About the Golf Industry Show

2009 Golf Industry Show - New Orleans, La.
Feb. 5-7
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

The Golf Industry Show is an innovative trade show designed for the owners/operators of golf facilities, and the professional members of the golf course and club management industries. Featuring the largest exhibit floor in the industry, the event combines education, networking and solutions for golf course superintendents, owners/operators, general managers, chief operating officers, architects and builders.

The Golf Industry Show is presented by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) and the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA), along with supporting organizations, the Golf Course Builders Association of America (GCBAA), the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) and the National Golf Foundation (NGF). The 2009 event will take place Feb. 5 - 7 in New Orleans, La.

About the show floor

More than 25,000 golf industry professionals are expected to attend this year's show, which will feature approximately 1,000 exhibitors over more than 280,000 net square feet of exhibit space. In addition, a number of special features have been designed to enhance the show experience for attendees. Showcased on the floor will be three networking parks, a construction project, a Range and people movers – all designed to enhance the show floor experience.

Education conferences

Along with the show, GCSAA, NGCOA and CMAA will be presenting their annual education conferences -- GCSAA's Education Conference will take place Feb. 2 - 7, NGCOA's Annual Conference will be held Feb. 3 - 7 and CMAA's World Conference on Club Management will be held Feb. 5 - 10.

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Show objective

The objective of the Golf Industry Show is to provide the golf and club management industries with a dynamic, progressive trade show event that provides unparalleled networking opportunities and hands-on access to golf course and facility management solutions for the professional members that GCSAA, NGCOA, CMAA, GCBAA, ASGCA and NGF serve.

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A brief history

The Golf Industry Show is a combination of three trade shows, the GCSAA International Show, the NGCOA Trade Show and the CMAA Exposition. GCSAA and NGCOA merged their trade shows into the annual Golf Industry Show, beginning in 2005 in Orlando. That inaugural event was ranked the 82nd largest trade show in North America that year by Tradeshow Week 200.

Hurricane Katrina forced the 2006 Golf Industry Show to move from New Orleans to Houston the September before and then because of a scheduling conflict the organizers moved it again to Atlanta less than four months out. Attendance for the event was 18,900, down from the 22,723 that were in Orlando in 2005, but up from the 18,146 that were in Atlanta in 2003 for the show’s predecessor, the GCSAA International Golf Course Conference and Show.

CMAA joined the Golf Industry Show in 2007, helping set an attendance record during the event at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. A three-year best number of 9,697 qualified buyers (those who are part of the purchase process) in attendance were greeted by a record 981 exhibitors covering a record 291,250 square feet of exhibit space. The total attendance of 23,109 was an all-time high and surpassed the 2006 figure in Atlanta by more than 4,000. Officials were pleased with the final statistics and reviews, given that the West Coast traditionally attracts fewer attendees and exhibitors.

In 2008, The Orlando show set records in a variety of categories. Overall attendance fell just shy of 26,000 at 25,737 to surpass the previous high established in Anaheim. In terms of qualified buyers 10,553 walked the floor, eclipsing the mark set in Anaheim. The trade show itself was the largest ever with 965 companies represented with exhibits covering 300,900 square feet.

Beginning at the 1928 annual meeting, GCSAA, known then as the National Association of Greenkeepers of America, added to its agenda an educational program and a trade show with 27 exhibitors showing the latest innovations in maintenance equipment of the day. In 1943 the trade show was suspended because of World War II. In 1961, the annual gathering drew 1,700 participants, and was renamed the “International Turfgrass Conference and Show.” In 1984, the event was renamed the “International Golf Course Conference and Show.” Since the mid 1990s, the Conference and Show has attracted an average of 20,000 attendees, 700-plus exhibitors, 260,000 square feet of exhibition space and 6,000 education seminar registrants.

The NGCOA prepares for its 27th Annual Conference this February and has held an annual trade show with its conference every year since 1994.

CMAA's Annual Exposition began 31 years ago as a means for CMAA to introduce its members to industry vendors. Held in conjunction with the World Conference on Club Management at a different location each year, the CMAA Exposition provided a venue for purveyors of club-specific products and services to display their wares and meet face-to-face with the decision-makers at clubs. As the largest club-specific trade show, CMAA's Exposition has a history of selling out, and its exhibitors consistently report meeting and exceeding their sales goals.

The first exposition was held in conjunction with CMAA’s 52nd Annual Conference in 1978 in Los Angeles. With 60 companies exhibiting their products and services, the inaugural exposition was a success and industry professionals have continued to benefit ever since. In 1986, the trade show had grown enough to warrant moving into a convention center, which has been the case since then. Since 1998, CMAA’s Exposition has hosted more than 500 booths annually and the show has increased every year. Vendors and purveyors contribute significantly to the overall success of this unique segment of the golf and hospitality industries, and the CMAA Exposition has always positively impacted their bottom lines.

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