| EDITOR'S NOTE: Justin Apel, Golf Course Builders Association of America executive director, is in Guangzhou, China attending that country's big golf show. He graciously agreed to provide some dispatches thos share his experiences... (from his iPad) It should not surprise me in the least that I would not have any time to keep updated on this trip. I'm not sure what I was thinking. Quick notes to the Executive Board, notes to the family not to set Tivo just yet to record "Locked up Abroad" so they can see me are about all I can get out in the few minutes I brave to turn on data access on my phone or happen to catch a free WiFi signal in a hotel lobby... First, the flight over was easy. Tips from our international travel members on packing snacks, drinking plenty of water and sleep patterns made the nearly 16-hour flight go by very quickly. Catching up on all the new releases took priority over work. I watched at least four movies and wore my iPod battery to the orange line. We had sunlight for nearly 24 hours and it wasn't until two hours outside of Hong Kong did the sun finally set. At one point the entire plane was set dark, all shades drawn and lights cut to make it completely dark. I made a point to walk around every hour or so and did take a few short naps. By the time we landed in Hong Kong at around 10 p.m. their time, it did feel like bedtime even though there is nearly a 13-hour difference. I'm not sure what I was expecting and can honestly say I'm not amazed or disappointed in Hong Kong.. Those that say it is just an Asian New York are correct. At the airport and customs I was impressed how clean and organized the process was. I was told Hong Kong was very Westenized and the majority would speak English to some extent. That is very true, most all signage is in English and it was a very easy process to get through customs. The transportation system is also very easy to use. We took a train from the airport to the area of Hong Kong where we were staying and a short cab ride to our hotel in downtown. The cab drivers understand enough English to move you around. Hotel checkin was the same way. The only difference I noticed in our hotel rooms is they are much more efficient. You put your hotel key into a slot when you enter the room that powers on the room. that way lights, ac, etc are not left on while you are away. The beds are much smaller and a lot firmer, which was also interesting. By the first night I was ready to crash. I had a great night sleep and we departed for the train station to move to Guangzhou. our train ride was around two hours and we were able to see the countryside between Hong Kong and Guangzhou. You can definitely see poverty areas and pollution outside of the cities. We passed several nurseries where you can see the hand labor involved, people carrying buckets of water on their shoulders hand watering acres of ground... Guangzhou was my first experience of what I had in my head of China. The train station was very crowded and not nearly as labeled in English as Hong Kong, however, it is easy enough to find your directions. A driver picked us up and moved us to our headquarter hotel. To keep it simple, chinese drivers are terrible... at the hotel it reminded me of our shows in the US, hardly out of the car entering the hotel and we are running into familiar faces. I laughed how we had to travel half way around the world to see members who are one state over. Once we checked in we dodged our way across the street to the convention center -- no crosswalks and drivers are 'supposed to yield. The show floor looked like a disaster, but very typical I'm told for China. Booths were being painted, taped, glued and gummed together. It made you wonder how it could be pulled together in time for the show the next morning, but like all trade shows, the teams pulls it off. Our booth was pre-printed ahead of the show and taped to the walls. It is a very simple process, inexpensive, and allowed us to make changes to our design. In typical builder fashion we hosted an opening reception at the hotel. What was at first planned for a dozen or so quickly grew into an expected 50 count reception. The hotel ended up moving our event at the last minute, good thing because the group grew past 60. The reception was a tremendous success. The first day of the show began with the show partners assembling together. A group ribbon cutting with a ceremonial dragon dance and parade through the exhibit area. The booths were all set, show floor cleaned, and amazing excitement amongst the exhibitors and guests during the opening ceremony. with the show off and running I along with Martin Moore with Flagstick Golf, Rhett Evans with GCSAA, and Arthur Yeo participated in a panel discussion on "Launch Right, insider tips to taking your facility from a construction site to an open facility that runs as planned from day one." After returning our booth was standing room only, filled with spectators from the panel discussion, local members that attended the show, and local companies interested in joining. The entire day was busy with show booth visits, interviews, and visiting our members and other booths from other area of the golf industry that are not construction. The buzz on the floor is the organization Reed Exhibition has brought to the show. Guests of the show say how well organized registration has been compared to past years. I have worked on this update since I woke up this morning and finally throughout the day have hopefully covered information to keep those that are interested in my travels updated. What is very impressive is most tradeshow floors become ghost towns as the day draws to a close, however the people of this show will literally need to be thrown out, they are staying to the very end on the first day. Tonight is the demonstration night of the equipment suppliers to be held at a local golf course facility followed by a partner reception. More to come... We traveled almost 40 minutes by bus through the city to a practice facility in the middle of town. The entrance was very impressive, rivaling any facility entrance of any golf course that I can think of in the US. This facility was simply a driving range, yet could host a royal wedding. It was very impressive. this morning before Day Two of the show begins, I'm looking out the 18th floor of our hotel window and just like Hong Kong and the other cities we traveled through to get to Guangzhou, you cannot keep track of the number of sky cranes on the horizon. No exaggeration, there are liteally hundreds of buildings under construction. Buildings block the view of all, but looking across a small window, I can count 30 alone. This area definitely is funded for major commercial projects. |
