Top Marks for Munich Show

More trade visitors, a higher percentage of visitors to Germany, more sales transactions, excellent atmosphere ... what more could Golf Europe '99 have wanted, asks Paul Trow

Europe's annual golf trade show at the M,O,C, in Munich earlier this month has once again been voted a triumph for the industry, both by exhibitors and trade visitors.

The organisers of Golf Europe '99 have produced a bewildering array of record-breaking statistics to prove that the show was a success. But perhaps the most important of these were the numbers of exhibitors (290 - 14 more than last year - filling some 17,000 square metres of hall-space) and trade visitors (more than 3,800 from 44 countries - an eight per cent increase on 1998 figures of 3,536 from 38).

The percentage of visitors to this 7th International Trade Fair for Golf from outside Germany rose from 39 to 41 per cent. The largest contingents came from Austria, Switzerland and Italy, followed by Great Britain (whose turnout doubled to around 160), the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, France, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Slovenia, Belgium and Finland. Buyers also came to the fair from the United States (20), Taiwan (15) and Malaysia (seven).

Of the 290 exhibitors from 20 countries, 143 were from Germany with Great Britain (46) comfortably the next best represented.

According to an Infratest survey, exhibitors rated their involvement in the show even higher than last year. Top marks from "excellent" to "good" came from 86 per cent and, as in 1998, 99 per cent said they were satisfied with the outcome of the fair.

Exhibitors rated the quality of visitors to their stands equally highly: 84 per cent of those polled gave top marks. Those believing that Golf Europe is indisputably the European golf trade's key event climbed four points to 87 per cent.

Individual market leaders in both the golf equipment and fashion industries spoke of a 20 per cent increase in the volume of orders and direct sales during the three-day event compared with the previous year.

A number of lectures and seminars were staged during the show, and the speakers included former R&A rules secretary John Glover, equipment specialist Alastair Cochran, sports psychologist John Mathers, business expert Bill Sanderson, and club fitters Neil Cooke and Jay Daniels.

Three-quarters of the visitors either pro-shop operators or from the specialised golf retail trade, prompting some 87 per cent of exhibitors said they intended to take part in next year's show, also at the M,O,C, from September 24-26.