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 From the News Desk...IGCEMA pegs March for virtual trade showby John ReitmanThe trade association for golf course equipment technicians believes it has a solution for superintendents and equipment managers who are unable to attend the Golf Industry Show, or those who do attend the trade show in San Diego, but perhaps seek more information. Plans are under way for the International Golf Course Equipment Managers Association to stage a live, three-day virtual trade show March 18-20 through its Web site, www.igcema.org . If all goes according to plan, the virtual trade show will feature a three-dimensional show floor and booths. Each booth will feature information about a participating vendor’s products. Information will be available in a variety of downloadable formats, including PDF, text and video. Attendance by superintendents, equipment managers and others will be free, but registration through IGEMA will be required. Attendees also will be able to enter a live chat with a representative from each vendor and ask questions about specific products and their features. “The biggest thing for us wasn’t to make tons of money off this. Our goal is to get people to this trade show who can’t get to the Golf Industry Show.”And because the trade show is live and will be open to attendees around the world, each participating vendor will be required to have a representative available for live chat 24 hours per day for all three days of the show. Registration could open as early as Friday. IGCEMA was founded in 2007 on the premise of expanding educational opportunities and enhancing the professional image of golf course equipment managers and technicians. To that end, the group works with vendors to provide a handful of all-expense-paid trips each year to the Golf Industry Show. Today, the group has about 1,000 members, with about 20 percent of its members from other countries. “The biggest thing for us wasn’t to make tons of money off this,” said Stephen Tucker, IGCEMA founder and equipment manager at The Ritz-Carlton Members Course in Bradenton, Fla. “Our goal is to get people to this trade show who can’t get to the Golf Industry Show.” Tucker came up with the idea for the virtual trade show more than a year ago. Although no vendors have yet signed contracts to take part in the trade show, IGCEMA has spoken at length with potential exhibitors to learn whether the group was on the right path with the idea of a virtual trade show. “There are enough (in-person) shows as it is,” he said. “We couldn’t justify another trade show.” He has received enough positive feedback from potential vendors to bring the idea to reality. “This opportunity for members of the IGCEMA to collaborate with each other and manufacturers makes sense in today’s ever-changing, information-focused world,” said Gregg Breningmeyer, group director of sales and marketing for John Deere Golf. “Stephen and his association team are certainly following through on their mission by connecting equipment managers to the larger industry. With this demonstration of fiscal responsibility and big thinking, I’m pleased to be committed to supporting the IGCEMA and its activities. I look forward to seeing the results of the virtual trade show and how it may affect how business is done in our industry moving forward.” Support from vendors who appreciate the nominal exhibiting fees ($3,000-$15,000 depending on “booth size”) has increased since a worsening economy has sent employers, employees, banks and consumers into a panic, Tucker said. “We didn’t actively search for vendors until the Web site was built,” Tucker said. “With the economy the way it is, we have kept everyone in the loop on how this will work. We have received a lot of positive feedback from manufacturers, and there has been more interest because of the economy and the cost of exhibiting at trade shows.” All content from the tradeshow, except the live chat room, will be available to visitors in archived format beginning March 19. IGCEMA and Design Reactor, which built the virtual trade show platform, have worked to make the trade show experience as close to the real thing as possible, Tucker said. Visitors can even receive a virtual tote to “carry” the information they download from each booth they visit. The site also will track visitors to each booth and provide vendors with their contact information, just like scanning a badge at GIS. “We’ve never done a trade show like this before, so this was a lot of work,” Tucker said. “The biggest thing was figuring out the metrics, vendor expectations and what we as an association are trying to get out of it. “We want people to get the same experience as they would attending the Golf Industry Show. It’s not going to be that much different. The biggest difference will be you’re not standing face-to-face with people and you won’t have the crowds.” 
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