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More than 2,700 superintendents attended this month's 2014 Golf Industry Show in Orlando, an improvement upon last year's disappointing turnout in San Diego, reports the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.
According to the GCSAA, the total number of head superintendents — GCSAA Class A, SM and ISM (International) members — was 2,772 in Orlando. This is consistent with where that number has been since 2009, ranging from a low of 2,466 last year in San Diego to a high of 2,850 in Las Vegas in 2012.
While it would appear that the qualified buyer figure surged by more than 2,000 in the two weeks prior to the show (4,762, reported on Jan. 24), a GCSAA official says the association would describe this action as the new normal as it pertains to GIS registration.
The qualified buyer number of 6,845 includes GCSAA, NGCOA and allied association (GCBAA, USGA, IGCEMA, etc.) attendance, as well as distributor numbers. This remains consistent, says GCSAA, with the way it has historically defined qualified buyers. The most recent change to that definition occurred in 2012 when the GCSAA began including distributor representatives whose badges were either bought by or fell under an exhibitor's badge allotment.
The 4,762 figure -- referenced from the exhibitor-only newsletter distributed two weeks prior to GIS 2014 -- was several percentage points ahead of the GCSAA's internal goal pace.
"Frankly, we would have been disappointed had we not reached the number that we ultimately did," said Scott Hollister, GCSAA interim director of communications. "Since 2009 and the depths of the economic downturn, more attendees are registering in the last several weeks before show or even on-site. As a point of comparison to the 2,083 qualified buyers that we added in the final two weeks of registration or on-site this year, we added 2,170 in 2013, 2,122 in 2012 and 2,620 in 2011, all in that same period of time."
Overall, the GCSAA say 2014 numbers are in line with historic norms almost across the board.
According to an official GCSAA statement, total attendance was 14,147, an 8 percent increase over last year. In addition, the two-day trade show, Feb. 5-6, attracted a total of 6,845 qualified buyers (up 14 percent from San Diego), who enjoyed 184,500 square feet of exhibit space and 561 exhibitors - increases of 7 and 9 percent respectively, from 2013.
"The feedback that I received during the week from attendees, exhibitors and allied association colleagues was overwhelmingly positive, so it's gratifying that our final numbers back up those assessments," GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans said. "The changes that we have made to the Golf Industry Show in recent years were done with an eye on maximizing the experience and the investment for everyone involved, so we are pleased that the event continues to be embraced as enthusiastically as it has ever been."
"The enthusiasm for the week's events that I witnessed in Orlando tells me that the Golf Industry Show is largely hitting the mark," added Mike Hughes, the CEO of the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA). "We'll continue to evaluate the event to make sure it meets the needs of the event's constituents, but it's rewarding that the positive responses to the event have been reinforced by the show's final numbers."
The 2015 Golf Industry Show will head to San Antonio, Texas, Feb. 23-26, which will mark the event's first visit to The Alamo City in more than two decades.
