Case Study: Ch20 Event Planning at Augusta National

1. Why is the Masters such a prestigious event? Who sponsors the Masters? What are the differences between the PGA Tour and the PGA? What are the four major golf events?
2. Who should be on the guest list for the Legends of Golf event? (Identify the living legends of golf here.
3. Who should be on the guest lists for the Upcoming Stars of Golf for the last decade (20002010)? (Identify the up and coming stars of the game.) Who would be the top ten up and coming stars you would highlight or honor at this event? What is the difference between an amateur golfer and a professional golfer?
4. How many staff members should Nicole and Jamie plan to bring in for these events? What are the factors you would use to determine this staffing requirement?
5. What is the best training method to bring the student workers up to speed? (There are at least two service styles here and potentially a third. There also are a number of guest services issues to deal with in clearance and press issues for this event.)

a. A complicated planning aspect has been the changing numbers for the event. How does this change your event planning and hosting for both events?

b. How should Nicole and Jamie work together to make the best use of their time in planning for these two separate but equally important events?

c. Design the appropriate theme focusing on the details of each of these events, including an enhanced theme title, venue type setup, colors, table settings, gift mementos, food theme (i.e., menu items and beverages), logistics, staffing, and staff appearances, security, and transportation issues.

CASE STUDY: Event Planning at Augusta National Every year the Masters Golf Tournament is held at Augusta National Golf Course in Augusta, Georgia. It considered to be one of the major U.S.golf tournaments of the year. Admission to the grounds is highly restricted and in 2010 was even tighter with return to the golf scene of Tiger Woods after a four-month hiatus from the game due to personal issues. The 18-hole Augusta National course features 7,270 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72. Th course rating is 74.0 and its slope rating is 135. Designed by Alister MacKenzie and Robert Trent Jones, Ji American Society of Gold Course Architects (ASGCA), the Augusta National Golf Course opened in 1933. James Armstrong currently manages the course as the Executive Director. However, the food and beverage operations at the clubhouse are sparse and in the past was not well managed for special events and tournaments. Recently, managers from two clubs in New England have helped operate the food and beverage outlets at the main clubhouse during the week prior to and during the tournament. These managers are Phil Koretski from the Misquamicut Club in Rhode Island, who has served as the Hospitality Manager, and Brent Tartamella from the Westmoor Club on Nantucket, who has served as the Manager of the Player/Member area. With their coordination, the service and responsibilities for this prestigious event and set of accompanying venues have improved greatly. This year a special challenge was dealt to the managers. In addition to the standard venues that they must oversee, they were asked to assist in the staging of two special events: an evening event and dinner called the "Legends of Golf and another evening event called the "Future of Golf." The sponsors were the same as those for The Masters event and included AT&T, Mobil/Exxon, IBM, Mercedes, Rolex, and CBS Sports. The managers' plates were full with their assigned tasks, so they asked two young entry level managers to assist in staging these events. and tournaments. Recently, managers from two clubs in New England have helped operate the food and beverage outlets at the main clubhouse during the week prior to and during the tournament. These managers are Phil Koretski from the Misquamicut Club in Rhode Island, who has served as the Hospitality Manager, and Brent Tartamella from the Westmoor Club on Nantucket, who has served as the Manager of the Player/Member area. With their coordination, the service and responsibilities for this prestigious event and set of accompanying venues have improved greatly. This year a special challenge was dealt to the managers. In addition to the standard venues that they must oversee, they were asked to assist in the staging of two special events: an evening event and dinner called the "Legends of Golf" and another evening event called the "Future of Golf." The sponsors were the same as those for The Masters event and included AT&T, Mobil/Exxon, IBM, Mercedes, Rolex, and CBS Sports. The managers' plates were full with their assigned tasks, so they asked two young entry level managers to assist in staging these events. Nicole was from the Misquamicut Club in Rhode Island and Jamie was from Sebonak Club of Long Island, New York. Both had experience with staging and servicing clientele from high end clubs, but this challenged the best of their abilities. So, Phil and Brent invited Nicole and Jamie into Phil's office at the Misquamicut Club for a meeting in late October and indicated that they would like both Nicole and Jamie to coordinate these two special events. There were some guidelines for each and the events would require some special staffing. In the past, Phil had used students in club and sport management programs from around the country to supplement the staff for a portion of the week for each of these events. Phil