Golf Show 2013 preview

    The Golf Show in Harrogate will be staged for the fourth time next month, from October 8-10. The organisers are promising the biggest show yet in terms of square meters of exhibition space, although the number of exhibitors are unlikely to break new ground and reach 60.

    A sub-60 score in golf is normally regarded as a remarkable achievement, but in terms of the number of exhibitors at the Golf Show in Harrogate, 55 is around par for the course. The message from Golf Show HQ is that the UK’s premier golf trade event is about quality, not quantity, as bookings for exhibitors number 51 at the time of going to print, five weeks prior to the three-day event being held at the Harrogate International Centre from October 8-10.

    None the less, Golf Show 2013 organisers are boldly proclaiming that “every major manufacturer in the world” is set to exhibit this year. Certainly most of the world’s leading hardware brands will have their latest ranges gleaming under the Harrogate lights, including TaylorMade, Ping, Titleist, Callaway, Nike, Cobra-Puma, Srixon, Cleveland and Wilson.

    “Plans for the Golf Show 2013 are going extremely well,” said Golf Show event manager John Davis, in talking exclusively to Golf Retailing. “All the major brands are returning to the show, and some with larger stands than they took in 2012. I am confident the show will feature all the exhibitors we had in 2012, perhaps with one or two more.

    “The size of the show in terms of square metres of exhibition space will go up. A hall which was primarily a large catering area last year will now be filled with exhibition space, so the show will spread to fill three halls for the first time, so there will be more for visitors to see.”

    Exhibitor numbers at Harrogate have remained in the 50s throughout the event’s three-year history, partly because rival brands to the official suppliers of event sponsors Foremost and TGI are not allowed in, and partly because the event’s exhibitor fees per square metre are higher than the industry’s other primary trade events, including Golf Europe in Augsberg, Germany (September 29-October 1, 2013) and the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida (January 21-14, 2014).

    “We have not increased the costs of exhibiting for 2013,” adds Davis. “We are aware the Golf Show is more expensive than some other shows, but we hope we offer very good value when you consider the quality of the exhibitors and the overall content of the show, with the programme of seminars we have put together in association with the PGA, and which covers every aspect of the pro’s trade. We believe we are offering pros a very comprehensive package. The quality of the seminars and presentations is very high, and there is no other event in the UK that offers so much to the professional, free of charge.”

    Bringing the Golf Show dates forward last year to avoid the autumn half-term clash boosted attendee numbers to 1,282 – the highest attendee figure to date – and with similar dates in early October this year, and with the event brochure being circulated to PGA professionals ahead of the event for the first time this year, Davis is optimistic that the Golf Show 2013 can at least match the 2012 attendance mark.

    “Also remember that the suppliers put an awful lot of effort into their stands,” says Davis. “They display their entire product range, with regional reps in attendance, and so there is a lot more product for pros to see at the Golf Show, under one roof, than they could ever see by reps visiting them in the shop. The show is a great opportunity for pros to compare products.”

    Online registration for the Golf Show 2013 is at www.golftradeshow.co.uk

     

    The Golf Show by numbers

    Dates                    Exhibitors            Attendees

    2010                       Oct 26-28             58/59*                  1,250

    2011                       Oct 25-27             57                           1,181

    2012                       Oct 9-11               55                           1,282

    * Official information after Golf Show 2010 quoted “just under 60”