Do we need another golf exhibition? Is there an alternative to consumer shows held in urban venues? Following the success of The South East Golf Show held at The East Sussex National Golf Resort, show organisers Pinnacle Golfing Events believe that the answer is undoubtedly ‘yes’!
The South East Golf Show was held at The East Sussex National Golf Resort & Spa on the 9th-11th November. The intimacy of a smaller regional exhibition created a less frantic supermarket sweep giving visitors time to discuss products with exhibitors and gain maximum benefit from one-on-one tuition from Sarah MacLennan’s academy team and Jason Gilroy’s’ putting studio.
All exhibitions could benefit from more industry support, particularly from some of the major manufacturers, however not all golfers limit their horizons to mass marketed names and perhaps this is where more specialist regional events can offer the visitor a new experience.
The South East Golf Show did benefit from Lynx and Hippo allowing visitors to test and buy their entire range whilst more exclusive brands such as Spherical Blade, Agile, Whitlam and See-More proved that the discerning club golfer is keen to buy equipment not normally found in your average retail chain. www.southeastgolfshow.co.uk
The enthusiastic visitors who attended the Show spanned all groups but with a unique variation on the usual golfing audience: approximately 35% of the audience were the rarely seen affluent lady golfers who departed with bags of equipment, clothing and accessories for both themselves and partners. Christmas had definitely come early!
This, combined with a healthy family attendance, sent a clear statement that it is possible to get a broader range of serious golfer to attend an exhibition purely by making it more accessible and friendly. Talking to attendees the appeal lay in the experience of being given access to a prestigious golfing facility and not having to do battle with an overcrowded, congested city location.
Several rungs above a simple ‘golf sale’ and more on offer than a sole manufacturers ‘demo day’ the organisers are convinced that there cannot be the option of stopping at only one regional event. Pinnacle Golfing Events are about to release details of four similar events for 2008, each running over 2 days, that will develop the range of equipment and features on show; travelling to Cardiff, Dublin, Cheshire and then back to the Sussex/Surrey region.
Gerard Larkin, events director at PGE said, “We are very much looking forward to broadening the choice of products, equipment and visitor tutorials available at our shows. More importantly we are welcoming multiple approaches from several sectors of the golfing industry that have already recognised the opportunity and want to work with us to make regional events a viable alternative. Our partnerships with the venues, regional clubs, associations, professionals, local retailers and national manufactures underpin our commitment to promoting golf in the regions.”
The final schedule and venues of PGE’s regional golf shows for 2008 will be announced by the end of November.
Pinnacle Golfing Events is part of Pinnacle Publishing, publishers of prestigious brochures for some of the best known and regarded golf clubs in the UK.
Pinnacle Publishing www.pinnaclepublishing.co.uk