PGAMERCHANDISESHOW
The Show goes on
Innovative as ever, golf’s annual pilgrimage to Orlando was once again a fascinating experience. Paul Trow reports
S
tateside news throughout the three-day PGA Merchandise Show at the Orange County Convention Center in January
was dominated by Hilary Clinton (will she, won’t she?), Justin Bieber (why does he?) and Peyton Manning (will he, won’t he?). The first two questions will hang in the air for the foreseeable future, but the answer to the third, post-Super Bowl XLVIII, was an emphatic ‘No!’ Verdicts on the show itself were, as ever, an
emphatic ‘Yes!’ Naturally, PGA of America president Ted Bishop was cheerleader of that particular chorus. “In terms of business, I think the industry is in a good place right now, the best place we’ve been in for several years,” he said. “The 2014 PGA Show has given us a sense of optimism and enthusiasm as we move ahead.”
“Not only did he entice all but one of the really big names to Florida – Cleveland Golf/Srixon were the only notable absentee – but he assembled an impressive cast of celebrities to keep the wheels in motion.”
4 SGBGOLF Time will tell whether Ted’s enthusiasm and
optimism are correctly placed, but as a veteran of a dozen shows, stretching back to the time when it straddled four days, Thursday to Sunday, I felt the number of attendees and exhibitors had dropped somewhat. When I returned to Blighty, I was informed the show had brought together 41,000 PGA professionals, retailers and buyers from 81 countries and more than 1,000 companies exhibiting their wares in nearly ten miles of aisles and around 47 equipment-testing bays. Fortunately, still saved on my database is my
report from the 2007 show, in which I wrote: “The total attendance from over 70 countries increased by more than three per cent to 45,019 - compared to 43,549 in 2006. The sprawling, 500,000 square feet of floor space was occupied by some 1,200 exhibitors, a third of which had never been before.” To be fair, the Arctic weather gripping the northern states, necessitating the cancellation of hundreds of flights across the country, must have depressed the visitor numbers, but that doesn’t explain the reduced number of exhibitors. Rather, that particular trend could be attributable to the prices now being charged by Reed Exhibitions. At one point, I fell into conversation with a
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