Where's the beef?

You'll be shocked -- shocked! -- to learn that the folks who run this event have occasionally not been thrilled with my tendency to be, well, candid about their show.

I've taken issue with attendance figures. I've bitched about bad registration setups. Perhaps I've even taken a shot at the association's political intrigues in the past. Hell, somebody has to do it.

So now, as I sit here assessing Day 1 of the actual show, you might be wondering, "What's Pat's beef this year?"

I got nothing.

Seriously, people are happy, the show is going smoothly and traffic and engagement on the floor were strong today. Kudos all around.

Suppliers feel pretty good (not great, but good) about the core club market. I've had a ton of conversations with supers and operations folks who are doing savvy things to fix their courses. It's as if many have finally woken up to the fact that there is still lots of money to be made in this crazy little business if you're smart and decisive.

In short, the flattish market doesn't mean that there isn't still a profitable sweet spot for facilities and manufacturers alike. Overall, I feel better about the direction we're going than I have in a decade.

In other happy news today, we shined a light on the best and brightest in social media at our TweetUp at the Aquatrols booth. We'll write more about all the winners soon, but two were particularly notable.

First, Micah Woods of the Asian Turfgrass Institute who is using social media like a virtuoso to lead the charge for education and research around the Pacific Rim. Just amazing.

The other very special honoree was Jason VanBuskirk of Stowe Acres CC in Massachusetts. Find out why here: http://bidmcgvb.wordpress.com.

What will tomorrow bring? Well, I do know that one of our industry's biggest companies has a very interesting announcement planned for tomorrow morning. Stay tuned for that.

And I'm sure the nice weather and normal ebb of the show will mean emptier aisles and the usual let-down. Maybe there will even be something to beef about! A curmudgeon can only hope.