« A Moment of Clarity | Main | The Green Meetings Portal: A World First »
Linking on the links in Atlanta
By Andrew Horsfield | February 20, 2009
On a lighter note, I managed to play a round of golf when I was in Atlanta last week. I went down a day early to try to arrange some meetings with prospective clients for the firm. That didn’t work out, so I had time to play golf. (Okay, so maybe I didn’t try all that hard to arrange the appointments, but I did think about it.)
I played at the Bobby Jones Golf Course. Built in 1932, this course has a rich history. During the Civil War, the pivotal Battle of Peachtree Creek was fought in the valley surrounding the clubhouse. Where people had died, I was now playing golf. It was a sobering thought.
There was a frost delay when I arrived so we had to wait until 10:30 for the sun to warm the course to a point we could play. I was teamed with three very nice gentlemen from the Atlanta area. It was a beautiful sunny day so it didn’t take very long for the temperature to climb. By about noon I had removed my outer jacket and by about 1:30, (I wasn’t wearing a watch) I was down to my golf shirt. This totally amused my Atlanta friends who were still bundled up. (The phrase “crazy canuck” was used once or twice.)
During the game we talked about why I was in Atlanta. When I mentioned I was attending the MeetDifferent conference, there was some discussion regarding the nature and value of meetings. Given recent controversies about meeting spending, I wasn’t surprised to hear the familiar lines about partying and wasting money. But over a few holes, the general consensus shifted in favour of meetings. We all agreed that face to face was the best way to learn, to solve problems, to educate, and to increase business. And we noted the irony of holding an impromptu face-to-face meeting on a golf course, discussing the importance of meetings.
Had we not had our “meeting,” some of my new friends would still believe that meetings are mostly a waste of time.
Overall, it was a great course to which I did not do justice. I had some good shots but a few months off really affects your game. But I was swinging a golf club and socializing with three new friends, so it was a great day all round. I can’t tell you the score…. we actually stopped writing it down around the 9th hole.
Topics: Meeting Professionals International, Meetings ROI, The Conference Publishers |