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Education

The bountiful professional development agenda offers curated information to help you thrive in your role, featuring concurrent education sessions, general sessions with keynote speakers, and optional Pre- and At-Conference Workshops.

By the Numbers

65 Education Sessions Available

49% Percent of Speakers Who Are New

20 Earn up to 20 Club Management Institute (CMI) Education Credits 

11 Number of Competencies in Club Management Addressed 

8-12 Earn from 8 to 12 Association Activity (AA) Credits (varies based on your registration category) 

4 Satisfy Your World Conference attendance requirement when you attend a minimum of four education sessions 

Concurrent Education Sessions

Choose your pathway to professional and personal growth by selecting relevant topics by competency area as well as by track. Choose from Pre-Certification, Post-Certification, and Executive level to attend sessions most appropriate to your interests and career stage. Further your career and certification goals by attending all available sessions. The full schedule of topics and speakers will be available at the end of November.

Tips to Further Your Certification Goals

  • Club Management Institute (CMI) credits are awarded through verified attendance. At the end of each session, your presenter will share a keyword. Make note of this keyword.  
    • Following each education session, complete your session evaluation survey correctly on the event App. 
    • Attendees can only receive Education Credits for one session during each concurrent time slot. 
  • Association Activity (AA) Credits are awarded based on registration category and reflect the other networking and engagement opportunities available at the World Conference.  
    • Register for a Full Member Registration. This registration category earns 12 Association Activity Credits, the most of any category. 

Learn more about registration options and qualifying CMI and AA credits.

Schedule at a Glance

All Times Pacific Standard Time (PST)

*Separate ticket or reservation required

All events subject to change. Please check the World Conference App for the most up to date information on-site.  

Last Updated: 9/30/2025

Workshops & Experiences

Pre-Conference Workshops

The Bicycle Chautauqua: Riding, Reflecting, and Pursuing the CCM Mission

Saturday, February 14 – Monday, February 16

Offsite

Members: $125
Non-Members: $225

The Bicycle Chautauqua is a three-day, Pre-Conference riding, reflecting, and bonding opportunity for managers who are looking for insights into life, operations, and career.

Interspersed amongst three days of bicycling will be three, one-hour, pre-ride Upbriefs and three, two-hour, post-ride Debriefs focusing on that day’s “issues of consequence.”

The bicycle Chautauqua will start and end at a hotel near the Anaheim Convention Center and will, using “hub and spokes tactics” (that is, leaving from and returning to the same hotel each day), head into the California countryside for three days of riding and reflecting.

Registration Details:

  • The Chautauqua starts on the evening before the first day of the ride with orientation and ends at 12:00 noon on the last day.
  • If needed, bicycles can be rented at a local, pre-approved bicycle shop near the Chautauqua hotel.
  • The Chautauqua Experience will be worth a total of 6 CMI Credits.
  • All riders must be registered and pay fees through CMAA registration.
  • All dinners and accommodations will be paid for separately by each participant.
  • The ride is limited to 30 managers.

AI Without the Hype: Practical Tools for Club Managers

Monday, February 16, 8:30 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.

Onsite

Members: $375

Chatbots and Artificial Intelligence (AI tools are flooding into businesses around the world with promises of efficiency and superhuman intelligence. With so much noise in the headlines, where should club managers begin? This interactive session strips away the hype and gets straight to what works, with real-world examples from clubs. We will explore how managers can pair their own expertise with cutting-edge AI tools to deliver the magic for members, from event planning and F&B scheduling to creative member engagement ideas. You will experiment directly with leading AI platforms, tackle real scenarios in team-based exercises, and learn practical tricks for getting the most out of tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Google Gemini. Along the way, we’ll confront the risks and explore effective safety strategies. You’ll leave with new skills, a playbook of ideas to take back to your club, and the confidence to build your team’s AI skills.

Registration Details: The workshop will be limited to 60 attendees. Registration includes breakfast and lunch.

Yacht Club Symposium

Monday, February 16, 9:15 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Offsite: Balboa Yacht Club

Members: $175
Non-Members: $275

This enriching educational event offers yacht club management professionals an invaluable opportunity to convene with their professional counterparts, engaging in insightful conversations about the distinctive challenges and prospects they encounter. The symposium will feature multiple educational sessions, complemented by breakfast, lunch, and an end of day harbor cocktail cruise.

