If You Host It, Will They Come?

Will bringing in a big-name clinician or holding other types of educational events produce good ROI for your GMO? We hear from clubs large and small around the country.

By Penny Hawes

Reprinted from the November/December 2024 issue of USDF Connection magazine.

To make money, the saying goes, you have to spend money. Some USDF group member organizations (GMOs) have found that investing to produce top-flight educational opportunities, or even to improve local show grounds, is key to increasing, engaging, and retaining members.

But so-called BNTs (“big-name trainers”) don’t come cheap, and neither do the facilities that host splashy marquee events. If your GMO, ahem, ponies up, will the return on investment be worth it? We polled six GMOs to get their take on the question.

Go Big or Go Home?

If your GMO can bankroll the cost of bringing in a BNT—top trainers’ fees can run $25,000 and up, according to New England Dressage Association (NEDA) president Beth Beukema—then a major symposium can indeed become a big draw and a reliable source of revenue.

One of the longest-running success stories is the Absorbine/NEDA Symposium. NEDA has been hosting its flagship event for more than 20 years, bringing in top international talent including Kyra Kyrklund, Carl Hester, Lisa Wilcox, and Johann Hinnemann; in 2024, British Olympian and two-time FEI World Equestrian Games dressage team silver medalist Gareth Hughes headlined the October weekend event. The symposium attracts hundreds of auditors and riding spots are highly coveted, including applicants who travel from well outside New England to take part.

“Our symposiums are planned for our membership to gain educational experience,” says Beukema, “but also serve to retain and recruit members. Our members gain access to tickets prior to tickets going on sale for nonmembers and receive tickets at a lower cost. When we have a high-power presenter, such as Carl Hester, many will join for early access to tickets.”

But hosting a symposium of this magnitude is a major undertaking. Besides the clinician’s fee, the hosting GMO must factor in clinician travel and lodging expenses, possible facility and sound-system rental if their use isn’t donated (NEDA pays a fee to symposium host facility Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts), and all the other little things, which can range from hiring a caterer to renting chairs or bleachers for auditors. In recent years NEDA has helped to defray costs by selling sponsorship packages (including to title sponsor Absorbine), vendor space, and banner and program ads. Those selected as demonstration riders pay nothing other than a facility/stabling fee. In 2024, sponsor PS of Sweden provided clothing for the riders and horses.

Strategic choice of clinicians is key to boosting event attendance, many GMOs have found. And the allure of getting to watch a famous trainer who isn’t easily accessible can be an important consideration, says California Dressage Society (CDS) office manager Paula Langan.

CDS has hosted similarly high-profile symposia in the past but no longer does so at this time. As Langan explains, “Our Region 7 has many Olympians right here, and our members already have great access to them as their own instructors.”

Another factor: “With the increase in top clinicians going to private barns, and many GMOs bringing in top clinicians, and especially all the top international clinicians spending the winter in Florida, it is very hard to have a financially successful symposium,” says Langan. What’s more, she adds, “We find it hard to compete with the abundance of great education on the internet. People are less willing to travel to learn when they can sit at home and watch tutorials for a fraction of the cost.”

Are Californians suffering from an embarrassment of riches? Perhaps. In other areas of the country, some GMOs have found that bringing in the right clinician pays off.

The Eastern New York Dressage and Combined Training Association (ENYDCTA) in the past faced challenges attracting BNTs to its upstate New York location, but the club hit the jackpot when a few years ago it invited Maryland-based retired FEI “O” (now Level 4) judge and Olympian Linda Zang to teach.

All three-plus days of ENYDCTA’s first Zang clinic filled easily, and riders and auditors alike were delighted, says GMO president Joy Black.

“People love her. She’s the perfect clinician,” Black says. “She likes to educate and has a good eye.” Zang now teaches four-day clinics on her visits to upstate New York, which Black hopes will happen a few times a year going forward.

Black says that ENYDCTA’s goal in choosing clinicians is to select trainers with whom local professionals want to ride. Doing so not only encourages local trainers and their students to join the GMO in order to take advantage of discounted clinic fees; it also fosters a trickle-down effect when participating trainers share their learnings with their own students.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Audio Investments Pay off for ENYDCTA

The best clinician in the world won’t do much good if nobody can hear them.

Anybody who’s paid good money to attend a clinic only to discover that a subpar sound system rendered the headliner inaudible knows the frustration. And a poor experience may lose your GMO a future ticket sale, entry fee, or even membership renewal.

ENYDCTA has been making strategic investments with the aim of attracting and retaining new members, Black says. An early purchase was a simple amplifier to improve auditors’ experience at clinics. When membership grew and funds were available, the GMO upgraded to a sound system with portable speakers and wearable microphones. During clinics, both the rider and the clinician wear a mic so auditors can hear both sides of the conversation — which has added another level to the information that auditors take away, she notes.

Investing in Infrastructure

Likewise, some GMOs believe that funding periodic improvements in frequently used event facilities is a wise investment because it helps to maintain the quality of participants’ experiences in their programs.

All of the Indiana Dressage Society’s (IDS) dressage shows are held at the Hoosier Horse Park in Nineveh, Indiana. Operated by Johnson County Parks and Recreation, the Horse Park was the site of the 1987 Pan American Games equestrian events. According to IDS president, dressage professional, and former USDF Region 4 director Ken Levy, the IDS has funded footing improvements, pavilions, and shelters for ring stewards, “and most recently purchased a state-of-the-art sound system for musical freestyles.”

