Golf Business Community

What you need to know about the Golf Business Forum

In 2004, KPMG’s Golf Advisory Practice set out to create a unique international event that focused on the business around golf. With much valuable input and support from the industry, the concept of the Golf Business Forum (GBF) was developed.

The Golf Business Forum is a two-day conference filled with engaging, dynamic and interactive discussions, one-on-one interviews, fast-paced debates and presentations from key industry leaders on a variety of topics, from golf design, development and investment through golf operations to efficient tools in international branding and golf tourism marketing.

The event brings together the entire spectrum of the golf industry from developers and investors to operators and journalists. The Golf Business Forum now attracts more than 250 participants from over 40 nationalities.

Each year, the Forum is taken to a different destination, a stunning venue at an exciting location. The Golf Business Forum has been hosted in Budapest, Prague, Cyprus, Ireland, Wales, Turkey with the latest event held in Dubai.

The Forum has recognised some of the most acknowledged personalities in golf with the Lifetime Achievement Award, including dr. David Chu (Founder of Mission Hills), Ken Schofield (Former Executive Director of the PGA European Tour), as well as golf stars Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Arnold Palmer.

The event has enjoyed great recognition from the golf industry: having been covered by prestigious golf and broadsheet publications as well as CNN’s Living Golf.

Today, the annual Golf Business Forum is widely regarded as the most important golf business-to-business event in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

"We’ve come to find out what the challenges are in the golf industry in all parts of the world."

Paul Smulders

CEO, National Golf Network

„You think twice about where you want to go, where you want to spend your marketing dollars; this was definitely never a question to attend the forum this year, because of the openness and the sharing.”

Richard D. Centolella

Principal, EDSA

"The networking opportunities here are fantastic."

Andrew Stanley

CEO, Golfbreaks.com

"Meeting people from different parts of the world that I have never met before and stabling new relationships has been amazing. "

Steve Mona

CEO, World Golf Foundation

„They make an effort to help us meet the right people, and that just makes your time here much more productive.”

Scott Ferrell

President, Gary Player Design

„The KPMG does a marvelous job in bringing the whole world of golf together.”

Tenniel Chu

Executive Director, Mission Hills, China

„Great way of meeting people in the industry, sharing best practices, looking at new ideas.” „We feel it is certainly one of the best conferences of its kind in golf.”

Christopher May

Dubai Golf

"Some of the best brains in the global business are here and being around them and engaging with them is just fascinating."

Don Riddell

News Correspondent, CNN

"I found the networking invaluable - and I have achieved some new business attending."

Phil Lewin

Director, Club Car

„It is great to see the trends and the different views of different developers, and consultants alike. But really we come here for the informal meetings we have with potential clients and collaborators on projects.”

John Goldwyn

Director of Planning&Landscape, London, WATG

„We gather together now, the movers and shakers, the influencers, the people that really matter in the game, that can make a difference.”

Gill Wilson

Moderator, Golf Business Forum, Co-founder Firstgolf Ltd.

„Globally I think there are certain events that you have to go to. This will be one of those.”

Roger Moreland

COO, England Golf Partnership

„We are having the best people from the industry come here.”

Dr. Michael J. Hurdzan

President, Hurdzan/Fry Environmental Golf Course Design, ASGCA

"The Golf Business Forum is now the place where the golf industry meets."

Jeremy Slessor

Managing Director, European Golf Design

„It is a great opportunity network; it is a great opportunity to build relationships with people.”

Annika Sörenstam

„There is no question I would come back again next year to attend a convention like this.”

Stephen Lewis

CEO, Crown Golf

"It’s about exchanging ideas, building relationships and meeting with people who you’ve only spoken to on the phone."

Stephen Lewis

CEO, Crown Golf

"This conference has been absolutely outstanding. Every single topic has been discussed and it’s enlightening."

Gary Player

Golf Business Community website is managed by KPMG in Hungary.

KPMG in Hungary offers audit, tax and advisory services for local and international companies, government entities and investors. Our specialist Golf Advisory Services Practice provides professional services to existing golf courses and to developers of new golf courses in numerous countries across Europe, Middle East and Africa.

© 2012 KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”), a Swiss entity. Member firms of the KPMG network of independent firms are affiliated with KPMG International. KPMG International provides no client services. No member firm has any authority to obligate or bind KPMG International or any other member firm third parties, nor does KPMG International have any such authority to obligate or bind any member firm. All rights reserved.