The 2012 Denver Golf Expo didn’t set the record for attendance that event officials were hoping for, but certain aspects of the show achieved new standards.

Attendance for the three-day Expo that ended Sunday at the Denver Merchandise Mart totaled 10,519, which is the third-highest number ever, but still down more than 2 percent from last year. The record for attendance came in 2008, when 11,202 people passed through the doors.

But the CGA/CWGA Used Club Sale, a mainstay of the Expo for years, set the standard for the amount of money the initiative raised for junior golf developmental programs. The sale netted about $16,000, twice what it did a year ago. In fact, it brought in more money than the program did two years ago at two Golf Expos combined — Denver and Southern Colorado.

“It was a really good year,” said Eric Wilkinson, director of junior competitions for the CGA. “I was talking with Ed (Mate, the CGA’s executive director) beforehand, and we thought $15,000 would be a home run, and we got a thousand more than that. We’re very, very happy.”

Mate said many people made the program a success.

“We want to thank all of the donors and our friends at the PGA Tour Superstore who supported our efforts this year,” he said. “The spirit of this event is to give back to the game. Everyone has old clubs they no longer use, and this event turns that equipment into real money for our programs to bring golf to kids who might not otherwise have that opportunity.”

An early effort to advertise the program, combined with donated equipment being accepted at the PGA Tour Superstore, apparently paid big dividends. The CGA and CWGA even encouraged attendees of their November awards brunch to bring in clubs and bags for the Used Club Sale.

“The keys are the quality of equipment and the amount, and the CGA knocked it out of the park in getting equipment this year,” said Mark Cramer, who owns and manages the Denver Golf Expo with his wife Lynn.

Meanwhile, the Junior Golf Experience, an interactive exhibit in which kids can receive instruction from Colorado PGA professionals and play interactive games, drew about 600 youngsters at the Expo — about 50 more than last year.

As for the Denver Golf Expo overall, Cramer was hoping for higher attendance, but said an unusually cold Saturday, when the high temperature in Denver didn’t even reach 20 degrees, may have had an impact. He also speculated that some snow in the Monument Hill area might have kept several hundred people away who otherwise would have considered coming up from areas further south.   

“I really came in confident that we had a legitimate shot at breaking 12,000, but my crystal ball broke in about 1986, so you never know,” Cramer said. “You might think you have a feel, but you can’t plan for 19-degree weather and a dusting of snow.

“We ended up with the third-largest attendance ever, so with a day that was 19 degrees and snow flurries, it’s OK.”

One change the Expo made for this year proved “phenomenally successful,” according to Cramer. Because long lines sometimes developed at the entrance to the Expo in years past, in 2012 tickets were available in advance at King Soopers sites. The result was 2,200 tickets sold at the grocery store’s outlets.     

Though the number of exhibitors was down from 2011, Cramer said that all but two exhibitor booths were sold, and revenue received from exhibitors was up from last year.

Cramer remains confident that there’s still untapped potential for golf expos in Colorado. Through ever-expanding social media opportunities, he hopes to bring in more attendees in the 25-45 age group. In addition, Cramer said his commitment to bring back the Southern Colorado Golf Expo in Colorado Springs remains strong. That Expo was held in 2010, but lost its building later that year.
 

As longtime manager of the Denver Golf Expo — along with his wife, Lynn — Cramer has witnessed plenty of ups and downs for the show in the new millennium. But last year the number of exhibitors and the general attendance perked up considerably, and Cramer believes 2012 could bring more of the same.

This year’s Expo is scheduled for Feb. 10-12 at the Denver Merchandise Mart (I-25 and 58th Ave.).

“At this point we’re way ahead (of 2011) on exhibit sales — and exhibit sales were great last year,” Cramer said Friday with less than a month to go before the show. “I have a very strong sense that it will rock this year. Personally, with what we’re doing this year, I think it will be a record year with record numbers. Things are coming back. Across the country, both exhibit sales and attendance is up at trade shows.”

In 2011, the Denver Golf Expo drew 10,749 people for three days, marking the second-highest attendance in the first 18 years of the show. The record is 11,202, set in 2008 before the economy tanked.

The Cramers have made a couple of logistical adjustments that they hope will make attending the show easier than it has been for some in recent years. Specifically, parking problems and long lines to enter the Expo should be less of an issue.

In addition to tickets being available at the door during the Expo, they’ll be pre-sold through TicketsWest at King Soopers stores for the first time. And parking-wise, Mark Cramer said a lot east of Washington Street will be available, and he’ll have two buses shuttling customers to the entrance from that lot and the front of the Merchandise Mart.

“I know some people couldn’t find a parking space (in years past), so they just left,” Cramer said. “I’m hoping this will be a lot more convenient.”

In addition, Cramer hopes to reach new customers this year by adopting some of the recommendations of Golf 2.0, a major initiative of the PGA of America designed to grow the game on a variety of fronts.

“We’re reaching out to a lot of new demographics in areas and places where they’ll be viewing it,” Cramer said. “We want to get new and occasional players to come to the Expo, so instead of them playing once or twice a year they’ll play five to 10 times a year.”

Again this winter, the top golf associations in the state — including the CGA, CWGA and the Colorado PGA — will play major roles at the Expo. The Colorado Junior Golf Experience, an exhibit that exposes kids to golf in a hands-on way, will be a big draw for youngsters. And older customers can get free 10-minute lessons from Colorado PGA professionals. There’s a large area to test out clubs, and, of course, there will be plenty of merchandise for sale.

The CGA and CWGA will conduct their Used Club Sale, which will benefit junior golf developmental programs. The associations have been — and will continue to be — soliciting club donations for the sale. Last year, the initiative raised more than $8,000 for the junior programs.

Throughout the Expo, the Colorado PGA, CGA and CWGA will conduct free seminars on a variety of topics — everything from game-improvement and fitness tips to use of the belly putter to boning up on the Rules of Golf, and making getting started in golf a better experience for women. Seminars will begin at 10 a.m. daily.

“The lineup for the seminars is exceptional,” Cramer said.

Tickets for the Expo will run $12 for those age 13 to 49, and $10 for those 50 and older, as well as military and veterans with I.D. Kids 12 and under will be admitted free.

Cramer was planning to also hold a Southern Colorado Golf Expo in Colorado Springs this year — as he did in 2010 — but things didn’t fall into place in time to put together a high-quality show. But he said “there will be (a Southern Colorado show) in 2013 for sure.”