Orlando (February 15, 2014): If the buzz surrounding last week’s Golf Industry Show is any indication, then the golf industry’s journey along the road to recovery continues at a steady and sustainable pace.
Final statistics from this year’s gathering of golf course superintendents, owners and operators, architects and builders were on the rise across the board versus the 2013 event in San Diego.
Total attendance was 14,147, an eight per cent increase over last year. In addition, the two-day trade show attracted a total of 6,845 qualified buyers (up 14 per cent from San Diego), who enjoyed 184,500 square feet of exhibit space and 561 exhibitors – increases of seven and nine per cent respectively, from 2013.
Rhett Evans (pictured left), Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) CEO, said: “The feedback that I received during the week from attendees, exhibitors and allied association colleagues was overwhelmingly positive, so it’s gratifying that our final numbers back up those assessments.
“The changes that we have made to the Golf Industry Show in recent years were done with an eye on maximising the experience and the investment for everyone involved, so we are pleased that the event continues to be embraced as enthusiastically as it has ever been.”
Mike Hughes, CEO of the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), added: “The enthusiasm for the week’s events that I witnessed in Orlando tells me that the Golf Industry Show is largely hitting the mark. We’ll continue to evaluate the event to make sure it meets the needs of the event’s constituents, but it’s rewarding that the positive responses to the event have been reinforced by the show’s final numbers.”
The 2015 Golf Industry Show will head to San Antonio, Texas from February 23-26, which will mark the event’s first visit to The Alamo City in more than two decades.