I can't imagine where we'd be if we had not participated in this year's PGA Show. Our little 5x10' booth at the very back of the convention center in the Inventor's Section, just outside the bathrooms was surprisingly a big draw as our exhibitor neighbors drooled over our often three-person deep traffic. It was simply amazing in so many ways:
1. Exposure
2. Education
3. Validation
4. Sales
5. Partnerships
The show exposed us to the entire golf world in a 3-day event placing us square in the middle of the golf industry in one fell swoop. The event gave us the opportunity to see and be seen by so many different types of players in the space, spreading our brand across a wide swath of golf heavyweights.
We learned so much from the show. Not only did we meet people who loved our products but we also had the opportunity to speak with industry leaders who provided key insights into the golf industry as well as advised us on how to navigate this complex world we decided to join only a year ago.
And talk about validation, so many people told us how much they love our products and brand. Compliments poured in such as; "it's about time, we've been waiting for something like this for years", "it's so new and innovative", "there's nothing else like this on the market", "the quality is top notch", and my personal favorite as an inventor and product manager, "you're solving real problems that EVERY golfer has"! And it didn't hurt to be voted top 6 innovative product of the year by a highly esteemed group, the Signature Golf Products team including David Leadbetter, Kevin Harrington, Carolin Pinegger, Santiago Mari, and the Locker brothers (Derek & Mike) who we had the opportunity to pitch in front of on the main stage.
We had tremendous sales as well, with people asking to buy our products on the spot and then coming back to our booth the next day wearing our products and telling us what a great purchase they were and that we should raise our prices!
And finally, partnerships. The amount of interest in working with The Byrd is truly amazing and humbling. In the first week after the show we fielded several requests for partnerships that will not only help us grow but also provide us with valuable support in building our new little startup into thriving business and brand.
Thank you PGA Show 2024, it was a great event for The Byrd Golf team.