This year’s event will be hosted at Balboa Yacht Club. From its beginnings in a small wooden structure on open, sandy Balboa Peninsula, the Club has evolved to become one of southern California's most prestigious yachting organizations.

Sessions will include:

  • Financial and Other Trends in Yacht Clubs with Mike Morin, Director of Data Management and Research, Club Benchmarking
  • A Tour of the Balboa Yacht Club, including the New Kitchen, with General Manager Russell Miller
  • Coaching Your Team, with Kevin MacDonald, Clarity Success Coaching
  • Yacht Club Managers Roundtable Panel – Best Practices in their Clubs
  • Best Practices in Junior and Adult Sailing Programs with Brian Carlson, CCM, CCE, General Manager, San Diego Yacht Club
  • Junior Sailing and Non-Member Participation with Dennis M. Conneally, MCM, CCE, General Manager, Waikiki Yacht Club, and Author of the MCM Monograph, The Future of American Yacht Clubs - Building Successful Junior Sailing Programs

Registration Details: The workshop will be limited to 60 attendees. Registration includes breakfast, lunch, end of day cocktail cruise, and transportation.

Generations of Wine: The Family Way, presented by the CMAA Wine Society

Monday, February 16, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Onsite

Members: $500
Non-Members: $600

Discover how family-run vineyards have shaped the art of winemaking across generations. From heritage techniques to modern innovations rooted in tradition, this educational session celebrates the enduring legacy of wine crafted with heart, history, and family.

From grandfather’s first harvest to today’s award-winning vintages, we will explore the history of the vineyards, along with a component tasting.

Registration Details: The workshop will be open to 50 attendees. Registration includes lunch and all tasting wines.

From Vision to Value: Executing Strategy with Data, Insight, and Impact

Tuesday, February 17, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon

Onsite

Members: $275
Non-Members: $375

Presenters: Dr. Eric Brey, Director; Neil Brown, Executive Director; Ben Hopkinson, Director; Dr. Eric Hutchison, Director, GGA Partners

In a landscape marked by disruption and uncertainty, high-performing clubs are led by executives who successfully translate strategic vision into competitive advantage. This session is designed for leaders who are eager to move beyond planning and into execution driven by data, focusing on understanding how strategic choices impact operations. You’ll analyze a real-world strategic plan example and formulate data-driven, financially sound implementation tactics that foster enduring financial strength, enhance the member experience, and position a club for long-term success.

In this session, participants will receive extensive information from relevant industry research and proprietary databases to help them establish key performance indicators and leverage a results-based management tool. By ensuring that evolving member trends, financial agility, and long-term organizational sustainability are at the heart of the session, attendees will gain forward-looking insights they can apply at their clubs.

Presenters will use a multi-case study approach to provide insights, encouraging participants to apply their experiences and learn from peers on trend-focused challenges. To foster engagement and address pertinent questions, presenters will lead interactive discussions for exploring content, sharing strategies, exchanging best practices, and asking questions for tailored insights. A concluding panel with industry experts will allow participants to ask questions on topics of interest and session content.

Registration Details: The workshop will be open to 100 attendees and includes breakfast.

At-Conference Workshops

The Walking Chautauqua (The ChauWALKqua)

Thursday, February 19, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon

Onsite

Members: $75
Non-Members: $100

A Chautauqua is a mobile university, and The Walking Chautauqua (The ChauWALKqua) is just that a facilitated, reflective opportunity involving a little walking and a lot of focused, in-depth conversation about clubs and the challenges and opportunities a professional will encounter.

The workshop will be four hours long, limited to 25 people, will be held during Conference week and be led and facilitated by Loraine Vienne and Gregg Patterson. The first hour and a half will include a getting-to-know-each-other opportunity and a “question of the day” upbrief; the next hour will involve walking, talking, and stopping for coffee; and the final hour and a half will be spent debriefing the walk, discussing the Question of the Day and addressing the essence of clubdom!

Registration Details: The workshop is limited to 25 registrants. All participants must be registered and pay fees through CMAA registration.

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