Golfest Admission Fee?

[charlie49]

Ten dollars seems a bit steep to see vendors display their products and get a free bag of tees. Isn't this like paying admission to enter a mall! I for one, may have strolled through and bought something that caught my eye; the vendors may have sold more product without the admission fee.

Charlie

[JoeC1947]

Ten dollars seems a bit steep to see vendors display their products and get a free bag of tees. Isn't this like paying admission to enter a mall! I for one, may have strolled through and bought something that caught my eye; the vendors may have sold more product without the admission fee.

Charlie

I agree but apparently there are plenty willing to pay the 10 bucks.

[zcaveman]

But you were able to see all of the experts showing off their special golf shots. And someone had to pay the vendors.

[ncr2482]

But you were able to see all of the experts showing off their special golf shots. And someone had to pay the vendors.

The vendors have to pay to exhibit their products.

[gomoho]

So how were the crowds???

[elevatorman]

They also ask for volunteers to do the parking and gate.

[zcaveman]

The vendors have to pay to exhibit their products.
Sorry - I meant the exhibitioners.

[Gerald]

personally I am just not going. For free I would have but not for $10.00. Just to look around and see what is at the golf stores. I spend on golf and the clubs and the shoes and etc. If I want lessons I can easily get them. I don't need to see someone doing trick shots.
Venders want to sell if they were smart they would have insisted on no fee. or a ver small charge. I am sure they lost a lot of customers.

[raynan]

Don't think they were at a loss for customers. My husband and friend just got back and it is mobbed. They enjoyed trying all the new and different brands of clubs and had a nice day. Worth the $10.

[crummybuttons]

I totally agree with you on the admission fee. 3 of us went yesterday, $30 and it was like going to the town square festival nights. For my $10 I got 2 golf balls and some tees and a bag to put them in. Poor, very poor.....at least the weather was nice.



Ten dollars seems a bit steep to see vendors display their products and get a free bag of tees. Isn't this like paying admission to enter a mall! I for one, may have strolled through and bought something that caught my eye; the vendors may have sold more product without the admission fee.

Charlie

[Tom Hannon]

A rip off. I will never pay that price again. It should be free. More peoiple would come and more sales made. I am not a happy camper. PS: I am not complaining. It is just the way I feel.

[johnboy]

One breakfast at Bob Evans would have cost more than the $10 admission fee. It's a great opportunity to test clubs that will go more than 30 feet into a net, and try different shafts and lie's. I'd prefer to pay the $10 in entry fee rather that 2 1/2 gallons of gas, that is gone before you know it, and not entertaining.

[Jim 9922]

Charge a fee and you probably get a more "interested" crowd with a higher motivation to buy the products shown. It's one way of restricting the crowd to the more serious buyers and weeding out the lookers and tire kickers.
I assume the purpose of the event is to "show" and sell, not entertain.

[nitehawk]

Charge a fee and you probably get a more "interested" crowd with a higher motivation to buy the products shown. It's one way of restricting the crowd to the more serious buyers and weeding out the lookers and tire kickers.
I assume the purpose of the event is to "show" and sell, not entertain.

Nicely said ---- keeps out the ---- "if its free its for me"

[Tom Hannon]

Your thought are logical and make sense. I understand you POV but I still feel the fee was a rip off. If that be the case why not allow the $10 be credited to a purchase. During the show. That method would be fair.

[Bogie Shooter]

Golf Week golf fest in Tampa...........admission $10.

[capecodbob]

I found it all very simple. Go to a golf shop and look at the equipment for free or pay $10 and get to see just about all the major golf companies...and try out their equipment.
Well worth the 10 for me and I had a great time. Also took in some golf lessons that were informative.
On top of all that I got to hit a driver with the new large grips. As I have some arthritis in my hands I found this new grips just the ticket for me.
Bob

[gmcneill]

...and enter contests and raffle drawings and test drive EZ Go golf carts and buy clothes, shoes, and accessories at discounted prices.

The $10 entry fee was a decent- not great, but decent- value. Any more than that, however, not so much!

[getdul981]

If $10 is too much, all you had to do was go to one of the Pro Shops and get a ticket for $8 prior to the show. My wife and I went and had a great time. We saw lots of "stuff" that you will never see at any golf store. I also found my next driver. Of course I won't buy it for at least a year when the prices come down and the next years model is out. There was a tent at the extreme north end of the show that had hand made wooden putters. If I hadn't just bought a new one, I would have got one there.

[Sandy222]

Golfest is Tri County Junior Golf's largest fundraiser of the year.

