PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- The 55th PGA Merchandise Show is bursting at the seams with fashion programs to suit retailers of all types coming from around the world to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 17-19, 2008. Apparel and accessories consume a large portion of the 500,000 net square feet of interactive exhibit landscape that is host to some 1,250 golf vendors and some 45,000 industry professionals.
More than 200 top apparel companies will present the hottest fashion collections for fall 2008 including market leaders such as adidas, Ashworth, Fairway & Greene, EP Pro, Cutter & Buck, Ahead, Bette & Court, Gear for Sport, Imperial, Antigua, Izod G, Lily Pulitzer, Bobby Jones, Tommy Bahama, Greg Norman Collection, Tehama, Ben Hogan, Polo Golf, Harry Vardon, and Byron Nelson.
"The PGA Merchandise Show is the largest and most significant gathering of our industry's most influential people," said Nancy Haley, the co-founder and CEO of Tehama and Izod G and the 2007 recipient of the PGA Ernie Sabayrac Award for lifetime contributions to the golf industry. "It is the ideal setting to conduct business, establish and build relationships, plus mix in some fun among colleagues."
Ten fashion shows will take the runway spotlight during the three-day PGA Merchandise Show. Currently, the Fashion Fairway Fashion Shows, sponsored by the 19th Hole Magazine showcase the latest golf apparel collections by top companies including:
adidas Golf
Bobby Jones
Claudia Romana
Cocchia
Como Sport
GEAR for Sports
HEAD Sportswear USA
Iconic Sport
Lily's of Beverly Hills
Nick Price Apparel
Nike Golf
Puma North America
Sandon Golf Apparel
Sunderland of Scotland, Inc.
Tail Inc.
Tehama
Titania Golf
Verdina
Four shows will be held daily at the fashion show stage located in the Apparel Hall of the Show floor on Thursday and Friday, Jan. 17 and 18, at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Saturday shows will be held at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
Bringing a behind-the-scenes understanding of design, performance and merchandising techniques for the trendiest collections, the new Fashion Designer Panels will feature the top trends and hottest designers in golf apparel. Cocona steps up for the designer panel on Thursday, Jan. 17, following the 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Fairway Fashion Shows and Tehama will take the designer panel stage on Friday, Jan. 18, also following the 11:30 a.m. show. Additional designers will be announced.
Golf retailers also can round out their show schedules with the new AGM Designer Roundtables which attracted standing-room only attendance at their premier during the 2007 PGA Fall Expo. AGM Designer Roundtables will be held near the fashion show stage on Thursday and Friday afternoons at 3:30 p.m. and promise a valuable exchange of apparel-trend ideas related to technology/fabrications, color palates, merchandising programs and more.
The fashion focus doesn't end there as fashion merchandising and apparel trends are also featured within several seminars of the PGA Show education conference, the Saturday PGA Merchandisers of the Year Roundtable presentation, and during workshops at the PGA Golf Shop: Merchandising & Design Center presented by Bauer International where PGA Merchandisers of the Year and Association of Golf Merchandiser Award Winners will be on hand to share their best practices.
The PGA Merchandise Show returns to Orlando one week earlier than usual, Jan. 17-19, at the Orange County Convention Center. Market leaders such as Callaway Golf, PING, Nike Golf, adidas, the Titleist Performance Institute, Srixon, Ahead, Cutter & Buck, Cleveland Golf, Antigua, Bridgestone, Gear For Sports, Tehama, Bobby Jones, POLO, Club Car, Greg Norman, Fairway & Greene, E-Z Go, EP Pro, Ashworth, Yamaha, Wilson Staff, Nickent, Imperial, Adams, Mizuno, Tommy Bahama, Bugatchi, Harry Vardon, PING Collection, Byron Nelson and many more are among golf's top participating vendors at the 2008 PGA Merchandise Show.
The game's most influential leaders, including executives from worldwide PGAs, global golf companies and national golf organizations join grassroots PGA Professionals and retailers who are focused on growing the business of golf. Interactive exhibits, product testing, education seminars, fashion shows, industry awards, trend reports, professional networking, merchandising workshops, best practices presentations and more pack unprecedented value into the industry's biggest week of golf business.
Additional announcements regarding new and enhanced PGA Merchandise Show programs will be made.
For more information or to register for the 55th PGA Merchandise Show, visit www.pgashow.com.
