Show Times They Are A Changin
To that end, the PGA and PGA Golf Exhibitions will launch the PGA Equipment Forum in Orlando – described as an interactive platform to help PGA professionals “drive profitable retail sell-through at PGA member facilities through manufacturer presentations on equipment technology, club-fitting services and company incentives to grow equipment sales.’’
The Equipment Forum apparently has enticed TaylorMade-adidas Golf to return to Orlando after a three-year hiatus on its hard goods side. TaylorMade spokesman John Steinbach told Spike on Golf the company won’t have a booth “as such’’ on the exhibition floor, but will have “space on the floor adjacent to the demo or hitting area.’’
Regardless of how TMaG will be at the show, its mere presence is a bit of feel-good news for the show, which has lost equipment giants Titleist, Cobra and Ping the past few years.
In addition – or perhaps subtraction – the ’07 show will be a three-day event instead of its traditional four-day affair, meaning there will be no Sunday exhibition hours. The ’07 show will be Jan. 25-27 with the exhibit hall open one additional hour each day - 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. The new exhibit hall schedule reduces the total number of exhibition hours by only three hours.