[Indydealmaker]

Golfest is Tri County Junior Golf's largest fundraiser of the year.
:bigbow:

[Madelaine Amee]

Charge a fee and you probably get a more "interested" crowd with a higher motivation to buy the products shown. It's one way of restricting the crowd to the more serious buyers and weeding out the lookers and tire kickers.
I assume the purpose of the event is to "show" and sell, not entertain.

I have to agree with you ............ and I think charging a small fee may be the way TV will go in the future. Every event is overcrowded and by charging a small fee they will definitely stop "tire kickers" from coming out to everything. My other half is a golfer and paid to go, while I am not a golfer and stayed home! If it had been a freebie, I would have gone along with him!

[Irishmen]

It really is a glorified demo day at Palmer combined with vendor night on any square. Attendance has dropped dramatically causing drop in ticket prices.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

You get to hit balls with all the latest equipment. How much would it cost to hit all those balls at a driving range?

[lanabanana73]

I always look at something like this as "entertainment" and $10pp is a great price for 2 hrs or more of entertainment. I would have spent as much at Panera for lunch and it wouldn't have lasted me nearly as long! And....good point about the gas you would use to travel to all those golf stores. Having everyone in one place is very, very convenient.

[Madelaine Amee]

It really is a glorified demo day at Palmer combined with vendor night on any square. Attendance has dropped dramatically causing drop in ticket prices.

BUT - people paying to attend are more likely to BUY, than just LOOK.

[buggyone]

JuniorGolf was looking for volunteers for a couple of hours at Golf Fest. You would volunteer as parking attendants or something else and get free admission to the Golf Fest - and free lunch at HoneyBaked Ham. It was a great day.

[Skip2MySue]

The latest rumor that I heard came from a very good source who has a friend that is friends with a distant cousin of the Morse's who lives in Montana and takes care of organizing the hunting expedititons. Soon there will be a charge to enter the farmer's market at Brownwood as there are too many lookers and squeezers.:jester:
Skip 2

[Nipper]

I think $10 is too much. I went to Palmer's on Friday to buy a ticket for Saturday and was charged $10 since the fest was already underway. Shouldn't it be $8 in advance and $10 at the door? I have attended this event for the last five years and think this year was pretty disappointing.

[kimball]

Ten dollars seems a bit steep to see vendors display their products and get a free bag of tees. Isn't this like paying admission to enter a mall! I for one, may have strolled through and bought something that caught my eye; the vendors may have sold more product without the admission fee.

Charlie

There should never be an admission price to visit vendors who are trying to sell their products to you. They should bear the total cost of all shows/ecents. Our only cost shoud be what we buy from them. Only in TV!

[paulandjean]

I think $10 is too much. I went to Palmer's on Friday to buy a ticket for Saturday and was charged $10 since the fest was already underway. Shouldn't it be $8 in advance and $10 at the door? I have attended this event for the last five years and think this year was pretty disappointing.

My God its $10 if it is to much than just go to stores.

[paulandjean]

The latest rumor that I heard came from a very good source who has a friend that is friends with a distant cousin of the Morse's who lives in Montana and takes care of organizing the hunting expedititons. Soon there will be a charge to enter the farmer's market at Brownwood as there are too many lookers and squeezers.:jester:
Skip 2

Maybe the Morse's can sell some of that illegal meat they shot which was against the law.You know were they pay a small fine and a slap on the wrist conviction.

[Moderator]

Let's get back on the topic of the Golf Fest admission fee.....

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

There should never be an admission price to visit vendors who are trying to sell their products to you. They should bear the total cost of all shows/ecents. Our only cost shoud be what we buy from them. Only in TV!

No, not only in TV. There are Golf Fest type demo days in many big cities up north, usually in the spring. There is always and admission fee. Same as a car show or home show.
I've worked at several of them and I can tell you that a lot of people just want to hit balls for "free". They figure ten bucks is a good price to hit balls all day long. Especially when they can hit them with expensive clubs that they'll never buy.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

My God its $10 if it is to much than just go to stores.

You don't get to hit balls outdoors at any store that I know of.

[hoopsterdad]

the villages knows how to generate the revenue. look at the full bar at the savannah center shows. they know what the people will pay for.

[John_W]

I went last year and paid $7 in advance and thought it was a real bargain for having the opportunity to hit so many of the new drivers. I didn't go this year because now my bag is set and I don't want to be lured into buying something I don't need. I probably would of never hit the Cleveland Black Driver, but I'm glad I did as well as Adams A4 Irons.


