As the parent of a 13-year-old boy, I often serve as chauffeur for him and his buddies. Once, I heard and counted the word “dude” used 427 times on an hour-long trip to go snowboarding. The nearly universal meaning of the word “dude” is followed closely in their lexicon by the word “random” (as in, “That hat is totally random, dude.”) According to “The Incredibly Unhip Parent’s Guide to Teenage Language,” the word “random” seems to mean anything from “unusual” to “cool” to “screwed up.” With that in mind, here’s a short list of randomness I encountered in Atlanta last week at the big Golf Industry Show.
Random attendance: Much to the amazement of all, a whole bunch of people showed up. Preliminary numbers from the GIS staff say the final total is more than 18,000, much heavier than the 14,000 to 15,000 many of us thought would schlep down there. And, the prediction made by David Major, CGCS, on the GCN message board before the show came true: The vast majority of superintendents at the trade show seemed to be there to see and buy, rather than just collect goodies.
Random place: The Syngenta folks hosted their annual soiree at The Georgia Aquarium. Holy smokes! What a tremendous place! I literally bumped into a bunch of people because I was gaping at the enormous tanks, beautiful surroundings and amazing fish. Finally, a reason to want to go back to Atlanta.
Random sign: Security at the aquarium was pretty heavy, and they had the usual warning signs with a list of things you couldn’t take in (guns, lighters, etc.). At the bottom of the list: no fishing poles. Cute.
Random nonsighting: Admittedly, I didn’t get to spend as much time as I would have liked on the show floor, but during the hours I was out there Thursday, Friday and Saturday, I didn’t see a single NGCOA member badge. Not one. I realize it’s only 500 or so folks, but you have to wonder how actively they participate in the trade show.
Random trade show promo: It’s a tie between the awesome custom chopper in the Agrotain booth and the Golden Tee Golf game giveaway in the Deere booth (only because I’m a Golden Tee junkie). Honorable mention goes to FMC’s “Million Dollar Shot,” which was similar to a hole-in-one contest only with a one-time chance to hit a 71-foot basketball shot for a cool $1 million. The guy missed, but it’s great that exhibitors continue to find creative ways to bring excitement to the show and attention to themselves.
Random product: The new, the odd and the bad are too numerous to list. The one item that popped into the minds of several attendees I talked with as the most interesting thing they saw was a windmill-powered pond aerator that allows you to keep ponds aerated without running an electrical line. Slick idea for outlying ponds.
Random thing said to me at a cocktail party: “The best thing about this show is that there are hardly any chicks here.” Yes, I backed away very slowly from the individual who said this.
Random summary: It was a pretty good event, all things considered. Despite bouncing around because of hurricanes and all-star NBA games, the show survived and thrived. It’s a tribute to the efforts of the associations as well as the continued relatively good health of our industry. We should be grateful for both.
Random final bit of bad news: It’s on to Anaheim in 2007!
Encounter any randomness of your own in Atlanta? Click here now to share it on the GCN message board.