says, "OK ladies, we have this special request for two events that the PGA and USGA would like us to stage and help develop for them at the Masters in April. The first event, 'The Legends of Golf' will be held on Monday evening of the week of the tournament from 6 to 9 PM. It will include a cortail rorantian from 6 to 7 PM and a formal evening dinner and program from 7 to 9 PM. The event will need to have a theme in keeping with the integrity of The Masters and Augusta, and will have a very restricted by invitation only' guest list. We expect approximately 300 people at this event. The second event, 'The Future of Golf' is expected to be a more upbeat and up tempo event held on Tuesday evening from 6 to 9 PM. It will include a cocktail hour from 6 to 7 PM with a short program honoring the up and coming golfers of this decade and it will be less formal, buffet style food setup with some soft, trendy but not flashy entertainment. We are expecting a much lighter turnout for this event-about 200 people. We will need to theme both according to the parameters set forth by the PGA, USGA, and Augusta National." "Both of these events, due to their size, will require us to bring in some extra help early in that week. We 5 have had some success with student help from the hospitality programs, but this needs more structure and I would like you to determine the staff size you will need, reach out, and bring in students from the best institutions. You will need to carefully train them and orient them to Augusta. Background checks will be important, too. You may select the type of training you believe will be appropriate. We would like them to be on site the Friday before the event ready to go with training if necessary at that time, and we will provide off site housing from Thursday through the following Wednesday. We will use them to prep and setup on Saturday and Sunday and then for full implementation for each of the events on Monday and Tuesday evening." Brent stated, "We expect the normal large crowd at Augusta but with the economy in such a downturn, this year the crowd is expected to be about 10% smaller than normal. However, it has been our experience that you should always expect the unexpected when staging these events and attendance at these events are expected to probably be at 90 to 95% capacity." Brent continued, "So here is the charge: theme these events, staff them up with projections of the staff you will need, and provide appropriate training methods to deliver the very best service. You may choose A the venue where it would be best to stage these events and you can check with us on what might be available. Full competitive play does not begin until Wednesday and crowds and use of the facility will be lighter the first two days. But remember, the crowd on Monday night will be much older and some may be physically challenged at their age. So, choice of a venue is important. Second, it will require table service. The event on Tuesday is totally different, but needs to be appropriate for the traditions of Augusta. Please come back with tentative plans by the first week in December." A month went by and both Nicole and Jamie were hard at work planning the two special events. They met again with Phil and Brent at the Wianno Club on Cape Cod prior to an NECMA monthly meeting. Planning appeared to be going well. However, the news just broke in the last week that the game of golf will take a major blow with a situation surrounding the personal life of one of the top golfers in the field. Most believed that attendance would suffer greatly at The Masters that year due to both the economy and the absence of this top golfer from the tournament. The planning committee at Augusta for the event suggested that "The Legends of Golf" event continue with its planning but to plan for a reduced attendance of 25%. They also suggested that the "Future of Golf" be scaled back considerably by cutting the meal service, while still implementing a short program to honor the amateur players and offer a number of food stations with the event going from 6 to 8 PM. Nicole and Jamie were frustrated but planning went ahead with the adjustments. Fast forward two more months to early March, about one month out from the Masters. The unexpected happens! The top player announced that he will return to play at The Masters. Demand for tickets and access to the special events suddenly doubled. The Legends event appeared to be under control, but planning for the Futures event seemed out of control. Demand for tickets more than tripled with the announcement of this top player's return and his attendance at that event. This ran the gamut from news media to tabloid requests for credentials to others hoping to attend. 1. Why is the Masters such a prestigious event? Who sponsors the Masters? What are the differences between the PGA Tour and the PGA? What are the four major golf events? 2. Who should be on the guest list for the "Legends of Golf" event? (Identify the living legends of golf here.) 3. Who should be on the guest lists for the "Upcoming Stars of Golf" for the last decade (2000-2010)? (Identify the up and coming stars of the game.) Who would be the top ten up and coming stars you would highlight or honor at this event? What is the difference between an amateur golfer and a professional golfer? 4. How many staff members should Nicole and Jamie plan to bring in for these events? What are the factors you would use to determine this staffing requirement? 