Fuente: © PGA of America
http://www.pga.com/

PGA OF AMERICA: Re-Energized PGA Fall Expo fosters a greater sense of community

More than 4,100 PGA Professionals, key retailers and business leaders met with 350 golf-related manufacturers for three days.

/noticias.info/ NORWALK, Conn. -- More than 4,100 PGA Professionals, key retailers and business leaders met with 350 golf-related manufacturers for three jam-packed days of networking, equipment testing, education programs and product discovery at the re-energized 2006 PGA Fall Expo in Las Vegas, Sept. 12-14.

Aisles and booths were packed with high-quality attendees. New programs and events were filled to capacity. And Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Convention Center and Bali Hai Golf Club became a welcome new setting, offering an ideal business and networking environment for the industry's annual fall marketplace.

"The tremendous success of this year's PGA Fall Expo is a direct result of the input, guidance and expertise of The PGA of America, PGA members and industry leaders," said PGA Golf Exhibitions Vice President and Show Manager Ed Several. "The move to Mandalay Bay Resort has been instrumental in creating a new sense of community and a real buzz on the Expo floor. There is a genuine excitement among exhibitors and show attendees."

Highlights from the 2006 PGA Fall Expo:

--Exhibitors increased by 5 percent to 350 participating companies, including top equipment manufacturers, such as Bridgestone Golf, Callaway Golf, MacGregor Golf, Nike Golf, Tour Edge, Wilson Golf and Yonex. The apparel category includes industry leaders Antigua, Cutter & Buck, Fila, J. Lindeberg, Jack Nicklaus Sportswear, LIJA and Lilly Pulitzer. Datrek-Miller, Easy Picker, E-Z-Go Textron, Full Swing Golf and Wittek are among leading exhibitors in the product and services category. 50,000 net square feet of interactive exhibit space at the new host facility of Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Convention Center.

--One of every three Expo attendees was a PGA Professional.

--Top PGA facilities represented: Ritz-Carlton, Mission Hills Country Club, Riviera Country Club, Pebble Beach Resort, Pinehurst Resort, Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, Shadow Creek, Torrey Pines Golf Club, Waialae Country Club. They were joined by American Golf Corporation, Golfsmith, Nevada Bob's, Golf USA, Golf Warehouse and Sports Authority.

--More than 4,100 total industry professionals on site for the 2006 PGA Fall Expo.

--Inaugural PGA Fall Expo Golf Outing and Product Testing Day attracted two full fields of industry Professional players and sold-out manufacturer participation.

--Capacity attendance in new streamlined education conference that boasted renowned industry experts discussing current topics and was offered at an affordable cost.

--New PGA Fall Expo Trend Seminar was presented to a full audience and provided insight on apparel and equipment trends, as well as how to profit from those trends.

--New Teach-the-Teacher Clinic by renowned golf instructor Butch Harmon attracted a capacity crowd.

--New Industry Reception at the House of Blues on Sept. 13, attracted some 1,200 attendees and a full house.

--New Apparel Retailer Roundtable for an exchange of apparel-trend ideas related to technology/fabrications, color palates and merchandising programs debuted.

--Key retailers voted on the Top-3 new offerings at the New Product Center: The Golf Kart Kaddy (cart-bag system), Cruzin Coolers (motorized cooler cart) and Schwetty Balls (promotional golf balls).

Exhibitors and attendees alike shared an enthusiasm for the Expo:

"There seems to be a lot more electricity this year," Wilson Golf General Manager Tim Clarke shared. "PGA Golf Exhibitions has done a nice job of taking this show to a new level. Traffic is much better this year and our decision to host a contest at the outing was a good one. The PGA Professionals who put our clubs in their hands at Bali Hai came back to our booth to hit them indoors."

"What PGA Golf Exhibitions has done, including moving here to Mandalay Bay, has provided much better quality of traffic," said Roger McMullin, a western regional representative for Nike Golf. "Our booth at the ETC [Equipment Testing Center] has been busy from start-to-finish every day, and we are seeing a lot more PGA Professionals than previous years."

"The Butch Harmon teach-the-teacher clinic was fabulous, and you learn something new at every education seminar you attend at the PGA Fall Expo," noted Cindy Kelliher, PGA teaching professional at Miramar Memorial Golf Club in San Diego. "I've found a lot of teaching tools that I'm interested in, and we caught up with what's new with the JC Video Systems at our facility, so it was a very productive show for us."

John Thompson, of Callaway Golf said: "It has been very beneficial for us to be here, because we are introducing new clubs, and it is the perfect opportunity for PGA Professionals in the west to test our new equipment. Also, traffic is better this year than last year, and we were so busy the first day that we couldn't even take a break for lunch."

PGA Fall Expo Returns to Mandalay Bay in 2007
The PGA Fall Expo returns to Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Convention Center next Sept. 11-12, 2007, and the Expo Golf Outing & Product Testing Day also returns to Bali Hai Golf Club on Sept. 10, 2007. For more information on the 2007 PGA Fall Expo, visit www.pgaexpo.com.

Industry Prepares for 2007 PGA Merchandise Show and Convention

The 54th PGA Merchandise Show and Convention will welcome more than 43,000 industry professionals, Jan. 24-27, 2007, in Orlando, Fla. In addition to providing an unmatched marketplace for the discovery and testing of the latest golf products, a full schedule of Show events and programs, including the new PGA Equipment Forum, will help PGA Professionals and golf retailers sell-in and sell-through merchandise, enhance careers, grow participation and drive the business of the game.

Golf's top manufacturers -- including Callaway Golf, TaylorMade Golf, Cutter & Buck, adidas Golf, Fairway & Greene, Fidra, Como, House of Carrington and Tehama -- will take part in the interactive exhibits staged by more than 1,200 golf-related manufacturers encompassing more than 500,000 net square feet of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. In 2007, the exhibits are open three days -- Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 25-27 -- with each exhibit day extended by one-hour, 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST.

2007 PGA Show & Convention Week of Events:
--Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 20-21, 2007 - Golfweek's Golfest Consumer Demo Weekend
--Monday-Tuesday, Jan. 22-23, 2007 - Private Manufacturer Events
--Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2007 - Golf Demo Day
--Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 25-27, 2007 - Exhibits, Education Conference and Special Events
--Sunday, Jan. 28-2007 - Conferences and Tournaments

To register, reserve housing or for more information on PGA Golf Exhibitions events, visit www.pgashow.com or call (800) PGA-EXPO.

The PGA Fall Expo, organized in partnership with The PGA of America, is one of four leading golf trade shows in PGA Worldwide Golf Exhibitions' global golf portfolio including the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando; the Ontario PGA Golf Merchandise Show in Toronto; and the PGA Merchandise Show of Australia in Queensland. notas_de_prensa_archivo