.

[graciegirl]

Here are some pictures of some of the kids.
Photo Album (http://www.tricountyjuniorgolf.org/photo_album.html)

[Bogie Shooter]

the villages knows how to generate the revenue. look at the full bar at the savannah center shows. they know what the people will pay for.

Was The Villages the ones that got the $10, or the promoter or the young golfers???

[graciegirl]

Was The Villages the ones that got the $10, or the promoter or the young golfers???


I HOPE the young golfers at least a share after expenses and the cut all promoters get..... I think there is a link here so someone can call and ask.Photo Album (http://www.tricountyjuniorgolf.org/photo_album.html)

I am quoting my own post as I was obviously leaping (again) to the wrong conclusions. The kids had a booth there? I didn't go. It seemed like an awful big undertaking for a local club.

[spk7951]

Was The Villages the ones that got the $10, or the promoter or the young golfers???


Not sure but the event host is Golfweek magazine who most likely rents the Polo grounds for the event.

[graciegirl]

Not sure but the event host is Golfweek magazine who most likely rents the Polo grounds for the event.

Now that makes sense. I didn't go and misunderstood and thought this small group of kids and parents sponsored this BIG event? The kids must have had a booth there, right?

Sorry I mislead everyone, not understanding Indydealmakers post.

It was Golfweek!

[Bogie Shooter]

I went to the Golf Fest web site and nothing is mentioned regarding any group benefitting from the event.

[Irishmen]

How bad a job Golfweek did where few know who sponsored the event.

[spk7951]

How bad a job Golfweek did where few know who sponsored the event.


Or maybe some just did not notice.
Golfweek's Golfest | Home | Ellington (http://t.golfweek.com/golfest/)

Golfweek also sponsored a Golfest in February down in Tampa. Cost of admission was $10.

[junction29]

A rip off. I will never pay that price again. It should be free. More peoiple would come and more sales made. I am not a happy camper. PS: I am not complaining. It is just the way I feel.

Totally agree, it was a rip-off.

Four of us went, paid $40 - FOR WHAT?

The main aim of the event was to encourage people to buy products, the exhibitors should have paid, just like they would at any other show.

Where exactly did the entrance money go - who beefited from it?

[Jim 9922]

I assume the profit went to the sponsors. I'd almost guess that The Villages organization received a nice rental fee for the grounds and there were probably clean up, lawn damage, maintenance and trash costs and crowd control fees to be paid etc etc. If it was run like any other "seller trade show" around the country, the vendors would have paid a fee to participate.
The entrance fee served two purposes; 1. sort out the non-interested (a benefit to the vendors who want to sell things, and make money too) and 2. Get what the traffic will bear. Judging from the size of the crowd, they succeeded very well on item 2.

Have an idea, work hard at it and make some money. The American way! I love it!:pepper2:
Totally agree, it was a rip-off.

Four of us went, paid $40 - FOR WHAT?

The main aim of the event was to encourage people to buy products, the exhibitors should have paid, just like they would at any other show.

Where exactly did the entrance money go - who beefited from it?

[villagerjack]

If $10 is too much, all you had to do was go to one of the Pro Shops and get a ticket for $8 prior to the show. My wife and I went and had a great time. We saw lots of "stuff" that you will never see at any golf store. I also found my next driver. Of course I won't buy it for at least a year when the prices come down and the next years model is out. There was a tent at the extreme north end of the show that had hand made wooden putters. If I hadn't just bought a new one, I would have got one there.

My wife looked at one with Mickey Mouse on it. It was $400.00

[villagerjack]

I assume the profit went to the sponsors. I'd almost guess that The Villages organization received a nice rental fee for the grounds and there were probably clean up, lawn damage, maintenance and trash costs and crowd control fees to be paid etc etc. If it was run like any other "seller trade show" around the country, the vendors would have paid a fee to participate.
The entrance fee served two purposes; 1. sort out the non-interested (a benefit to the vendors who want to sell things, and make money too) and 2. Get what the traffic will bear. Judging from the size of the crowd, they succeeded very well on item 2.

Have an idea, work hard at it and make some money. The American way! I love it!:pepper2:

Agree.It was worth the $20 spent. It is a yearly HAPPENING here at the Villages although in past years we had Annika Sorensen and Greg Norman and other notables.

[the bun]

next they'll charge us 10.00 per person for vender night.

[Indydealmaker]

next they'll charge us 10.00 per person for vender night.
And if a significant portion of the money was targeted to charity (like Golfest) I would be glad to pay it.