EWGA’s Empower ’13 offered a learning experience to almost 300 EWGA members
from across the United States and Canada at Hilton Head Island
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida (EWGA) – An action-packed schedule of golf, A-list keynote speakers and break-out sessions came to a close on Saturday, May 11th, 2013, as conference goers attended a final power networking event to say their goodbyes during Empower ’13. Close to 300 women participated in this year’s EWGA flagship event, which was held at The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort and Spa in South Carolina, and offered two learning tracks covering sessions designed to enrich conference goers’ professional skills and knowledge of golf.
The first power presentation featured opening remarks by EWGA CEO, Pam Swensen, followed by an enlightening session with Janine Driver, president of The Body Language Institute and NY Times Best Selling Author. Driver showed participants how to use their body language to get what they wanted in business and life. According to Driver, people say more than they think, and her revealing discussion equipped conference goers with the skills that would allow them to gain an edge in the game of life and become a more persuasive communicator.
Conference sessions included presentations that showed attendees how to make a business impact by knowing sports, presented by Jen Mueller, America’s Expert Talk and CEO of Talk Sporty to Me. Board Member Sheryl Wilkerson moderated a golf entrepreneurship panel, which featured EWGA members who successfully turned their ideas into reality. Another EWGA board member, Jon Last, moderated a panel to discuss research, trends and the future of women in golf, which featured Sandy Cross from The PGA of America and Kiernan Schindler from the LPGA. In a separate session, Kevin MacDonald from The Coaching Department discussed using the same techniques used by athletes to improve focus, performance and results on the course and in life. Tom Matzen and Allen Bonk, from Quantum Business Golf International, ran an interactive session, which taught participants how to determine personality and behavioral styles of business golf prospects and how to best relate and communicate with them. Karen Palacios-Jansen, LPGA T&CP, presented a “Get Fit for Life!” session, which had conference goers performing golf-specific exercises to improve their game.
In addition, an incredibly energetic Lisa “Longball” Vlooswyk, ranked second in the world in Women’s Long Drive Championship competitions and seven-time, Canadian title-winner of the National Long Drive Championship, addressed the disparity that women continue to experience in golf during her funny presentation over lunch, which also covered how she built her brand in golf. Lisa Longball later conducted a demonstration, which was loaded with power tips to get more distance off the tee.
One of the more inspirational presentations came during the evening of EWGA’s Black & White Power Evening Gala sponsored by Moet & Chandon. Motivational speaker, Carla Harris, a force on Wall Street and managing director & senior client advisor for Morgan Stanley, shared what she called “Carla’s Pearls”, which included strategies on being authentic, having expectations and leveraging your team. Also during the evening dinner, thirteen-time LPGA winner and former Solheim Cup Team Captain, Rosie Jones, received the Leadership Award for her outstanding contribution to women’s golf. In a touching moment, association member, Penny Larsen, was given the Nancy Oliver Founder’s Award Winner, the organization’s highest honor for volunteer leadership. In her acceptance speech, Larsen, who was a founding member of EWGA, thanked the organization for being present during the good, the bad and ugly moments of her life. “My goal in volunteering was to make a difference. In so many ways, the EWGA made more of a difference in me,” said Larsen.
As the largest women-focused amateur golf association in the U.S. with chapters in nearly every U.S. major market and corporate center, EWGA has connected more than 100,000 working and professional women who share a passion for cultivating relationships and enjoying the game of golf. Offering a wide range of affordable organized golf activities and educational programs, this award-winning association has been driving social and networking opportunities for women through the game of golf since 1991. With EWGA Chapters located in more than U.S. 120 cities as well as in international locations including Bermuda, Canada, Italy and South Africa, EWGA members are active participants in hundreds of communities. For more information, visit www.ewga.com.
Contact:
Dina Allende
Clique PR & Marketing
305-205-1058 (cell)
dina@MakeitClique.com