5. What is the best training method to bring the student workers up to speed? (There are at least two service styles here and potentially a third. There also are a number of guest services issues to deal with in clearance and press issues for this event.) 6. A complicated planning aspect has been the changing numbers for the event. How does this change your event planning and hosting for both events? 7. How should Nicole and Jamie work together to make the best use of their time in planning for these two separate but equally important events? 8. Design the appropriate theme focusing on the details of each of these events, including an enhanced theme title, venue type setup, colors, table settings, gift mementos, food theme (i.e., menu items and beverages), logistics, staffing and staff appearances, security, and transportation issues. CASE STUDY: Event Planning at Augusta National Every year the Masters Golf Tournament is held at Augusta National Golf Course in Augusta, Georgia. It considered to be one of the major U.S.golf tournaments of the year. Admission to the grounds is highly restricted and in 2010 was even tighter with return to the golf scene of Tiger Woods after a four-month hiatus from the game due to personal issues. The 18-hole Augusta National course features 7,270 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72. Th course rating is 74.0 and its slope rating is 135. Designed by Alister MacKenzie and Robert Trent Jones, Ji American Society of Gold Course Architects (ASGCA), the Augusta National Golf Course opened in 1933. James Armstrong currently manages the course as the Executive Director. However, the food and beverage operations at the clubhouse are sparse and in the past was not well managed for special events and tournaments. Recently, managers from two clubs in New England have helped operate the food and beverage outlets at the main clubhouse during the week prior to and during the tournament. These managers are Phil Koretski from the Misquamicut Club in Rhode Island, who has served as the Hospitality Manager, and Brent Tartamella from the Westmoor Club on Nantucket, who has served as the Manager of the Player/Member area. With their coordination, the service and responsibilities for this prestigious event and set of accompanying venues have improved greatly. This year a special challenge was dealt to the managers. In addition to the standard venues that they must oversee, they were asked to assist in the staging of two special events: an evening event and dinner called the "Legends of Golf and another evening event called the "Future of Golf." The sponsors were the same as those for The Masters event and included AT&T, Mobil/Exxon, IBM, Mercedes, Rolex, and CBS Sports. The managers' plates were full with their assigned tasks, so they asked two young entry level managers to assist in staging these events. and tournaments. Recently, managers from two clubs in New England have helped operate the food and beverage outlets at the main clubhouse during the week prior to and during the tournament. These managers are Phil Koretski from the Misquamicut Club in Rhode Island, who has served as the Hospitality Manager, and Brent Tartamella from the Westmoor Club on Nantucket, who has served as the Manager of the Player/Member area. With their coordination, the service and responsibilities for this prestigious event and set of accompanying venues have improved greatly. This year a special challenge was dealt to the managers. In addition to the standard venues that they must oversee, they were asked to assist in the staging of two special events: an evening event and dinner called the "Legends of Golf" and another evening event called the "Future of Golf." The sponsors were the same as those for The Masters event and included AT&T, Mobil/Exxon, IBM, Mercedes, Rolex, and CBS Sports. The managers' plates were full with their assigned tasks, so they asked two young entry level managers to assist in staging these events. Nicole was from the Misquamicut Club in Rhode Island and Jamie was from Sebonak Club of Long Island, New York. Both had experience with staging and servicing clientele from high end clubs, but this challenged the best of their abilities. So, Phil and Brent invited Nicole and Jamie into Phil's office at the Misquamicut Club for a meeting in late October and indicated that they would like both Nicole and Jamie to coordinate these two special events. There were some guidelines for each and the events would require some special staffing. In the past, Phil had used students in club and sport management programs from around the country to supplement the staff for a portion of the week for each of these events. Phil says, "OK ladies, we have this special request for two events that the PGA and USGA would like us to stage and help develop for them at the Masters in April. The first event, 'The Legends of Golf' will be held on Monday evening of the week of the tournament from 6 to 9 PM. It will include a cortail rorantian from 6 to 7 PM and a formal evening dinner and program from 7 to 9 PM. The event will need to have a theme in keeping with the integrity of The Masters and Augusta, and will have a very restricted by invitation only' guest list. We expect approximately 300 people at this event. The second event, 'The Future of Golf' is expected to be a more upbeat and up tempo event held on Tuesday evening from 6 to 9 PM. It will include a cocktail hour from 6 to 7 PM with a short program honoring the up and coming golfers of this