Steve Ayles has grand plans for the Fiji International and with a wealth of experience he is the man to take the tournament to the next level.

The inaugural staging of the Fiji International was a huge
success drawing the world’s attention to the popular tropical tourist
destination for its ability to host an international quality golf tournament;
it introduced Fiji to the world as a golfing Mecca.

The tournament attracted some of the brightest golf talents
including 13 time Japan Golf Tour winner Brendan Jones, two time European Tour
winner Anirban Lahiri and three time Major champion Nick Price as well as the
return of national hero and three time Major winner Vijay Singh.

"The first year of an event, I think it’s always good to
look back and see that you have had a well run event, that you have achieved
the broadcast exposure domestically and overseas," said Ayles who has a
background in sports rights and the event management sector.

"We had a great winner and a great field with the likes of
Vijay Singh so in terms of the promotion of Fiji, which is a big factor for us,
I think most people considered it a great success."

But Steve Ayles, Chief Commercial Officer for the PGA of
Australia, is not a man content with resting on his laurels, he has a vision
for the Fiji International which will see the tournament reach new heights in
2015.

"The first year of an event there are always a lot of people
who are just going to wait and see. I think now people have seen how successful
it is," added Ayles who is excited about the spectacular experiences the Fiji
International offers.

"People have seen some of the hospitality options, being
able to go down on the beach, and entertain adjacent to a par-3 is unique
around the world, so we are expecting an increase in corporate clients and
hospitality at the event this year."

But the corporate guests aren’t the only fans being
considered in 2015, the Fiji International team is working hard to ensure all
spectators enjoy the best golf experience possible.

"We are working on a new layout in terms of our general
operations and the flows, we learned a lot in this area last year," added
Ayles.

"I think you will see that the changes made in this area
will greatly improve the experience for the local spectator who attends."

A tournament the stature of the Fiji International always
relies heavily on the quality of the playing field, another area of great focus
for Ayles and his team.

"We want to continue to improve the player field, this has a
big impact on just about every metric you can measure the event by, it will
improve the broadcast both domestically and in key markets like New Zealand and
Australia, but also into Asia as well," said Ayles.

"We are going to look at how we can broaden the appeal in
Asia and that may mean inviting and increasing the number of players from those
regions."

"At the end of the day, from a Fiji perspective, we are
trying to showcase what an amazing place Fiji is and particularly a great place
to play golf."

Ayles believes the biggest asset that the Fiji International
has is its unique personality on the international golf stage.

"Players compete at events all over the US and Europe, but
this is special, they can bring their family and while they compete in the
tournament their family will have an amazing time."

"I mean the whole resort at the InterContinental and
everything that Fiji offers is right there on top of an amazing golf course and
an amazing location."

"This is different to what the Professionals get to
experience week in, week out."