A Take On The Orlando Golf Industry Show 2011

A general synopsis for me would be "Quality not Quantity" at this years GIShow. I had not been to this show for a few years since it was last in Orlando and I must say I only took in one educational seminar, but it was very good, and the general consensus from all on the educational opportunities available was as impressive as it has ever been.

But for me the chance to network with old and possibly new clients is the "bang for the buck" I took away from the show. These opportunities are everywhere on the trade show floor, and the lunch options on the trade show floor were better than ever, as I recalled hotdogs/burgers being the only options a few years back. Hence, there is no reason to leave the trade show until you have exhausted all networking or information gathering you need to do. Of course, networking in the evenings at all the superintendent chapter hospitality suites are just as important or even more so for our firm.

A highlight for a turfnerd like me was attending my first Tweetup on the trade show floor. This meeting of twitheads was sponsored and organized by Aquatrols and tweeter extraordinaire John Kaminski. It was an opportunity to meet fellow tweeters/followers face to face instead of on the computer/smartphone screen. My guess would be that about 25 people attended the tweetup, but if it becomes an annual event I can see it really taking off. I began tweeting about a year ago, and as a general contractor I found it much tougher to position XGD Systems in the twitter world, as opposed to a golf course superintendent who tweets to his membership audience on a regular basis. But, I am now much more comfortable doing so after learning how to take advantage of this exciting social media opportunity.

Lastly, a common comment on the GIS was that, "you could stand in the middle of the trade show floor and see all four walls"? This is the new normal in our business, and I want to leave you with the fact that although the trade show was smaller, everything else I mentioned above was more first class than ever. That should keep all coming back year after year.

Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer