA.TV Video of the day – here

My evening were consumed with catching up with old friends and colleagues but only after cleaning my truck off from being “Supered” by the Bellerive boys. I had loads of cardboard boxes in every crevice of my truck. The one thing is that it is expected. There isn’t a show we attend where we don’t do something that week that sets the tone. I am just thankful I didn’t get a ticket for leaving all that cardboard in the parking lot.

The next 2 days I spent all day on the show floor walking with my Superintendent, clients, and meeting with manufacturers about current and future equipment deals. I looked at new equipment and met with friends on the floor, something I have really missed in the past 8 years. I also attend a class on Extreme Reel Grinding given by Mark Pilger of SIP. A lot of the content of Mark’s presentation we already use at our facility but I am always looking for the next thing that can improve our operation and in terms of reel grinding and cutting unit set-up I feel one of the best seminars I have attended on the subject in many years. We also had a Technicians reception hosted by GCSAA and sponsored by R&R Products. It is great to see many of the old guys that helped us get IGCEMA going but also seeing a lot of the new guys as we continue to see more Equipment Manager’s making the show. After the show I also got to spend some time with good friend Thomas Bastis and his family at Universal Studios. I think it is amazing at all the people you meet in our industry and how tight we all are once you get to know people. It’s like you have known them for years and everyone is willing to do anything to help if you need it. While selling value to your club can be tough to quanitify there is nothing more important in your career than networking with colleagues in this industry.

Finally after getting back at work I was surprised to find out that I was nominated as Leader of the Quarter at Four Seasons Orlando. Being nominated for something like that isn’t really my goal. I don’t do what I do to get awards or accolades. Everything I do is to try and help someone or something, in Four Seasons case our buisness. What I will say is it feels great when you get recognized by your department no matter the reason. However, yesterday I was selected as the winner of the Leader of the Quarter and for me that’s a big thing. Not only to win recognition like that working for one of the supreme luxury brands in the world but with some of the greatest leaders in the hospitality industry you work with every day. While I am disconnected a majority of the time being at the golf course the fact that the things you do resonate with your colleagues in an industry that I wasn’t necessarily built for I think speaks volumes for what we are all capable of doing. While many times we think people don’t understand all that we do and how much we contribute it is refreshing to know that people do notice and that reinforces to me the thing I have been saying for years and that is to figure out how to be valuable to your operation not just doing the job you are being paid to do but the things your not paid to do. It’s easy to do the job you were hired for it’s tough to get outside of that box and make a difference in everyone else’s. The thing about this award is though that you can’t win this award without having a great team in place. Our team is one of the best I have had the pleasure to work with. The reason I am able to travel to our other properties and get involved in some of the things that I do is because we have a great team. Without them none of this would be possible. In my career I have been very fortunate to work with some great people who helped guide me and even today I try to learn as much as I can from our leaders so I can figure out how to constantly get better every year. I would like to thank Rusty Wilson – Golf Course Superintendent for not only nominating me but encouraging me to grow and expand my knowledge. Also for supporting my role in the golf industry allowing me to be as involved as I want to be in our industry. That level of support is rare and can cause issues many times after years of involvement but Rusty and our leadership team have continued to be 100% supportive. That level of support is what makes you want to wake up and go to work every morning. I also want to thank our leaders and team!