TIA Establishes Technology Panel
September 23, 2010
The Tennis Industry Association has created a Technology Panel, composed of tennis providers and technology experts, that will help the TIA better assist tennis businesses with their tech needs and serve as a “focus group” for new and existing products and services.
“The new Technology Panel will help keep us better in touch with what tennis businesses need in terms of technology, so they can stay competitive in the marketplace,” says TIA Executive Director Jolyn de Boer. “The TIA currently offers a number of tech tools and resources for tennis providers, and among the panel’s tasks will be to see how we can be even more effective in what we offer, and how the TIA can best reach out to tennis businesses with these resources.”
The panel members also will serve as a “focus” or “test” group for new and existing TIA technology products, helping to define areas of concern, improvement and potential development. TIA technology-based products, services and programs include the GrowingTennis System, TennisConnect, “PlayTennis” widget, CareersInTennis.com and social media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.
Currently, the tennis providers on the TIA Technology Panel are: Lance Andersen of the Longfellow Club in Wayland, Mass.; Robin Bateman of John Drew Smith/Tattnall Tennis Centers in Macon, Ga.; and Billy Power of Texarkana Country Club in Texarkana, Ark. The TIA tech team consists of Matt Allen, Ryan Melton and Charlie Ruddy.
The formation of the Technology Panel is part of the TIA’s goal to reach out to and receive input from various sectors of the tennis industry. In July, the TIA formed a Facility Panel and a Retailer Panel, both designed to keep the TIA better in touch with what facilities and retailers need to grow their businesses, and to advise on how best to keep those sectors engaged with industry initiatives and the resources offered through the TIA.