NORWALK, Conn. - PGA Golf Exhibitions announced a 20% increase in PGA Professional/PGA Buyer participation and an increase of 4.3% total industry attendance among the 43,173 industry professionals at the 2005 PGA Merchandise Show, Jan. 27-30, in Orlando, Fla. Total attendees increased for all events including the trade show, Demo Day, education conference and Pro-Pro Tournaments. Attendees came from all 50 states and 74 countries with Florida, New York, Illinois, Georgia and California as the top states in attendance and Canada, England, Japan, Korea and Mexico as the top international countries in attendance.

"We are pleased with the growing participation of influential PGA Professionals & Buyers and the ever-increasing value of Show special events for exhibitors and attendees alike," said PGA Golf Exhibitions Vice President and Show Manager Ed Several. "The significant increase in PGA Member attendance is a direct result of the interactive special events, a strong partnership with The PGA of America and the abundant member programs that The PGA has continued to add to the PGA Merchandise Show."

"The growth in numbers indicates that more and more PGA Professionals see greater value in attending the Show because of the many opportunities, both personally and professionally, that are being offered," said Roger Warren, President of The PGA of America. "The Show has made many changes for the better and our members are responding to those changes in a very positive way."

PGA Professional, retailer and industry professional attendees previewed products and services of 1,202 golf-related exhibitors in 508,600 net square feet of exhibit space at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. A multitude of Show and PGA of America programs were well received.

* The third annual Golf Demo Day (Wed., Jan. 26) presented by PGA Magazine and PGA Golf Exhibitions grew once again in 2005. An estimated 4,500 invited PGA Professionals, VIP buyers and media personally tested products and services of a record 89 companies on some 120 hitting bays, putting greens and practice areas on the 42-acre practice facility of the Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge.

* Attendance grew from 654 in 2004 to 987 this year at the Show's education conference featuring eight new professional tracks of 76 seminars. Seminars were presented in partnership with The PGA of America, the Association of Golf Merchandisers and other leading allied associations.

* The Pro-Pro Tournament series for PGA Professionals grew from five to seven tournaments in 2005, plus the fields were expanded to accommodate additional demand, resulting in full fields and an increase of 37% in PGA member participation.

* The 2nd edition of the Equipment Test Center (ETC) - a 200,000 square-foot indoor driving range and practice center - saw some 400,000 balls hit during Show week at 40 sold-out hitting bays.

* Three daily fashion shows on the Fashion Fairway catwalk attracted large crowds to preview the latest in golf apparel from 25 companies.

* Thousands of industry professionals came to the new Dream Golf Shop to see the latest merchandise from 52 companies on display at the inaugural 1,000 square foot replica of a high-end golf shop.

* New products from 285 exhibitors were on display at the "Hot Zone" New Product Center, a one-stop headquarters for golf's latest innovations.

* Nearly 500 industry leaders kicked-off the Show, Jan. 27th, by attending The PGA's Business of Golf Conference where leading industry executives on the panel signaled an up tick in industry business and pledged the continued partnership by golf organizations to work together in programs for the betterment of the game.

* Industry professionals from across the country attended the second annual PGA of America Awards Night honoring 11 national award winners.

* More than 400 industry jobs were posted and available to industry attendees at the PGA Industry Employment Center on the Show floor and in the PGA's Member Business Center throughout the four-day event.

* For the first time, The Golf Channel broadcast two hours of live daily coverage from a tower on the Show floor and replayed programming during prime time hours for a total of 24 hours of live and taped coverage.

The PGA Merchandise Show, organized by a partnership of PGA Golf Exhibitions and The PGA of America, is one of four leading golf trade shows in PGA Worldwide Golf Exhibitions' global golf portfolio including the PGA Fall Expo in Las Vegas; the Ontario PGA Golf Merchandise Show in Toronto, Canada; and the PGA Merchandise Show of Australia in Queensland.