Northern Ireland is currently at the epicentre of world golf.

 

We have the world’s number one player Rory McIlroy, the new captain of the Ryder Cup Darren Clarke and former US Open winner and Ryder Cup player Graeme McDowell.

 

Royal Portrush and Royal County Down are among the top ten links courses in the world and we have the Irish Open in Newcastle in May.

 

It is a real success story but the question is how can local businesses take advantage of this unique situation?

 

Well for starters our businesses should start to gear themselves for specific golf-related marketing campaigns and promotions.

 

Whether you are a restaurant, hotel or in retail you should consider how you can promote your brand on the back of the Irish Open.

 

Small companies should try to find an innovative tie up with local organisations involved in the golf industry.  Maybe create your own golf themed event or campaign around the Open.

 

Try to make contact with local sports consultants to see how your business can get involved.  Can you work with a local golf club or an amateur or professional player to promote your campaign?

 

For those businesses around the Newcastle area, make sure your product and customer service is top class in order to impress and entice visitors back once the tournament is over.  Spend time on training your staff and don’t forget to capture customer data!

 

For those businesses who see no direct link with golf, what about running customer or staff competitions or hosting a VIP event for your top customers around the Irish Open?

 

Geoff runs his own Sports Consultancy, working with clients such as FIFA across the world. He is also on the board of SportNI and the Chartered Institute of Marketing in Ireland.  You can follow Geoff on twitter @geoffwnjwilson or Linkedin at www.linkedin.com/in/geoffwnjwilson