When Golf Europe was cancelled in 2011, it was hard to see how the show could ever return, but now that Messe München has handed over the event to neighbouring city Augsburg, Gerhard Reiter, managing director of new owners Messe Augsburg, is convinced Bavaria’s third largest city will provide a welcoming and long-lasting home for the show.
“Messe Augsburg as a venue has plenty of advantages,” starts Reiter, in talking exclusively to SGB Golf. “It is neither as enormous as the Munich trade fair centre nor as small as the M.O.C. There are 12 halls, which can be exactly fitted to the needs of the exhibitors, creating an atmosphere that feels both personal and familiar. Augsburg has 10,000 square metres of outdoor space, a modular conference centre, fantastic transport infrastructure and 2,200 parking spaces in the direct vicinity. Last but by no means least; our highly motivated, professional and service-oriented exhibition team completes the offer.”
Matching up to Munich
Reiter’s confidence in the potential success of Golf Europe is reflected in his expectation to attract around 220 exhibitors and 4,000 visitors, which would begin where Munich left off in 2010, when Messe München reported 206 exhibitors and 3,963 visitors. In an attempt to boost the size of the show, Messe Augsburg is inviting the golf tourism trade to take part.
“There are some differences between Munich and Augsburg,” explains Reiter. “For example, we put a special focus on the new ‘Golf Tourism’ segment. Because of its increasing popularity this has become a major economic player in the industry. In addition, we will attract further visitors with a diverse supporting programme; we are planning several first-rate workshops, discussion panels and a demo day, which has never been done before in the 19-year history of Golf Europe.
“Furthermore, we are in negotiations with the PGA of Germany and the PGAs of Europe and would be happy if they joined forces to bring back the teaching and coaching conference, which was successful in 2003 and 2005 in Munich.”
Golf Europe’s first ever ‘Demo day’ will take place at nearby GolfRange Augsburg, to add a new dimension to the event, while Reiter is confident the costs of exhibiting at the show will compare favourably with the costs of previously exhibiting in Munich, and also with other events such as the Golf Show in Harrogate.
“We are very happy that we can offer top quality at a better price in Augsburg, as Munich is well-known as the most expensive city in Germany,” he says. “Hotel rooms are significantly less expensive in Augsburg, while getting to and from your hotel and the trade fair centre is much quicker due to the shorter distances within the city. The exhibitor fees at Golf Europe 2012 range from €125 to €131 per square metre, which is quite a reasonable price.”
The Messe Augsburg version of Golf Europe promises to correct a lot of the mistakes of past shows: the costs of exhibiting and accommodation are down, the showroom issue of the M.O.C. has been taken out of the equation, the strange August bank holiday dates of the 2011 show that never happened have been replaced with more logical September dates, and new initiatives such as the demo day and the introduction of a tourism segment may well attract more professionals back to Golf Europe.
The deadline for exhibitor registration is March 15.
