The London Golf Show will return to ExCeL, London, for its sixth outing from 30 April to 2 May 2010– but this time it arrives with a sibling: the new London Tennis Show.
The London Golf & Tennis Show is produced in association with: The PGA and the Tennis Industry Association UK (TIA UK) and supported by: The England Golf Partnership (EGP), English Golf Union (EGU), The English Women’s Golf Association (EWGA), The Golf Foundation, The Tennis Foundation (TF) and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).
Ken Schofield CBE, the chairman of the Golf Show Group Ltd, which owns both the London and NEC golf shows, has confirmed the new format in association with Ian Peacock OBE, the current president of the Tennis Industry Association (TIA) and former chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA); Roger Moreland, chief operating officer of the England Golf Partnership; and Sandy Jones, the chief executive of the Professional Golfers Association (PGA).
Schofield, a keen tennis follower himself, said: “There are many crossovers between the two sports. Commercially, many of the large brands in golf are also present in tennis and many amateurs play both sports to relax.
“The time is right for the launch of a tennis show and we are now able to build upon the success we have enjoyed with golf shows at both ExCeL and the NEC over the past five years.
“It’s hugely encouraging that the LTA and others from the tennis industry have joined with the England Golf Partnership and their associates in supporting the new show. They too can see the promise in opening up an already successful show to an even larger potential audience.”
He added: “To our knowledge, never before have so many professional bodies from within the world of sport come together to endorse a consumer show such as this. It is testament to the potential of the event that so many people and organisations have signed up as supporters.”
Peacock, who was also formerly managing director of Slazenger and chairman of the Golf Foundation, added: “It was Sandy’s (Jones) original idea and the TIA supported the concept eagerly. After discussing it with Ken (Schofield), we recognised the possibilities of building on the existing golf shows to offer an opportunity for tennis enthusiasts to see what is being developed.
“It is also an ideal vehicle for businesses and companies in tennis to showcase their products and services to players, enthusiasts and supporters of the game. We are very excited about the show and already have commitments from some major names in the game who will give support through the TIA, which will highlight some of the innovations, ideas and products its members will showcase.”
Roger Draper, the chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association, also welcomed the initiative. He said: “The LTA is delighted to support the London Golf & Tennis Show in 2010 and we look forward to working with our colleagues in golf to create a successful show which will promote these two great sports.”
The EGP’s Roger Moreland added: “I am delighted the EGP will participate in the London Golf & Tennis Show 2010. We have watched the progress of the London Golf Show with interest in the past few years and see it as a lasting annual event in the golf calendar.
“It allows people from all sectors of the golf industry to interact with each other, and with the many golfers who come to the show. We look forward to working with the show organisers to make sure that as many aspects of golf are presented as possible.”
Jones confirmed the support of the PGA, and added: “We have watched the golf shows establishing themselves and we recognised we could work closely and well with the organisers to make the show better reflect the many aspects of golf that we ourselves are keen to promote.
“The PGA is involved in numerous initiatives to promote golf to as wide an audience as possible, and working to develop the show both for golf and tennis is going to be great fun. I am also delighted to work on an initiative with Ken and Ian, both of whom I have worked with previously and respected for many years.”
Tickets will be made available to registered golf and tennis clubs and organisers are anticipating an attendance of more than 30,000 across the three days of the event.
Further details will be released soon. For the time being the website continues to be www.londongolfshow.com