For the third year in a row, the Nordic Golf Fair – the independent trade fair for the golf industry in the Nordics – were held on October 1st to 3rd in Malmö, southern Sweden.
“The Nordics are home to more than one million golfers, and with a large number of suppliers treating the region as a single market, the Nordic Golf Fair is an very cost-effective way to make your presence felt”, says Anders Westerlund, Project Manager at the Nordic Golf Fair.
Adidas, Abacus, Callaway, Cobra, Galvin Green, Lyle & Scott, Mizuno, Ping, Puma, TaylorMade, Titleist, Wilson and many more: all the major suppliers were exhibiting at the Nordic Golf Fair this year. In total 70 exhibitors representing in excess of 200 different brands.
The fair attracted more than 1,200 visitors over three days, of which around 70% came from Sweden, just over 15% from Denmark, Norway and Finland, and another 10% from the rest of Europe.
The opening day of the Nordic Golf Fair wrapped up as always with the After Golf evening and the Merchandiser of the Year award to the best golf shops in Denmark and Sweden. It’s the perfect time for informal meetings with colleagues and competitors, and a chance to network with new contacts, or simply catch-up with old friends.
Merchandiser of the Year was introduced to highlight stores that do that little bit extra to boost sales and keep their customers happy; and perhaps to encourage other stores to raise their game. This year was the fourth year the awards were made, and the Danish Merchandiser of the Year went to Grevernes Golfshop, Fredensborg. In Sweden the winners of the Off Course award were Dormy World of Golf in Gothenburg and the On Course award went to Lars Lind Golf in Trelleborg.
“This award means a lot. We’ve worked for 20 years and thought it was time to develop. But we put so much time into this that we sometimes wondered if we were doing the right thing. But now it feels fantastic to have all our hard work recognised,” says Lars Lind.
New for this year’s fair were the mini seminars that was held on the stage. Martin Willners, Editor-in-Chief of Sportfack and Golf Business, explained what drives customers and how to get them into the store. And get the lowdown on the seven most important trends for the years ahead.
Magnus Äng has worked in digital media and e-commerce since 1999 and he talked about successful online practices and methods that can help attract new customers, whether you sell in a physical golf store, via e-commerce or through personal sales.
The Nordic Golf Fair works closely with the Nordic PGA organisation, an important partnership that underpins the standing and perception of the fair among both visitors and retailers. All Nordic PGA organisations are represented at the show with their own joint stand to meet their members.
“The Nordic Golf Fair is the perfect opportunity to meet everyone in the market: colleagues, competitors and suppliers. It would take us ten weeks all over the place to meet all key people we have met at the fair. It’s also worth saying that the fair is great fun and hugely enjoyable. Of course we were there – like every year!” says Mats Hedlund, CEO, Dormy Sweden.
The Nordic Golf Fair 2014 www.thenordicgolffair.com