Business View Magazine - November 2016

30 Business View Magazine - November 2016 The PGA Merchandise Show Growing the business of golf The PGA Merchandise Show, today the world’s largest and most influential golf business event, had its infor- mal beginnings in 1954, when a handful of golf mer- chandisers assembled in the PGA (Professional Golf- ers Association) National Golf Club parking lot during a series of winter tournaments. Over the ensuing years, this yearly gathering of golf equipment manufactur- er’s representatives grew, and the PGA Merchandise Show, initially held under a circus-sized tent, travelled around the Florida peninsula, finally moving indoors for the first time, in Orlando, in 1975. In 1998, the PGA of America sold an equity share of its golf shows to Reed Exhibitions, a leading trade show organizer. Together, the PGA and Reed, under the umbrella of PGA Worldwide Golf Exhibitions, pro- duce and manage the PGA Merchandise Show, which has evolved to become an all-encompassing global platform for the introduction of new products, indoor & outdoor product testing, wide-ranging education semi- nars, industry symposiums, national awards presenta- tions, fashion features, player development programs, and professional networking events.