Levy concedes that it would be difficult to calculate a specific return on investment in terms of memberships gained or retained as a result of the Horse Park improvements, but “we do evaluate every investment in programs, and that helps us make better future decisions on what and how much we are willing to invest.”

For Many GMOs, Quality Education Is the Biggest Ticket

Flashy, high-profile symposia are great if they work for your GMO, but the quality (and suitability) of the educational offerings is the main draw, say the GMO representatives we interviewed.

“People want education—good, sound education,” says Black. “ENYDCTA has grown because of good-quality educational programs.”

The education doesn’t have to involve live horses. In the winter, with many members sidelined from riding, ENYDCTA offers unmounted clinics that attract a lot of attendees, Black says. The local Dover Saddlery store has a space that can hold 60 people. The store provides chairs and snacks, and it’s a win-win because attendees can shop while they’re there.

The Colorado-based Rocky Mountain Dressage Society (RMDS) has found a successful educational formula in offering something for everybody.

“We see ourselves as an educational organization and are very serious about offering great programming,” says RMDS president Sally O’Dwyer. “We do bring in the big-name clinicians, and these are well received.” (On the calendar are names like Anna Buffini and George Williams.) Not every successful RMDS clinician is an “import,” however. “We also like to promote our local talent,” she says. “We do our best to offer our members a wide range of events,” with some programs being unmounted sessions on such topics as sport psychology for competition.

While there’s no denying that marquee names can be a boon to educational programming, O’Dwyer doesn’t necessarily see them as the club’s main recruiting tool.

“I don’t think big-name clinicians really bring in new members,” she says. “I don’t believe we discount events for members or anything like that.” Of the RMDS’s 600-plus members, about half compete, and O’Dwyer says the competition and awards opportunities are a strong membership incentive for this demographic.

O’Dwyer is excited about a program RMDS launched in 2023 to attract new members: “Dressage for Newbies” clinics, “to encourage people to join us and learn about competition. We offer to mentor those new to competing, as well. We are working on making the entry into dressage as easy and gentle as possible.” For further outreach, the RMDS Youth Committee chair “has also been working with Pony Club to recruit people.”

Like ENYDCTA, the Fort Worth Dressage Club (FWDC) in Texas has found that the right clinicians for their members spark interest.

Over the past few years, the FWDC has been bringing in such top trainers as Amelia Newcomb and Bill McMullin, says GMO president Barbara Harty. McMullin taught at the club’s three-day dressage camp in 2023 and was so popular that the FWDC invited him back for 2024.

Harty notices a correlation between members’ level of riding and the types of clinicians they favor. With more FWDC members moving up the levels, they’re requesting higher-level trainers, she says. The GMO has had success in using the clinics as a membership carrot: FWDC members get first dibs at clinic slots, with non-members relegated to a waiting list. And “for the Amelia Newcomb clinic, we did have riders join to be eligible for the clinic.”

According to Levy, who’s also a member of the education-focused USDF Adult Programs Committee, the IDS is similar to the RMDS in that its members include both diehard dressage competitors and those who don’t show. The noncompetitors, he says, join for the education, although the club also encourages local pros to participate so they’ll disseminate learnings to their students.

Because the IDS has taken the view that its educational programs are a vital segment of its offerings, the GMO’s board budgets accordingly, Levy says. “We always budget very conservatively with the hope that programs will at least break even. Having said that, one of our missions is to provide education; therefore, if a program does not break even, we have the funds allocated to cover the loss.”

In fact, making education a cornerstone of the GMO’s mission has resulted in an increase in members, Levy says. He explains that IDS members can participate in most programs at no cost; nonmembers pay a fee—and “since we conduct a number of educational programs each year, it is often less expensive to join our GMO than to pay for each program that is offered.” Even without offering large-scale clinics, IDS has realized “significant improvement” in renewal rates since it doubled down on education; currently, he estimates, 80-85% of members renew.

Find Your GMO’s Educational Niche

NEDA, a large GMO with a dense concentration of members in a relatively small geographic area, has the resources to make a big symposium successful. Although importing clinicians from abroad is expensive, the well-chosen superstar names are a draw and create excitement and prestige.

Smaller GMOs can enjoy similar success rates with more modest clinics if they’re held in a quality facility (with good sound), and—most important—if the clinician meshes well with the GMO’s demographic. A trainer whose approach suits the participants’ level and the GMO’s culture is more likely to garner interest and to get members requesting that the person be asked back. A clinician who doesn’t live around the corner may make the event feel more special.

When an area is blessed with abundant well-known dressage trainers, it may be more difficult, as CDS found, to create a program that members feel is worth leaving home for. That’s why “it is probably more beneficial for a GMO in a remote area to host a symposium, assuming they have the population numbers,” says CDS’s Langan.

Don’t overlook the fact that some GMOs cater to equestrians other than dressage riders. ENYDCTA is offering more eventing activities as part of its growth efforts, and Black reports that membership has increased as a result. In fact, a key project for ENYDCTA is to put on a large “NEDA style” symposium, but focused on jumping, she says.

The GMOs we talked to are making their investments in education work. Their programs are attracting new members, increasing renewal rates, and offering existing members greater perceived value for their membership dollars. Their leadership takes education seriously and believes that the quality of the educational opportunities they offer is what helps them attract and retain members.

Penny Hawes is a writer, rider, and coach from Virginia. When she’s not working, you can find her hiking with her daughter, scouting around for antiques with her husband, or hanging out with her assortment of horses and cats.