TIA Advisory Panels Look At Facilities, Retailers, Technology

The TIA recently formed three advisory panels to help keep the TIA better informed with what tennis businesses and providers need to grow and prosper, while also keeping industry businesses better in touch with the TIA and current tools and resources offered.

“Each panel — facility, retailer and technology — is composed of individuals who have found success in their field, and these three advisory groups will keep both the TIA better in touch and tennis providers better informed, which in turn will help make our industry stronger,” says TIA Executive Director Jolyn de Boer.

“For facilities and retailers, the first step is for the panels to identify issues, concerns and challenges they are facing. Then panel members will work on ways to help address these issues. The Tech Panel will identify ways that businesses can use technology to stay competitive in the marketplace.” The panels may add and rotate members as they develop and identify issues and projects.

What issues are important to you? Let us know at feedback@tennisindustry.org.

TIA Facility Panel

The Facility Panel is composed of tennis facility owners or operators. Current members are Rod Heckelman of Mount Tam Racquet Club, Larkspur, Calif.; Michael Mahoney of Midtown Tennis Club, Chicago; and Mike Woody of Midland Community Tennis Center, Midland, Mich. Some of the initial issues and concerns the panel identified include:

The need to share information and communicate more, both among facility owners/operators and with other industry groups.
Sharing “best practices” with all facilities.
More and better education for facility owners and their staffs.
An emphasis on customer service, to best gain and retain members, customers and players.
Whether programs and initiatives are as effective as they can be for facilities, and whether they are being communicated effectively.

TIA Retailer Panel

Composed of tennis retail owners/managers, the panel’s current members are Brad Blume of Tennis Express, Houston; Todd Goldman of Tennis Life Pro Shop, Lutz, Fla.; Bruce Levine of Courtside Racquet Club, Lebanon, N.J.; and David Schwartz of The Tennis & Golf Co., Royal Oak, Mich. Initial issues and concerns that the Retailer Panel mentioned include:

More and better education for retailers, consumers, sales reps, etc.
Improving customer service that retailers and retail shops provide.
How to prevent tennis retail shops from closing, and the affect this has on grassroots tennis.
The changing nature of retail, and how to adapt to the changes, including Internet retailing.
Concerns over manufacturer pricing and advertising and how best they can support retailers.
A possible cooperative campaign geared toward consumers to support local tennis retailers.

TIA Technology Panel

The Tech Panel is the newest of the TIA advisory groups and currently consists of Lance Andersen of the Longfellow Club, Wayland, Mass.; Robin Bateman of John Drew Smith/Tattnall Tennis Centers, Macon, Ga.; Billy Power of Texarkana Country Club, Texarkana, Ark.; and Charlie Ruddy of TennisConnect, along with the TIA tech team of Matt Allen and Ryan Melton. Initial goals for the panel include:

How to get current industry “players” to embrace new technology.
Effective means of distributing messaging regarding new technology and tools and resources available for tennis providers.
Determining the effectiveness and usability of current technology tools and resources.
Finding ways to bring the latest technology to tennis providers at an affordable price so more players can be engaged.

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