Whether or not it’s true that love conquers all, it apparently does have some effect on the Denver Golf Expo.
Or at least Valentine’s Day does.
After attendance was up following the first two days of the 2010 Denver Golf Expo, Cupid helped reverse the trend on Sunday, when 900 fewer people showed up than on Expo Sunday in 2009.
The result was that overall attendance for the three-day show dipped to 9,751, about 3.7 percent less customers than in 2009 and about 13 percent down from the record number in 2008, before the economy tanked.
“The difference was Valentine’s Day, and possibly Presidents’ Day weekend, but mainly Valentine’s Day,” said Mark Cramer, who owns and operates the Golf Expo along with his wife, Lynn.
While the economy remains an issue, scheduling conflicts beyond those involving Valentine’s Day/Presidents’ Day weekend may have had an effect. The Expo coincided with the first days of the Winter Olympics, and the popular Daytona 500 was held during the day on Sunday.
Mark Cramer said he knew that the conflicts might be a problem when he set his 2010 dates, but his only alternative was a weekend earlier. “And I knew I didn’t want to compete with the Super Bowl,” he said.
The Cramers tried to deal with the Valentine’s Day issue by working with the CWGA on a “Sweetheart Sunday” promotion in which attending couples had a chance to win a getaway trip to the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs. In addition, the Cramers encouraged exhibitors to feature specials with Valentine’s Day in mind.
But even at that, just 2,100 people came to the Expo on Sunday after the first two days had averaged 3,825.
Despite the relatively slow Sunday, Mark Cramer said he “felt really good” about the Expo overall. “Attendance being down a little isn’t a true indication of the value of the show and how it’s perceived out there. Exhibitors did well, and that’s the bottom line. I tried to get out on the floor and talk to as many as possible because they give me valuable feedback and I get to know them better and learn how to serve them better. I probably talked to about 80 of them, and I didn’t have one person say (the Expo) was bad.”
Business was certainly brisk on Friday and Saturday, when there were lines of people outside the entrance at times, and the Denver Merchandise Mart’s main parking lot was almost full in the late morning.
“It blew us away on Friday,” said Cramer, noting that the Expo may have gotten a boost that day due to many state employees having a furlough day.
Once the economy improves, Cramer said he anticipates the Expo will draw 15,000 people for a three-day run.
“We’ve been doing this so long (since 2000) that we’ve got a real good feel for what works,” he said. “We’re dialing this thing in, and I don’t see anything but it continuing to grow (over the long haul).”
As with the attendance, most other numbers for the 2010 Expo were down slightly from 2009. A total of 136 exhibitors were listed this year, compared to about 150 in 2009. Dustin Jensen, director of youth programs for the CGA, estimates that a little less than 600 youngsters — a small decrease from 2009 — went through the Colorado Junior Golf Experience, which this year included a Nintendo Wii golf game among its elements. And about $9,000 — the same amount as last year — was raised for junior development programs through the CGA Golf Swap, where donated and consigned clubs and equipment are sold at the Expo.
“I’m very happy,” Jensen said. “The biggest thing is that the kids had a good time.”
So with the 2010 Denver Golf Expo in the history books, the Cramers and some of the Denver participants will turn their attention to the inaugural Southern Colorado Golf Expo, which will take place March 13-14 at the Phil Long Expo Center in northern Colorado Springs.
The CGA, Colorado PGA and 10-15 exhibitors from the Denver show will also participate in the Southern Colorado Expo, which will likewise feature the Junior Golf Experience, Golf Swap a club testing area. But many of the Southern Colorado participants will be from Colorado Springs, Pueblo and the surrounding area.
“We’ll look to break even or maybe make a very modest profit,” Mark Cramer said of the new show. Cramer expects about 60 exhibitors will be part of the first Southern Colorado Expo.
