Following the enormous success and popularity of their 2007 event, the UK and Ireland’s two leading professional buying groups, Foremost/Alliance and TGI Golf, will repeat their highly successful annual trade shows back-to-back at the Harrogate International Centre later this year.
In a move that has been again welcomed and endorsed by the trade, the Foremost/Alliance’s GTEC Show, 3-4 November will be followed on consecutive dates by TGI Golf Show, 5-7 November.
Paul Hedges chief executive of Foremost and TGI Golf chief executive Eddie Reid said the move to the same venue in the same week, which was launched in 2007, was designed to benefit the golf industry as a whole, and proved to be a great success both for the suppliers and the group members.
In a joint statement, Hedges and Reid said, “We believed that by moving our respective shows to the same venue on consecutive dates last year there would be significant combined benefits for both our members and suppliers, and this certainly proved to be the case with record attendances by pros and levels of orders taken by suppliers.
“Retailers had access to all the major golf manufacturers and service providers in one place – and suppliers benefited by being able to optimise sales opportunities, while also reducing logistical costs.”
The trade show format has proved successful for both groups, with members able to conduct their forward buying face-to-face with suppliers. Educational seminars contributing towards CPD points for PGA professionals, the sharing of information at forums and workshops, plus the camaraderie of an industry get together, have also proved a draw to retailers from across the UK and Ireland.
This year both groups are planning some new initiatives and events to further enhance the occasion and improve the already considerable and unique benefits the shows gives the professionals within the two groups, and again prove it to be the most successful golf trade show in the UK.