This Calendar of Events lists CMAC National events as well as Branch education programs which that can be attended by CMAC members across the country. To find more information on activities for your Branch and region, please refer to the Regional Branches section of the website or contact your Branch directly.
Please note that to successfully register, you must complete the following steps: First, select your current member category; next, select the desired event package; lastly, click "Save & Continue" to fill out the registration form.
To register multiple people on the same invoice, register yourself first, then you will be given the option to add additional people. A separate registration form must be completed for each individual.
Any questions about the registration process, please contact events@thecmac.ca or 416-979-0640.
The 2021 CSCM National Conference, Ça va bien aller, was held in Montreal, Quebec in early October. It was an excellent conference, with top-notch speakers and education.
While it was wonderful to be together in person again, we understand and acknowledge it was not possible for everyone to attend. We are delighted to be able to offer recordings of all sessions! 2021 National Conference recordings and presentation slides are now available in the post-conference virtual portal, at no fee to all education delegates of this year’s conference, or for purchase by anyone who could not attend.
| Sessions | Speaker/Moderater |
| Opening Keynote: In Conversation with Vincenzo Guzzo Vincenzo Guzzo is an entrepreneur at heart and no stranger to change and challenge. He took a small family-owned theater business and turned it into a mega-scaled empire, created a successful general contracting firm and more recently became a restaurateur. He is not only a highly successful entrepreneur, but also rose to celebrity status when he joined the cast of the Dragons’ Den, which earned him the nickname Mr. Sunshine. In this keynote presentation, Vincenzo will share his story of how he has managed to lead through change, embrace the unknown and seek out opportunities. Vincenzo will also impart his passion and the importance of giving back, which led to the creation of the Guzzo Family Foundation. |
Moderated by Kim Iwamoto, CCM, CCE, CPA, CGA |
| Marketing Strategy - The Changing Industry and Your Club Culture As the world around us continues to change, clubs also need to be prepared for change. However, understanding the driving forces behind that change is sometimes overlooked. This session will dive into the driving forces of change in society, what the typical new member may soon look like, and how clubs can begin to prepare themselves for these coming changes. |
Trevor Coughlan |
| A Purpose Driven Approach to Technology – Panel Discussion Technology has the power to help make a club successful, but only when done right and with purpose. There are three layers to be considered when implementing technology in your club: back office, staff facing and member facing. If you do not examine all three areas and consider how each affects the entire club, your implementation success rate will be low. Over the past year, many clubs have looked to technology to innovate the way they do business. In this session we will talk to club managers about how technology with purpose is changing how clubs operate and the opportunities and challenges created from it. |
Trevor Coughlan David Main, PGA, MBA Paul Morrell, CCM, CCE Gregory Richardson, CCM, CCE |
| Rapid Fire Presentation | Toni-Marie Ion-Brown, CCM, Saleem Malik, CCM |
| 21 Secrets for Minimizing the Subsidy at Your Private Club Distinct from the other facets of your club, food and beverage (F&B) comprises 70% of your club’s operation. Taking into consideration the rising cost of goods, labour, and your members’ expectation of excellence, your club’s F&B plays a significant role in your rising subsidy. So how do you minimize your subsidy and maximize your return on investment without sacrificing the quality of service to members? The answers lie within proven best practices including standard operating procedures and knowing how to create them, labour cost management, cost of goods evaluation, menu engineering, event management, and more. These secrets for subsidy reduction are sure to make an impact on your bottom line. |
Michael Holtzman |
| 2021 Canadian Private Club Trends and Insights Trivia – CSCM Member Research GGA Partners (GGA) and the Canadian Society of Club Managers (CSCM) formed a strategic partnership in 2018 to produce research and insights for the benefit of the CSCM members and the club industry at large. Each year, beginning in 2019, GGA and the CSCM have been collaborating on valuable industry research with the support of CSCM members across the country. This session will present the most important trends and insights emerging and persisting in the Canadian club industry. This session will build on the game show/trivia-themed sessions from the 2019 and 2020 conference and will encourage CSCM member participation through leaderboard tracking and prizes for the winners. |
Suzanne Godbhere Michael Gregory Derek Johnston |
