It’s that time of year – time for the annual Golf Industry Show (GIS) presented by GCSAA. In past years, we would be making sure we were registered, hotel rooms reserved, flights booked and packing for the conference. However, this year the show looks a little different. This year, we will be able to attend the GIS from our homes or offices, have more members of our teams participate, save money on the conference and travel accommodations and still work at our golf courses.
Since we’ll be navigating the show in a new way, we prepared a few tips for attending the GIS on Feb. 2-4.
Registration Options
Knowing that a virtual event means more members of your team will have the opportunity to attend from the office, the GIS has options for both individual or entire facility registrations. This means, for about $250 more, your whole staff can attend the educational courses and on-demand classes.
In addition to extending the registration to your team, you have three options for attending:
You can review the options, pricing and register online here.
Plan Your Schedule
One of the benefits of attending the GIS virtually is the ability to manage your course before the show, in between sessions or after the show, but to do that successfully, you need to map out your schedule in advance.
You can view the schedule at a glance online and even dive deeper into seeing the schedules for sessions and other events. The show also offers different education tracks, if you want to schedule your conference based on what you or your team members want to learn more about. There’s even a dedicated track for your assistant superintendent.
Also, don’t forget to plan for some fun and the necessities (like your lunch break). The GIS is hosting a virtual 5k for runners and a silent auction.
Depending on your registration, you can have access to all the education courses and trade show for 7 to 30 days after the GIS. The extended access lets you experience much more than you could at an in-person event and is an education opportunity you won’t want to miss. With it already included in the registration, it doesn’t cost you anything more and the best part is you can choose when and where to watch a session, making it convenient and easy.
Every registration option includes the trade show, which is a great opportunity to connect with vendors and distributors to learn more about what’s new this year, ask questions and even win some prizes.
With a virtual trade show you’re less likely to get pulled off to an exhibitor you haven’t met yet or get distracted by an interactive display. Instead, you pick from logos and names to select who you want to engage with. The benefit is that you stay on course to meet with the exhibitors you need to talk to, but the downfall is that you may miss out on some fun conversations, engagement activities or opportunities to learn about a new product that could benefit your golf course.
To take advantage of the pros and combat the cons of a virtual trade show, come up with a plan. Review the list of exhibitors in advance and note which ones you need or really want to speak with, then look through the list and pick out a few you aren’t familiar with and research them to see if they might be worth your time. During the show, connect with your fellow attendees and ask them which booths they visited and would recommend.
Of course, you don’t want to miss Ewing’s booth. Stop by our virtual booth to participate in Ewing Turf Talks with key vendors and earn chances to win some great giveaway items.
For more tips on attending virtual conferences, CVent offers 10 tips to keep in mind for a fun, educational and enjoyable experience. We’ll see you at the GIS next month!