The 2012 Denver Golf Expo didn’t set the record for attendance that event officials were hoping for, but certain aspects of the show achieved new standards.
Attendance for the three-day Expo that ended Sunday at the Denver Merchandise Mart totaled 10,519, which is the third-highest number ever, but still down more than 2 percent from last year. The record for attendance came in 2008, when 11,202 people passed through the doors.
But the CGA/CWGA Used Club Sale, a mainstay of the Expo for years, set the standard for the amount of money the initiative raised for junior golf developmental programs. The sale netted about $16,000, twice what it did a year ago. In fact, it brought in more money than the program did two years ago at two Golf Expos combined — Denver and Southern Colorado.
“It was a really good year,” said Eric Wilkinson, director of junior competitions for the CGA. “I was talking with Ed (Mate, the CGA’s executive director) beforehand, and we thought $15,000 would be a home run, and we got a thousand more than that. We’re very, very happy.”
Mate said many people made the program a success.
“We want to thank all of the donors and our friends at the PGA Tour Superstore who supported our efforts this year,” he said. “The spirit of this event is to give back to the game. Everyone has old clubs they no longer use, and this event turns that equipment into real money for our programs to bring golf to kids who might not otherwise have that opportunity.”
An early effort to advertise the program, combined with donated equipment being accepted at the PGA Tour Superstore, apparently paid big dividends. The CGA and CWGA even encouraged attendees of their November awards brunch to bring in clubs and bags for the Used Club Sale.
“The keys are the quality of equipment and the amount, and the CGA knocked it out of the park in getting equipment this year,” said Mark Cramer, who owns and manages the Denver Golf Expo with his wife Lynn.
Meanwhile, the Junior Golf Experience, an interactive exhibit in which kids can receive instruction from Colorado PGA professionals and play interactive games, drew about 600 youngsters at the Expo — about 50 more than last year.
As for the Denver Golf Expo overall, Cramer was hoping for higher attendance, but said an unusually cold Saturday, when the high temperature in Denver didn’t even reach 20 degrees, may have had an impact. He also speculated that some snow in the Monument Hill area might have kept several hundred people away who otherwise would have considered coming up from areas further south.
“I really came in confident that we had a legitimate shot at breaking 12,000, but my crystal ball broke in about 1986, so you never know,” Cramer said. “You might think you have a feel, but you can’t plan for 19-degree weather and a dusting of snow.
“We ended up with the third-largest attendance ever, so with a day that was 19 degrees and snow flurries, it’s OK.”
One change the Expo made for this year proved “phenomenally successful,” according to Cramer. Because long lines sometimes developed at the entrance to the Expo in years past, in 2012 tickets were available in advance at King Soopers sites. The result was 2,200 tickets sold at the grocery store’s outlets.
Though the number of exhibitors was down from 2011, Cramer said that all but two exhibitor booths were sold, and revenue received from exhibitors was up from last year.
Cramer remains confident that there’s still untapped potential for golf expos in Colorado. Through ever-expanding social media opportunities, he hopes to bring in more attendees in the 25-45 age group. In addition, Cramer said his commitment to bring back the Southern Colorado Golf Expo in Colorado Springs remains strong. That Expo was held in 2010, but lost its building later that year.