| The Key Elements of a Successful Strategic Plan Through the Utilization of Data Driven Insights One pattern is clear, most clubs do not have a comprehensive, forward-looking, strategic plan. Proper strategic planning in the business world at large is, at best, difficult. For too long, strategic planning has been treated more as an “event” than as a process. While it is difficult to “get it right” in the business world, with the various viewpoints and perspectives of members and board members in private member-owned clubs, it is even more difficult. Strategic plans must start with a precise and data driven picture of where the club is in operating KPIs, balance sheet KPIs, and net worth. Core elements of the plan will be discussed including tying in the core value, mission, vision, goals, objectives, and accountabilities with the business plans of the club. We will also focus on making the plan the entire club’s plan, rather than the board’s or management’s. The session will involve detailing a strategic planning process that will become part of the culture of the club resulting in a process of continuous improvement. |
Dan Miles, CCM, CCE |
| Safety - Looking Behind the Scenes at Your Club How do you learn about safety concerns at your club? Does it take years of lessons at the school of hard knocks? Do you learn from the mistakes of others? Or perhaps you learn from one who has been behind the scenes at private clubs for 20-plus years. Club safety expert, Alan Achatz, CCM, CHE, will take us on a virtual club tour (city, country and yacht) to assist managers to identify and mitigate risks related to safety. Examples of safety concerns from simulated OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) tours, safety training concerns as well as best practices in club safety will be shared. |
Alan Achatz |
| Currency - A Club Manager’s Strategy for Leading Strong Post-Pandemic The global pandemic has accelerated everything, including a talent shortage that is estimated to lead to trillions of dollars of unrealized annual revenues. Your people are your most valuable asset. There is a solution for your people problems — currency. Today, many leaders see the importance of finding alternate currencies that matter outside of their people’s paycheque. Whether we are currently aware of them or not, each of us has a set of core currencies that we value and desire. |
Glynis Devine |
| When Our Brain Gets in the Way: Unconscious Bias Our development and survival depend on a number of factors and our brain has a big part to play in it. Whether it is personal or professional, the mechanisms implicated can result in efficient, time-saving processes, but at the same time, they can slow us down and get in the way of inclusive and authentic leadership. During this talk, Julie will help us uncover how our brains evolved to form these biases and micro-inequities and how they show up in the workplace. |
Julie Savaria, M. SC., MBA |
| Behaviours for Peak Performance and Proactive Mental Health For many corporations, their greatest asset is the productivity, creativity, and innovation of their employees. What can we do to promote brain health and optimal performance? Our brains function best when they alternate between intense productivity and rest. In this keynote, Dr. Lisa Bélanger draws on psychology, behavioural science, and neuroscience to empower the audience to take control of their behaviours and daily practices to help cultivate the best conditions to think clearly, make better decisions, be more productive, build resilience, and have more energy. Dr. Bélanger will explain the most effective ways to manage short-term and long-term stress and provide practical exercises with a low investment of time, but significant gains in mental strength. Audiences will walk away with a science-based, personalized habit development plan, incorporating daily routines of small habits that can work for the busiest of schedules. We waste so much time in meetings. Many companies are creating diversity and inclusion programs, but only some are successful at creating meaningful impact. Most vacation days go unused. We do not take enough or the right breaks during our workday for peak performance. |
Dr Lisa Belanger |
| Creating Big Stick Emotional Cement During and After – the Virus Madness! Now more than ever, members and staff need to feel “The Warm Embrace.” Managers and staff who create emotional cement, who do social key performance indicators right, who create a community of caring, who deliver club, will do well during “The Virus Madness.” Questions need answering: What are the characteristics of a “community of caring?” What are the tactics clubs can use to create “emotional cement” between managers and staff, between staff and members, and between members and the club? What role does the management team play in creating these emotional bonds? And what are the tactics, the social key performance indicators, they can use to make emotional cement happen? This workshop will identify the characteristics of a “sticky” club and will discuss the management’s role and the tactics they can use in generating “big stick” emotional cement during and after the virus madness has been tossed into the dustbin of history. |
Gregg Patterson |
| Closing Keynote: Respect and Dignity for All. One Man’s Journey Being born to a Jamaican countryman and a Québécoise with blonde hair and blue eyes has had its unique challenges for Balarama. He experienced change many times, starting from moving from the ashram he called home until age of 10, back to the bustling city of Montreal. The new challenges that accompanied this significant change were compounded by growing up biracial in a distinct society with English and French languages. In 2001, his life took another turn as he discovered his passion for football. Over the next decade he excelled at this sport, leading to a Grey Cup Championship with the Montreal Alouettes. Even as a champion he continued to feel like an outsider. To combat the discrimination, racism, and inequality he had faced in his life, he set out to build a society where everyone could feel included. This led him to study law at the prestigious McGill University. |
Balarama Holness |
