The 1st Mediterranean Golf Show (MedGolf), an international event for trade professionals, is scheduled to be held at Malaga’s Congress and Trade Show Centre from 16-19 April 2008.
The programme of the 1st Mediterranean Golf Show, a new event backed by key industry players and national and international associations, will include the 5th International Golf and Environment Workshop, organised by the Andalusian Association of Residential and Sports Tourism Developers (Promotur), and the 1st Mediterranean Pro-Am Golf Tournament.
The trade show has the backing of the chief suppliers of golf machinery, drainage and water treatment systems, new technologies, tourist services, consultancy and sports equipment, including the machinery suppliers Riversa, and the course construction company Jersa, both being key industry players and members of the MedGolf organising committee.
After a series of meetings held with international golf course owners, including the presidents of the European Golf Course Owner Association (EGCOA), due to the importance of this event they have agreed to collaborate by disseminating and promoting the trade show in Northern and Eastern Europe, among other destinations.
The organisers of MedGolf have also been in contact with the Spanish Greenkeepers’ Association, which will also be disseminating and promoting the event. Likewise, the Golf Course Director and Managers’ Association, which has seen in MedGolf an excellent opportunity for promoting the industry, will be carrying our promotional activities with the aim of getting 80 golf courses to attend the trade show.
As to institutional collaboration, the Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Shipping of Malaga will be organising a workshop keyed to trade professionals and buyers. The fact that the chamber of commerce is currently chairing the tourism commission of the Mediterranean Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME) will facilitate contacts with tour operators and companies belonging to the Mediterranean Arc.
International Golf and Environment Workshop
Furthermore, the 5th edition of the International Golf and Environment Workshop, organised by Promotur in the framework of MedGolf, will revolve around the planning, design, construction, maintenance and management of environmentally friendly golf courses. This year’s edition of the workshops will feature new technologies and their industry applications.
Around 500 people are expected to attend the workshops, which have been organised in collaboration with Madrid’s Rey Juan Carlos I University, Malaga University, and Elmwood College, a higher educational institution closely linked to the Scottish golf course of St Andrews. As well as contributing to presentations from an academic standpoint, it is hoped that this will encourage the attendance of students interested in the subject.
The trade show will be brought to a close by the 1st Mediterranean Pro-Am Golf Tournament, organised in collaboration with the Andalusian Pro Golfers’ Association (PGA Andalusia) and the Andalusian Golf Federation, in which 30 well-known pros of the national and international circuits are expected to participate.
Malaga, capital of the “Golf Coast”
Malaga is the ideal place for holding this event, since it is the leader in Spanish golf tourism and one of the world’s top destinations. In addition, the province has 45% of all golf courses and 46% of all federation members in Andalusia, all of which generates a high demand for facilities, specialised shops and tuition.
Generating revenues of 2,375 million euros per year and with a market share of nearly 35%, golf is a buoyant industry in Spain. In Europe, the industry has a turnover of approximately 14 thousand million per year, with federation members totalling four million.
Malaga Trade Show and Congress Centre at Fitur
The trade show and congress centre will be exhibiting at the 28th edition of the international tourism trade show Fitur, due to be held in Madrid from 30 January-3 February. At this year’s edition of the show, the venue will be putting the accent on the golf industry and city commerce.
Mediterranen Golf, the 1st Mediterranean Golf Trade Show, and the city commerce forum Agora are the two events that the trade show and congress centre will be promoting during the five-day event, one of the top promotional platforms for both industries.
