Golf Course Group Wins Itself a Show
By Stephanie Corbin -- Tradeshow Week, 10/12/2009
The Golf Industry Show has taken home the prize. Now it just has to wait until 2014 to enjoy it.
The Golf Course Superintendents Assn. of America’s tradeshow was the top bidder in the Professional Convention Management Assn.’s convention center auction, a fundraising effort for PCMA’s education programs. Associations had the opportunity to bid on a package of services that would come with agreeing to host a show in a particular city.
This is the second time PCMA has used the charity auction as a fundraiser. In 2007, the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., provided the first auction prize, won by the American Society for Microbiology.
“PCMA has several destinations and convention centers interested in continuing this promotion serving the meetings industry in 2010,” said Deborah Sexton, PCMA president and CEO.
Officials from the golf course superintendents group said the auction demonstrates the value of belonging to PCMA and is a “win-win-win” for the show, PCMA and the destination.
The Golf Industry Show, ranked No. 77 on the 2009 Tradeshow Week 200, drew 11,343 professional attendees and 965 exhibiting companies to a 300,900 net square foot showfloor last year at the OCCC, where it’s held every year.
“We are very pleased that the Golf Course Superintendents Assn. of America … successfully bid on the … package and will be bringing their tradeshow to the Orange County Convention Center in 2014,” said Jessie Allen, general manager of the OCCC. “This event is expected to infuse $38 million to $40 million of economic impact into the Orlando area during their visit. We look forward to continuing a great relationship.”
The prize package in Orlando includes:
- up to 500,000 square feet of exhibit space and a proportionate amount of meeting space for up to 10 days
- a 20-percent discount on room rates at five nearby hotels
- special programs at Walt Disney World, SeaWorld Orlando and Universal Orlando Resort valued at $30,000
- 20-percent discounts from Orange County Convention Center’s onsite service partners
- a 50-percent discount on black and white copies from FedEx Kinko’s Business Center, and
- a 30-percent discount from Smart City Networks and LMG Audio Visual Services.
