Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Thwack!
It’s the sweetest sound in golf.
I had swung the meatiest club from my bag with the timing of a Jaeger-LeCoultre watch, sending the ball sailing out of sight down the middle of another Belton Woods Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort fairway.
“What a shot,” said Paul Glover, our national director of operations.
“Ian Woosnam would’ve been proud of that,” bellowed Justin Whelan, managing director at Pewag UK.
It was one of a number of gun-barrel straight, mile-long drives I hit on my way to a level par on the picturesque Lincolnshire course.
Paul and Justin enjoyed the round too, with the former even leaving with one of the LEEA Golf and Spa Day 2024 prizes. Collectively, we had plenty to celebrate when association members reconvened at the bar that afternoon.
This was the first time I had participated in LEEA’s annual event, which had been expanded with more off-course activities to attract a wider audience. It was an overall success, and I would certainly participate again. Maybe my short game will be better next year. Alas, I’m a 32 handicap for good reason.
And that’s really why this July day sprung back into my mind only recently, during our latest planning meeting for LEEA’s LiftEx, which takes place on 16-17 October at London’s Olympia. We were discussing all the different facets of the event, from our exhibit (Stand 40) to sponsorship package (water bottles and lanyards), the awards dinner, and everything else in between. It struck me like a 1-wood just how similar golf is to a trade event or even life itself.
Here are five similarities:
- Driving range
Ask any golfer what it takes to be successful, and they’ll talk about practice.
It is also true that working a trade show, as an exhibitor, organiser, sponsor, or visitor, is a skill that needs perfecting. And, like golf, even after 1,000 rounds, you can still shank it into the trees.
We have steadily grown our presence at LEEA’s flagship event and we’re still striving for the flawless exhibition, even if there is probably no such thing. One never stops learning about their game; it’s about improving some things and cutting others.
The exhibit will be the same overall size as last year’s display, and we’ll continue to support the event commercially, but a larger hospitality area will be at the centre of a new-look stand. The concept has been revamped and built around a longer bar set against a backdrop of enhanced graphics. Lifting and lashing products will be among those given greater prominence in Olympia’s West Hall.
- Teeing off
As with the aforementioned golf day, or any other round you play, there’s always a tee time.
There’s the same sense of anticipation when the doors open at an event. Turning up late or being unprepared can derail the whole thing.
If mistakes are made on the first hole, or during the opening hour, it’s impossible to get those moments back. As an exhibitor, that means being ready early, with a fully stocked and well-staffed stand. Being late or in the middle of a team meeting with visitors already flooding into the aisles is as bad as a double bogey.
If my tee time is 8am, I want to be parking up and doing my warm-up at 7:30am; if the show doors open at 9am, I want my team there, already fuelled up on protein and caffeine, at 8:30am. Imagine if a major contractor has made a note of an exhibit to visit that’s so important to them that they head there first, as soon as the doors are open, only to find that the staff are still in the hotel restaurant scoffing eggs and bacon.
- In the rough
There can be three, four, or more shots on every hole in golf, and a lot of walking in between. The weather can change from sunshine to rain and back again.
At a trade show, there are countless conversations, over many hours. For visitors, there is a lot of walking too. There are highs and lows; busy moments and lulls. Some meetings are productive, others like pulling teeth.
It’s important to have a plan for every situation. If the sun is out and you’re lining up a driver like me in the Belton Woods sunshine, that’s similar to a catch-up with a longtime, loyal customer in a quiet, comfortable corner of an expo. When the ball is buried deep in sand, against a cliff-face of a bunker edge, that might be when the stand is swamped with tyre-kickers, and the most problematic contact has arrived asking for a 70% discount on shackles.
The thing is, one can’t walk off a golf course or run out of a show. It means power, touch, and feel are all required. Woods, hybrids, irons, sand wedge, and putter, will all be needed.
- In it to win it
To win a golf tournament, one has to enter it.
The LEEA summer social proved to be a fantastic networking event with options for everyone, including beginner and intermediate competitions on the golf course, putting tournaments, spa treatments, welcome drinks, and entertainment. But the beneficiaries were those that put the effort into attending.
Just like LiftEx, those with exhibition stands, sponsorship packages, and in attendance, will be the winners. Staying away and bemoaning London prices is tantamount to not buying a ticket for the raffle. Like the LEEA Awards, only those who enter can make shortlists.
On that subject, everyone here is hoping Andrew Hawkins, training manager; and Alan Varney, engineering services director, can bring home the silverware. Andrew is up for a historic quadruple in the Emerging Talent; Excellence in People Development; Technical Excellence and Professionalism, and Trainer of the Year categories, while Alan is among those shortlisted for Excellence in Leadership.
- Four-ball
As Paul and Justin proved, and USA’s winning Solheim Cup team reiterated more recently, playing partners are important. That’s why we’ve selected a strong four-ball to represent us at LiftEx. Joining me will be Alan, Paul, and Mark Barnard, operations manager, Swansea. We’ll be backed-up by representatives of our Heathrow and Aylesford, Kent operations.
Seriously, I’ve seen too many trade show exhibits lack impact because, even if the graphics and products are good, they are under or poorly staffed. As I’ve blogged before, putting a single person at the back of a stand checking emails on a laptop is not sufficient.
It might save on a hotel room block to leave someone from sales and another from marketing at their desks, but it’s a false economy if an existing or prospective customer can’t find someone free to talk to.
Who dares wins
As an aside, I was pleased to read that LEEA has booked Jason Fox, former Special Forces Sergeant, as this year’s awards speaker. Jason, now a best-selling author and TV presenter, is recognised for his work on SAS: Who Dares Wins and his advocacy for mental health. He is an internationally acclaimed thought leader, futurist, and author, known for helping leaders and teams navigate complexity, foster innovation, and inspire workplace transformation.
See you in London.
Fore!
Steve Hutin
Managing Director
Rope and Sling Specialists Ltd
