PGA Merchandise Show: PGA Centennial, special events, celebrity guests and top golf brands attract 40,000+ industry professionals

 

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – The 63rd PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Jan. 26-29, 2016, is marking the kickoff to the PGA of America’s Centennial Celebration and welcoming more than 40,000 golf industry professionals from around the world to discover the newest trends and technology from more than 1,000 exhibiting golf companies and brands.  The industry’s annual “MAJOR of Golf Business” features a packed four-day schedule  beginning with the PGA Show Outdoor Demo Day, Jan. 26, at Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge, and continuing at the Orange County Convention Center for PGA Show exhibits, industry presentations, education seminars and special events, Jan. 27-29.  (These events are not open to the public.)

 

The global golf gathering begins on Tuesday, Jan. 26, with a special PGA of America Centennial Tee Shot to open the PGA Show Outdoor Demo Day. Covered by Golf Channel on “Morning Drive,” the 9:30 a.m. ceremony features PGA of America officers and representatives from the PGA’s 41 Sections, along with 41 PGA Junior League Golf participants from Greater Orlando.  Thousands of PGA Professionals and invited golf retailers will preview and personally test the newest equipment, training aids and accessories from more than 100 top golf companies at the 42-acre practice facility to create the world’s largest professional golf demo event.

 

PGA Hall of Famer Lee Trevino will be joined by his longtime mentor, instructor and friend, PGA Master Professional Bill Eschenbrenner, as they spotlight the century-long impact of PGA Professionals and help open the PGA Merchandise Show, the world’s largest gathering of PGA Professionals, live on Golf Channel’s “Morning Drive” at 8:30 a.m., on Wednesday, Jan. 27, from the Orange County Convention Center.  Trevino is among a long list of celebrities, renowned golf instructors and specials guests who will participate in the 2016 PGA Merchandise Show.

 

Following the opening ceremony, the PGA Show floor exhibit doors will open to more than 1,000 top golf manufacturers and brands, from today’s golf market leaders to emerging companies, create the world’s largest business-to-business golf event. The very best names in golf, along with more than 250 companies new to the PGA Show, are introducing thousands of new products to drive golf retail in 2016.  

 

In addition to the busy marketplace among nearly 10 miles of exhibit aisles, PGA Show days are full of professional learning opportunities during industry presentations. The PGA Forum Stage, presented by OMEGA, will offer a compelling schedule of focused programming on emerging technology on Wednesday, Jan. 27; PGA employment initiatives on Thursday, Jan. 28; and instruction best practices on Friday, Jan. 29.  

 

Additionally, top instructors and special guests, such as Lee Trevino, Annika Sorenstam, Bubba Watson, Hal Sutton and Lou Holtz, will provide engaging programs to enlighten and entertain attending PGA Professionals and industry leaders.  Also, the comprehensive PGA Education Conference, PGA Youth & Family Golf Summit, Outdoor Instructional Workshops, the FIT to W.I.N. stage, sponsored by TPI, and the new Textile Sourcing Pavilion will offer many educational programs on a diverse spectrum of golf, retailing, fitness and business topics.

 

Attendees will experience a dynamic PGA Show floor featuring PGA Centennial programs, interactive exhibits, hundreds of vendor show specials and promotions; plus some 47 testing bays at the indoor Equipment Test Center, a centralized New Product Zone for a one-stop shopping of the newest golf merchandise; an Inventor’s Spotlight Pavilion for patented products not yet available at retail; and numerous specialty exhibitor pavilions including a PGA Golf Travel Pavilion, PGA Partners Pavilion, Women’s Accessories Pavilion, New Exhibitor Discovery Zone, and several international exhibitor pavilions.

 

More than 1,000 media from some 25 countries have made plans to attend and report from the 2016 PGA Merchandise Show.  Golf Channel will deliver a record 25 hours of coverage from the PGA Show with “Morning Drive” and “Golf Central” giving viewers worldwide insider access to the “MAJOR of Golf Business” featuring interviews with industry leaders and insight on the latest products and trends for 2016.  

 

Additionally, Golf Channel instruction programs will originate from the PGA Show with “School of Golf” at the PGA Show Outdoor Demo Day and “The Golf Fix” from the PGA Merchandise Show Floor.  Also, complementing the many media outlets providing daily live digital coverage, SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio Network will broadcast 35 hours live PGA Merchandise Show Week.  Golf enthusiasts also can follow the latest daily news from the PGA Merchandise Show at PGA.com and through #PGAShow in social media.

 

About the PGA Merchandise Show

The 63rd PGA Merchandise Show, held Jan. 26-29, 2016, in Orlando, will welcome some 1,000 top golf companies and brands and more than 40,000 industry professionals from around the world to the industry’s annual global summit for the business of golf. The PGA Show Outdoor Demo Day, the world’s largest professional golf testing event, will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 26, at the Orange County National Golf Center. During PGA Show days, Jan. 27-29, at the Orange County Convention Center, PGA Professionals, retailers and industry leaders will uncover the latest trends, source the newest golf merchandise, test the latest equipment, learn proven business best practices, network among peers and move forward the business of the game. In 2016, the annual international gathering of the golf industry will celebrate the Centennial of the PGA of America, founder and organizing partner of the PGA Merchandise Show.  The PGA Merchandise Show is a trade-only event and is not open to the public.