Just how long had it been since the GCSAA Conference and Show had visited Phoenix?
Before this year's show, the last time the event was held in the Valley of the Sun, Ronald Reagan was president, construction on Disneyland Paris was just getting under way and The Simpsons made its TV debut.
After this year's show, held Jan. 29-Feb. 1 at the Phoenix Convention Center, it might not be such a long time between visits.
The show attracted 11,000 attendees (about 1,000 fewer than last year's show in Orlando), and a sold out book of 6,600 education seminar spots was the most since the 2008 Orlando show. That schedule also included classes specifically tailored for assistant superintendents, equipment managers and university turf students in classroom and field settings at more than a half-dozen Phoenix-area golf courses.
A total of 470 vendors covered 352,000 square feet of exhibit hall space, a number that also includes all common areas, including networking areas, meeting and networking lounges, the GCSAA store as well as any demonstration space.
While the numbers are positive for the GCSAA moving forward, there is little doubt trade shows have lost some of their steam since the pandemic era. Attendance in the 11,000-12,000 range has been the norm for several years, and down from an average of 13,000-14,000 a decade ago.
The 2008 Orlando show set records with 25,737 attendees and nearly 1,000 vendors. That show was held with the Club Managers Association of American and the National Golf Course Owners Association. The following year's show in New Orleans, a GCSAA solo affair, still boasted 665 exhibitors.
Some of that attrition can likely be attributed to metrics in the golf market. Since 2001, more than 3,000 golf courses have closed. When figuring new construction into the equation, there has been a net loss of 1,436 courses during that time.
Next year's show is scheduled for Feb. 3-6 in San Diego.