Is The Orlando Show Still Relevant?

You would think that after all these years, I would sign up for my credentials for next week’s PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando months before it takes place, but procrastinator that I am, I again left it until the last minute.

It’s not like it hasn’t been in front of me on a regular basis with regular communications about the show, ranging in topics from a concert being held there featuring the legendary band Kansas to the outdoor demo day before the show begins to all of the various exhibitors who are going to be on hand next week.

The show has been an annual rite for years and attending it has produced countless fond memories, both on the show floor and at golf tournaments and other events outside of the Orange County Convention Center.

The show used to be a grand extravaganza of lavish product introductions. A certain amount of that still goes on, but not to the same degree as say 10 years ago, when it seemed as if it was a constant parade of events for media trying to keep up with it all.

These days, products are introduced at various times of the year, but the toning down of those introductions is not the only change at a show that once saw exhibitors spilling outside the main show floor and into the concourse – not so much these days.

Companies have come and gone over the years. Back in the mid-to-late ‘90s, golf was at a peak in popularity and it seemed like everybody wanted to get in. Companies would come in and make a big noise at the show, but in many cases, you never heard from them again.

After that weeding-out process, golf was left to the people who were in it for the long haul, but many of the best-known names in the game began pulling out of the Orlando show, saying they planned to use other, more direct means to build their relationships with their customers.

Some of those companies have returned, but they and many others have scaled down their presence in Orlando, which is now little more than a pit stop for the Canadian reps who do attend. They might have been there for a week before, but now get there the day on Wednesday and are out of there Friday night.

Those are some of the more obvious changes that have taken place over the years and while some have commented that the show has lost its way over the years, somebody like GNN blogger Kevin Thistle disagrees and says it’s still relevant. Check out his recent blog here.

I agree with Kevin. I still get a lot done in Orlando even though it’s changed a lot, but what I do is a lot different than golf course personnel and equipment / apparel companies.

What do you think? Has the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando lost its relevance to the golf industry?

Be sure to drop over to the GNN Poll, which asks that very question on the home page.  As always, we’d welcome your comments inside the GNN Forum.

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Golf Goes Prime Time

For those fans of the hit TV show CSI you may want to tune in on Thursday night (January 21) as, as per this post on GolfScene,  several well-known names in golf will be featured in the episode.

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