San Diego, United States: The beautiful California weather didn’t stop attendees at this year’s Golf Industry Show [GIS] from taking advantage of the wealth of education opportunities and expansive trade show offerings.
The 2016 GIS saw a rise in all measures, including total attendance at 12,600 and qualified buyer attendance at 6,000.
During the trade show, attendees were able to view the latest golf facility solutions and interact with more than 550 exhibitors spanning 250,000 net square feet of exhibit space at the San Diego Convention Centre.
“This is my first show in six years, and I am just walking around like a kid in a candy store,” said Austin Anderson, General Manager and Golf Course Superintendent at Grand Elk Golf Club in Colorado and Vice President of the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents Association. “It has changed so much since my last show, and all for the better.”
Joey Panozzo, Vice President of Sales in North America for Garia Inc, a 10-year-old Denmark company which makes luxury golf cars and utility vehicles and is a Full Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation, said: “The Golf Industry Show has a bigger international presence than the PGA Show, and that is beneficial.
“This is a significant investment, but a worthwhile one for us. We will be back, I guarantee you. We are making sales and finding new dealers.”
Carmelo Grenier, District Sales Manager for Billy Goat Industries, a manufacturer of specialty turf equipment, said: “This is the first year for us, and we are very happy.
“We’ve been considering it for a couple of years, but we finally got the go-ahead to exhibit and it’s been well worth it. The additional exposure has been phenomenal. With the new products we’ve introduced, it’s a great fit.”
The GCSAA Education Conference, held in conjunction with the Golf Industry Show, welcomed 5,240 seminar participants, as well as hundreds who attended complimentary forums, sessions and panel discussions throughout the week.
Subject matter included agronomics, business, environmental management, communications, leadership, technology, and personnel management.