The 2018 Queensland Clubs Conference was hosted by the Southport Yacht Club on the 28^th and 29^th of July. The club's Main Beach venue welcomed 60 representatives from over 25 clubs across Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Saturday kicked off with a presentation from John Lee regarding the Australian Sailing Strategy and the review of club fees. Many clubs were eager to hear about the new model and what the proposed change would entail. Ray Shaw then followed with an in-depth look at risk assessments for clubs and centres. With his extensive knowledge of offshore racing and being the chair of the Victorian Safety Committee; Ray’s concerns and suggestions were met with open ears. The presentation finished with example manipulation of a risk management matrixes which identified the need for simple but precise tools for mitigating risks at clubs.  

The day continued with morning tea overlooking the beautiful Southport Marina and sessions around Women in Sailing and the revSPORT system. Gavin Walls showcase of Victorian clubs who successfully include women and girls, encouraged participants to developed strategies to engage and retain females at their own club. Next revSPORT walked the conference attendees through a real-time, online session highlighting all the different functionalities and aspects of their platform. Over lunch conversations were heard discussing how the system will benefit clubs and improve the user’s experience.

Alistair Murray focused his session on the importance of registering sailors and a case study on the day pass system. Alistair mentioned the implementation of a day pass completely changed the casual sailing culture around his club (Sandringham Yacht Club) and believes it was a driver for increased club membership. Brad McMaster’s presentation on ‘Sail Connect’ tied well into the membership space as his app is a great communication tool connecting sailors with boats on a casual and full-time basis. The afternoon finished with a panel sponsorship/grants discussion with insights from QLD Sport and Rec, Darling Point Sailing Squadron and Zhik.

The 2018 Queensland Sailing Awards was positioned on the Saturday night of the clubs conference which saw a huge turnout comparative to recent years. A full article about the awards night and its winners can be found here.

The second day of the conference was mainly focused around group discussions which included; an in-depth conversation regarding the fee harmonisation; Discover Sailing; keelboat and offshore sailing and a Women and Girls meeting.

Before morning tea, the Yachting Queensland general meeting took place led by YQ President: Matthew Johnson. A drafted financial report was accepted and a decision regarding YQ assets (ribs) was communicated.

revSPORT training concluded day two of the conference highlighting the need for some clubs to give the new platform some focus in the coming weeks.

Thanks was given to the Australian Sailing staff for organising the great conference and to the Southport Yacht Club for being tremendous hosts over the weekend. The stage was set for next year’s QLD Clubs Conference and Awards Night with Keppel Bay Sailing Club saying they would love to host the event.