This too shall pass. This saying implies nothing is permanent and regardless of what we are going through in life, it is ultimately temporary and will change. The concept of impermanence has certainly been something we have held on to tightly during the pandemic, waiting for brighter days. Just like the saying, change has arrived with vaccinations, reduced safety protocols, and more normalcy. So, what does the new normal look like for CMAA?
First, our Business Management Institutes (BMI) are back as in-person programs with our elective series restarting last month and a full line-up of our programs for the fall. The one exception will be the BMI Joe Perdue Certification Review Course. We plan to alternate this as a virtual and in-person program going forward as we feel this best serves CMAA members. Our November 14-19 course will be presented in-person and Winter/Spring of 2022 will be virtual (dates TBA).
Our offerings continue with our Summits. First up on August 8-11, our Communications Summit will offer in-person, engaging and interactive education, networking, and more for club communications professionals in Minneapolis, MN. Further, I am excited to share that we are adding a new Chef Summit, September 22-24. Additional details will be announced soon.
Our Club Leadership Summits will remain virtual for 2021, with upcoming opportunities on September 9 and November 16. I encourage you to attend one with your Board leadership. The program shares best practices for Boards and supports you and your leadership team, highlighting cooperative education on club leadership and governance. We will decide at the end of 2021 whether to offer the Club Leadership Summits as in-person or virtual programs going forward.
BMI Sports & Recreation Management
June 2021
Arizona Country ClubThe Club Spa & Fitness Association (CSFA) annual conference will be presented live and in-person at The Club at Admirals Cove in Jupiter, FL, on August 25-26. The Leadership/Legislative Conference returns to Washington, DC, September 12-14. And the Mid-Management Conference heads to the Big Apple (New York, NY), October 17-20.
World Conference planning for 2022 has begun and I expect everyone will want to attend in San Diego from February 19-23. Frankly the CMAA National team is already buzzing about Conference next year. We just cannot wait to see everyone! Plus, we are working to announce several other future World Conference dates and locations later this year.
Webinars have always been core to CMAA's educational offerings. We have learned a lot during the pandemic about virtual programming, so we'll be moving permanently to the Zoom platform as it gives us greater abilities for video, polling, and other features for our webinars. We hope you will continue to enjoy and learn from these virtual programs.
I have restarted my own travels with visits to the Georgia Chapter, National Capital Chapter, BMI Food & Beverage, and BMI Sports & Recreation. It is an absolute joy to be part of programs where members are seeing each other for the first time in a long. It is clear CMAA is indeed the professional home for so many and we have missed being with our friends and peers. I hope you can attend an in-person CMAA program soon to experience that wonderful feeling too.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention National Golf Day last month. The event was virtual, but the ability to hold more meetings in a day was impactful. The top issue in the industry CEO group that I participated with were labor issues and H-2B Visas. Congressional Representatives and Senators from both parties acknowledged that having enough labor has been challenging for all businesses throughout the US. They are hearing from their constituents loudly and clearly of the need for help. I was pleased that no one in my meetings dismissed proposed changes to the H-2B programs to help with seasonal needs. I cannot predict what will happen, but it was heartening to see agreement from everyone. Now we just need action. You know it all too well as you struggle with your own labor shortages.
That's it for this month! You can see CMAA has made some adjustments for our new normal that takes advantage of in-person and virtual programming. I am pleased by what we have learned about virtual programming during the pandemic and how we can continue to leverage that going forward for you.