A post-event survey has revealed that UK golf’s suppliers have hailed The Golf Show 2012 as a success, with 94% hitting their primary objectives at Europe’s leading golf trade show and education event.
A record attendance in excess of 1,280 PGA Professionals attended the showpiece event at Harrogate International Centre from 9-11 October, which resulted in high levels of business being conducted over the three days.
The survey of exhibitors that attended this year’s event also revealed that 56% took more orders from PGA Professionals than in 2011, while a percentage of 30% took a similar number of orders to last year.
Despite the difficulties golf has experienced in 2012 there is a positive outlook for the future with 74% of those questioned believing the golf industry will improve in 2013, while show organisers have also announced next year’s show, once again at Harrogate International Centre, will be from 8-10 October.
The Golf Show 2012 proved highly successful for major brands such as PING, Nike Golf and TaylorMade-adidas Golf, who all revealed it was their most successful show yet.
Steve Carter, UK Sales Manager PING, said: “Our time at the show was successful as our stand in general was always busy – we don’t tend to judge the success of the show on the business we write, but there was a positive feeling from many visitors, which bodes well for 2013.”
“We doubled our investment in terms of space, positioning and resource reflecting our strategic priority to win at green grass,” added Simon Parkhill, Nike Golf EMEA Sales Director. “That investment, parallel to introducing our most innovative products ever, manifested in a sales increase of 56% against 2011.”
Giles Birkhead, TaylorMade-adidas Golf, Regional Sales Manager, added: “The show for all our brands, including Ashworth Golf, was a great success and as a company we were pleased with how busy our stand was.
“We exceeded all our expectations, which we put down to a number of reasons. Our brands have great traction in the marketplace and some exciting new products for 2013. In addition planning and preparation is key to a successful show, we invested in a new stand, enabling us to present products in a nice environment, while also showcasing how they can look in store.”
John Davis, Event Manager, said: “Initial reactions following The Golf Show 2012 pointed towards it being a success, to have that confirmed by the statistics from the exhibitor survey is testament to the hard work everyone involved in the show – including exhibitors and delegates.
“While a lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes to stage the event it is the delegates and exhibitors who make or break the show, and this year more than any other you could see a huge amount of thought and planning had gone into the event from suppliers and PGA Professionals.
“The dates are already in the diary for The Golf Show 2013 and work starts now to ensure we continue to cement its place as Europe’s leading golf trade show and education event.”
The Golf Show www.golftradeshow.co.uk