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NOVEMBER 17, 2003
Oh, Goodie! For an event to remember, don't skimp on the parting gifts There's more to throwing a perfect golf outing than treating clients to a first-rate golf course. Classy events end with classy parting gifts. Don't count on making a splash with golf tees or towels with your company logo. We asked an A-list of golf-event planners to share their ideas for the perfect goodie bag. Todd Southard, director of Corporate Golf Professionals in Pebble Beach, Calif., frequently escorts small groups on red-carpet outings to big tournaments, such as the Masters in Augusta, Ga. Southard aims for gifts that move the needle on the "wow" meter. One winning idea was a replica green jacket similar to the one awarded to each year's Masters champ. On another Masters outing, Southard scored with a visit from beltmaker Chacon. The company president personally met with guests and assembled for each a $500 custom belt from an array of silver buckles and exotic skins. Jan Ferraris, founder of Outings on the Links, a Phoenix-based events company, likes sending guests home with more than one freebie. For an outing in Northern California, the former LPGA pro assembled a $300 foul-weather wardrobe, with a rain suit, umbrella, and FootJoy golf shoes. For groups of serious golfers, Nancy Vera, president of Event Links International in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., suggests arranging an on-site visit from high-end club manufacturers including Callaway Golf Co. and Cleveland Golf Co. Company reps pull up in mobile equipment-fitting studios, and guests then test clubs that can be built to their swing specifications. Later, they get to take home a new club, for which the host pays at least $100. Some planners will even arrange an outing to an equipment maker's testing center. Peter Jacobsen Productions Inc. in Beaverton, Ore., works with Acushnet Co., maker of Titleist golf clubs, on a dream trip that includes a behind-the-scenes tour of the company's test facility in Carlsbad, Calif. A few weeks after the outing, which includes a stay, dining, and golf at the Four Seasons Resort in Carlsbad, guests receive a custom set of clubs, shirts, caps, balls, and a personalized golf bag. The two-day Titleist outing, for a group of 8, is $98,000. Saying good-bye is expensive. But do it this way, and your guests will never forget you.  By Mark Hyman Get BusinessWeek directly on your desktop with our RSS feeds.  Add BusinessWeek news to your Web site with our headline feed. Click to buy an e-print or reprint of a BusinessWeek or BusinessWeek Online story or video. To subscribe online to BusinessWeek magazine, please click here. Learn more, go to the BusinessWeekOnline home page  | | |
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