sectors falling foul of the global recession, the first VTS was held last year, with media and marketing support provided by Golfdom magazine. Ten companies exhibited and the inaugural show prompted excellent attendance from equipment technicians around the world. This year, the IGCEMA opted to partner with the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) to promote the event. CEO Stephen Tucker, who is Equipment Manager at the Ritz-Carlton Members Golf Club in Sarasota, Florida and organiser of the VTS, explains why. “The IGCEMA has created a great relationship with the GCSAA over the last few years, which includes our participation as a partner in its physical trade show, GIS. We felt that their broad reach to members and allied associations would help catapult the virtual trade show. The intention is that the VTS is for everyone, from equipment technicians to superintendents and golf course owners. As the concept is new for the IGCEMA, it is also new to the GCSAA, and figuring out the best way to market it moving forward is going to be the key.” “We had close to 500 people in attendance
for the live event. We still have ninety days of on-demand for these stats to grow, so we won’t know final numbers until that period is over.” I spoke to Carl Osterhaus, Service Education Manager from The Toro Company, to gauge the success of the event from an exhibitor’s perspective: “We thought the VTS went very well. Improvements to the tradeshow system allowed for better, problem-free interaction with the customers than we had last year. We have also been creating a lot of video based product information, and that was very well suited for this type of event.” “As far as the quality of the visitors, I felt that
the interaction and the questions this year were greatly improved over last year. Last year the common question I was asked was ‘What do you think of the tradeshow?’ This year the majority of questions were related to product offerings and introductions, so that was a welcome change.” I asked Carl what he considered to be the main benefits of a virtual event. “One of the advantages is that attendees
attending the event.”
eventually, these types of events will be more common than they are right now. As a company, we haven’t participated in any other virtual events, but we do conduct a fair amount of training through internet-type delivery systems, because we’ve found that the current base of technicians are pretty comfortable with computers and the internet. That’s why we were pretty confident in the VTS concept. Based on this year’s event, I’d say it may still be a couple of years ahead of its time.” “Over the next few months, we will be
evaluating the cost of our participation versus the number of customers it benefits, and if there are ways to benefit or interact with more customers for the same expenditure.”
The virtual experience
So, what of the visitor experience? I spoke with Randy Bushway, from The
Country Club of Boca Raton, Florida, who attended the VTS on all three ‘live’ days. He’s interested in the availability of a virtual event powered by modern technology and says he had a positive experience. “It’s the next best thing to attending in
person,” he summarised. “I attended on all three days and visited different areas. It was obvious that a lot of time and effort had been put in from those involved to make it a worthwhile experience.” “It was my first visit to a virtual event and I
“I think that the concept is a great idea and,
marketing side of this event to let people know about the show and also to create greater appeal, perhaps with more incentives from exhibitors.” “The Virtual Trade Show is a new concept
and, like many new things, it can take a little while to embrace, we just need to get more creative. Our exhibitors see the value of the show and are also aware that it takes time to build on a new concept, but the IGCEMA will ensure they get value for money. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the exhibitors and visitors for their ongoing support of both the show and the association.”
A step forward, or a step too far?
There’s little doubt that there are significant benefits to virtual events, especially during difficult economic times. Removing the burden of travel, accommodation and subsistence costs, together with lost productivity during the time taken to travel to and from an event, must surely make allowing an employee to ‘attend’ a virtual event a more attractive proposition to employers. The greatest cost-reduction is undoubtedly to
wanted to find my way around this year, so I didn’t attend the education seminars. I wasn’t looking to buy anything in particular, but I’m always interested in new equipment that’s available.” I asked Randy how the VTS compares with
attending a show ‘for real’. “I don't think you can compare it to actually
have time, and the opportunity, to really discuss products with company reps and vice-versa. At the traditional shows, there are sometimes so many people in attendance, it can be difficult to talk to the correct person, or spend as much time with that person as possible,” he explains. “This type of a show, at least at these
attendance levels, allows more one on one time if the attendee chooses. Plus the twenty-four hour format, without the expense of travel, opens the show up to individuals who may not be able to attend otherwise.” So, will Toro be exhibiting again next year? “That’s an interesting question,” he mused.
“Last year the expectation for attendance was relatively low, due to this being the first attempt at a show of this type, and the unknown aspect of the whole concept. Expectations this year were a little higher due, in part, to increased awareness and additional vendors.” “However, actual attendance for the show did not increase much, and may have actually decreased from last year, which is concerning. At current attendance levels the ‘cost per customer contact’ is still too high. A bigger concern is whether customers see the value in
attending a show, but it is a great substitute for not being able to go at all. From your own office, you can see what equipment is out there and what it can do, chat with other industry personnel, take in some educational seminars, talk with sales reps and ask detailed questions.” What was missing from the experience for Randy was the hands-on element. “You can’t sit on and touch the equipment, or hear what other superintendents are saying and what questions they are asking. You can’t then have lunch at table with others to discuss if they have experience of using any of the equipment you might be interested in. In short, after attending the golf show in years past, there’s no substitute for attending in person. This is a great alternative though.” Pat Callaby, IGCEMA’s President and
Workshop Manager at the Celtic Manor Resort, said: “This year’s Virtual Trade Show had many improvements compared to the first year as far as the technology was concerned. I think the only disappointment for us was the number of people who registered for the three live days, which was quite low despite an intensive advertising campaign.” “Traffic was better than last year with
exhibitors. Despite the investment in audio visual communications necessary to take part in virtual events, anything that negates the need to transport and set up heavy machinery has to be welcomed by the trade. Add to that the costs saved by a small number of employees manning their virtual booth in comparison to a larger team travelling to a trade show, and the substantial cost of keeping them there, and you can see why companies such as Toro are committed to making the VTS work. One of the key benefits of virtual events is that the software used to run them is a powerful data capture tool. From the moment an individual registers, information can be gathered about their location, purchasing intentions and educational interests. When they visit, software tracks their involvement and access to information and, when the event draws to a close, detailed feedback can be sought on all aspects of the visitor experience. Post-event analysis provides accurate data for the organiser and exhibitors, giving trade companies the all-important ‘cost per contact’ figure that, amongst other factors, helps them determine the success of an event. To visitors, it means less time away from
work and home, and from the feedback from the IGCEMA’s VTS, improved one-to-one interaction and access to specific information for the serious buyer. What it prevents is the spontaneous
attendees staying in the show for an average of 55 minutes each. During peak hours we saw an average of 45-55 people present, but we expected to see more overall.” “We obviously have a lot of work to do on the
meetings which add the enjoyable element of the tradeshow environment. The golf and turf industries are friendly, hospitable and welcoming and, while people can appreciate the business logic for virtual events, they’re understandably apprehensive about relinquishing the chance to catch up with old friends and meet new ones over a drink or two. Perhaps a hybrid of real and virtual is the natural next step? A real exhibition hall coupled with virtual add-ons for those unable or unwilling to attend, but who still want access to the same information. Time will tell.
www.virtualgolfshow.com www.igcema.org
John Deere menu -V
Video, Five Minute Tour and Literature
Jacobsen’s stand with Arnold Palmer video introduction
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148