decade and it will be less formal, buffet style food setup with some soft, trendy but not flashy entertainment. We are expecting a much lighter turnout for this event-about 200 people. We will need to theme both according to the parameters set forth by the PGA, USGA, and Augusta National." "Both of these events, due to their size, will require us to bring in some extra help early in that week. We 5 have had some success with student help from the hospitality programs, but this needs more structure and I would like you to determine the staff size you will need, reach out, and bring in students from the best institutions. You will need to carefully train them and orient them to Augusta. Background checks will be important, too. You may select the type of training you believe will be appropriate. We would like them to be on site the Friday before the event ready to go with training if necessary at that time, and we will provide off site housing from Thursday through the following Wednesday. We will use them to prep and setup on Saturday and Sunday and then for full implementation for each of the events on Monday and Tuesday evening." Brent stated, "We expect the normal large crowd at Augusta but with the economy in such a downturn, this year the crowd is expected to be about 10% smaller than normal. However, it has been our experience that you should always expect the unexpected when staging these events and attendance at these events are expected to probably be at 90 to 95% capacity." Brent continued, "So here is the charge: theme these events, staff them up with projections of the staff you will need, and provide appropriate training methods to deliver the very best service. You may choose A the venue where it would be best to stage these events and you can check with us on what might be available. Full competitive play does not begin until Wednesday and crowds and use of the facility will be lighter the first two days. But remember, the crowd on Monday night will be much older and some may be physically challenged at their age. So, choice of a venue is important. Second, it will require table service. The event on Tuesday is totally different, but needs to be appropriate for the traditions of Augusta. Please come back with tentative plans by the first week in December." A month went by and both Nicole and Jamie were hard at work planning the two special events. They met again with Phil and Brent at the Wianno Club on Cape Cod prior to an NECMA monthly meeting. Planning appeared to be going well. However, the news just broke in the last week that the game of golf will take a major blow with a situation surrounding the personal life of one of the top golfers in the field. Most believed that attendance would suffer greatly at The Masters that year due to both the economy and the absence of this top golfer from the tournament. The planning committee at Augusta for the event suggested that "The Legends of Golf" event continue with its planning but to plan for a reduced attendance of 25%. They also suggested that the "Future of Golf" be scaled back considerably by cutting the meal service, while still implementing a short program to honor the amateur players and offer a number of food stations with the event going from 6 to 8 PM. Nicole and Jamie were frustrated but planning went ahead with the adjustments. Fast forward two more months to early March, about one month out from the Masters. The unexpected happens! The top player announced that he will return to play at The Masters. Demand for tickets and access to the special events suddenly doubled. The Legends event appeared to be under control, but planning for the Futures event seemed out of control. Demand for tickets more than tripled with the announcement of this top player's return and his attendance at that event. This ran the gamut from news media to tabloid requests for credentials to others hoping to attend. 1. Why is the Masters such a prestigious event? Who sponsors the Masters? What are the differences between the PGA Tour and the PGA? What are the four major golf events? 2. Who should be on the guest list for the "Legends of Golf" event? (Identify the living legends of golf here.) 3. Who should be on the guest lists for the "Upcoming Stars of Golf" for the last decade (2000-2010)? (Identify the up and coming stars of the game.) Who would be the top ten up and coming stars you would highlight or honor at this event? What is the difference between an amateur golfer and a professional golfer? 4. How many staff members should Nicole and Jamie plan to bring in for these events? What are the factors you would use to determine this staffing requirement? 5. What is the best training method to bring the student workers up to speed? (There are at least two service styles here and potentially a third. There also are a number of guest services issues to deal with in clearance and press issues for this event.) 6. A complicated planning aspect has been the changing numbers for the event. How does this change your event planning and hosting for both events? 7. How should Nicole and Jamie work together to make the best use of their time in planning for these two separate but equally important events? 8. Design the appropriate theme focusing on the details of each of these events, including an enhanced theme title, venue type setup, colors, table settings, gift mementos, food theme (i.e., menu items and beverages), logistics, staffing and staff appearances, security, and transportation issues