The Golf Industry Show returns to Orlando 31st January to 2nd February and to date 847 exhibitors have signed on, accounting for 285,950 square feet of exhibit space, which is approaching the record established last year in Anaheim. The 2008 Golf Industry Show is projected to have approximately 25,000 attendees, 1,000 exhibitors and 300,000 square feet of exhibition space.
The inaugural Golf Industry Show, conducted in 2005 in Orlando, was a merger of trade shows hosted by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) and the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), as well as supporting partners: the Golf Course Builders Association of America (GCBAA), the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) and the National Golf Foundation (NGF). It registered 22,723 attendees, 826 exhibitors, 270,760 square feet of exhibit space and 9,167 qualified buyers (those who are part of the purchase process), which ranked in the top 2.3 percent of all trade shows in North America that year according to Tradeshow Week 200.
With the addition of the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA) at the 2007 Golf Industry Show, attendance records were broken in Anaheim with 9,697 qualified buyers, 981 exhibitors, 291,250 square feet of exhibit space and 23,109 total attendees.
In a joint statement, GCSAA CEO Steve Mona, CAE; NGCOA CEO Mike Hughes; and CMAA CEO Jim Singerling, CCM, CEC, noted the favourable reception the Golf Industry Show has already received. “Attendees and exhibitors have been overwhelmingly positive about the Golf Industry Show. Attendees see the value of having the leadership team together to enhance decision-making, while exhibitors appreciate the efficiency of interacting with key facility leaders at the same time under the same roof.”
The 2008 show floor will feature five Solution Centers: Team Solutions, Clubhouse Solutions, Environmental Solutions, Golf Course Solutions and Range and Outdoor Facility Solutions. Focused on a particular area of golf course, facility or club management, each Solution Center offers interactive demonstrations, presentations and case studies by industry experts and informative displays. Hands-on activities, influential programming and appearances, and interactive displays focused on strategies and techniques for successful teamwork and golf course, facility and club operations will also be featured.
Additional show floor highlights include four networking parks with small seating areas for short networking meetings and satellite internet kiosks; the New Product Showcase, displaying the industry’s newest products and services; and the Buyer/Seller Marketplace area within the Exhibitor Business Lounge/Trade Show Management Office on the trade show floor for exhibitors and their customers to conduct brief business meetings.
Team Day is Friday, Feb. 1 and will kick off with the Golf Industry Show General Session that morning. Doug Keeley will present “The Mark of a Leader,” a program described as a treasure chest of inspiring stories about the world’s greatest leaders and brands, and the principles that have made them successful. Following the General Session will be two concurrent sessions – one presented by the USGA Green Section about enhancing facility and professional growth and one presented by Rob Morton from the Disney Institute about service excellence to enhance the entire golf experience. There will be no competing seminars scheduled that afternoon as golf course, facility and club management teams are encouraged to walk the trade show floor together and visit each of the Solution Centers, including the Team Solutions Center, which will feature TrackTime Driving Schools’ Pit Crew Challenge.
The Golf Industry Show is an innovative trade show designed for the owners/operators of golf facilities, and the professional members of the golf course and club management industries. Featuring its signature interactive solution centres, the event combines education, networking and solutions for golf course superintendents, owners/operators, general managers, chief operating officers, architects and builders to form one of the largest trade shows in North America. The Golf Industry Show is presented by GCSAA, NGCOA and CMAA, along with supporting organizations GCBAA, ASGCA and the NGF.
Golf Industry Show www.golfindustryshow.com