Well, it’s early morning of day two of the big GIS and I’m watching the fishing boats putter around a calm Coronado Bay and the sunshine glinting off the deck of the USS Midway. There are few things cooler than having a friggin’ aircraft carrier floating right outside your window.
The general consensus among attendees yesterday was “pretty decent.” This is not a GIS featuring an all-star lineup of speakers and keynoters (the wonderful Judy Rankin could not attend due to a family illness). But, San Diego is gorgeous, it’s easy to get around and there’s plenty of fun to be had in the historic Gaslamp District, so it’s hard for most folks to complain too much.
Attendance is obviously down, but it’s a mystery what the final registration numbers will be. I’m guessing there are just about 12,000 or so total attendees with maybe 3,500-4,000 superintendents, owners and other “buyers.” The rest of the people here are manufacturers and others like me who make their living around the periphery of the industry. In a nutshell, trade shows are meant to connect sellers and buyers and there are clearly a lot fewer buyers here than in the past. Not good.
Exhibitors had mixed views of yesterday’s opening day of the show. The clever way the show is set up makes the floor space seem “intimate” and creates kind of an optical illusion that there are more people here than perhaps there really are. In short, it still seems crowded because fewer sardines are packed into a smaller tin can.
I came into this event thinking that those superintendents who were coming to San Diego would be “quality” customers who were really here to buy (instead of just seeing friends and picking up goodies from exhibitors). Based on conversations with manufacturers, that’s only partly true. Most sellers said it was about the same as usual in terms of the number of superintendents who were really asking questions and researching purchases. One exception: iron manufacturers universally said that they feel there will be a sales uptick in 2010 as courses who’ve delayed mower replacements and other big ticket purchases are forced to replace equipment that just isn’t doing the job anymore.
For me, there are three kinds of people at conferences: guys I don’t really need to talk to but run into 23 times a day; guys I want to talk to that I see going up on escalators while I’m going down and I never quite connect with; and, finally, guys I desperately need to meet that I never, ever see. Weird.
Another sign of the leaner, meaner GIS: consolidation of hospitality events. Instead of each individual chapter holding their own party, many joined forces with neighboring local associations to host a party. The best example was the “Nor’easter” reception last night featuring chapters from all over New England and the Eastern Seaboard. As always, I stopped into the Carolinas Night event which usually is packed with 200+ Southern boys. Last night, there were about 70 folks there. It was still nice…just different.
The question I get asked most often: “Is this the way the show is going to be from now on?” The answer, I think, is yes. Obviously the Orlando site next year will be better attended but still no where near the historic highs of 25,000+ attendees five or six years ago. The fact is that there are fewer people who think it’s critical to go to the national every year. There are plenty of good regional events and tons of other ways to get education credits without traipsing across the country every February. In the business world of golf, the new paradigm is “justify.” Quite simply, many just can’t justify this trip anymore.
Well, I desperately need a cup of coffee and a smoke, so I’ll sign off for now. If you’re back East digging out from yet another blizzard, I feel your pain. I’ll be thinking about you as I walk by the Midway and a zillion palm trees on the way over to the convention center.