The beautiful California weather didn’t stop attendees of this year’s event from taking advantage of the wealth of education opportunities and expansive trade show offerings.
The 2016 Golf Industry Show 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 over 550 exhibitors spanning 250,000 net square feet of exhibit space at the San Diego Convention Center.
“This is my first show in six years, and I am just walking around like a kid in a candy store,” said Austin Anderson, 34, general manager and golf course superintendent at Grand Elk Golf Club in Grandby, Colo., 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.”
“The Golf Industry Show has a bigger international presence than the PGA Show, and that is beneficial,” said Joey Panozzo, vice president of sales in North America for Garia Inc., a 10-year-old Denmark company and maker of luxury golf cars and utility vehicles. “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.”
“This is the first year for us, and we are very happy,” said Carmelo Grenier, district sales manager for Billy Goat Industries, a manufacturer of specialty turf equipment. “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.
The 2017 Golf Industry Show will head to Orlando, Fla., Feb. 4-9.
At the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America annual meeting, held in conjunction with the Golf Industry Show, Peter J. Grass, golf course superintendent at Hilands Golf Club in Billings, Mont., was elected to a one-year term as president of GCSAA
Golf Industry Show www.golfindustryshow.com
GCSAA www.gcsaa.org