Networking, Team Building at Show
Matt Liebler, PGA, Director of Golf Operations at Princess Anne Country Club in Virginia Beach, Virginia, uses the PGA Show for networking, sourcing new products from companies he doesn’t see elsewhere, and for team building. He knows planning and preparation – which includes knowing the schedule of all daily events — is of the utmost importance to take advantage of everything the Show has to offer.
“Aside from the networking and team building, we are looking for innovative, ‘outside of the box’ enhancements for our programs and operation at the PGA Show,” notes Liebler, who will be taking a team of six PGA of America Golf Professionals to his 17th PGA Show.
“Our team meets several times leading up to the Orlando trip to prioritize and plan our approach. Responsibilities are assigned based on each team member’s specific duties within our operation. We like to mix business with fun and allow our team to let their hair down a little. It’s important they enjoy the experience.”
Liebler has reduced the number of formal appointments he makes at the PGA Show, but attends as many special events as possible, while encouraging his staff professionals to attend PGA Show Education sessions and industry presentations.
“Scheduling fewer appointments lets me be more flexible with my time and allows me to accomplish as much as possible,” explains Liebler. “Our team has a debriefing each evening and I schedule a block of times with each Associate Professional to walk the floor with them to see their highlights.
“Networking with other golf professionals and industry leaders at the special events is one of my favorite things to do. The PGA Show offers such a great opportunity to utilize the amazing resources we have in our industry, particularly from an education standpoint. Our team members are required to choose at least one education event that is of interest to them to attend. Each team member is then responsible for giving a presentation to the rest of the team highlighting what they learned.”
Stars of the 2025 PGA Show
The leaderboard of special events, PGA Show Education sessions, more than 1,000 exhibiting companies and brands, myriad specialty pavilions, and a litany of networking and career development opportunities will share the marquee as “Stars of the Show” for the 2025 PGA Show.
The special events begin with the biennial PGA Teaching & Coaching Summit that precedes the PGA Show proper on Sunday and Monday, Jan. 19–20 (see page 112 for more). On Tuesday of PGA Show Week, it’s the annual PGA Show Demo Day at Orange County National Golf Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (see page 98 for more); the AGM Retail Conference at the Orange County Convention Center (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), followed by the AGM Product Preview Reception at 5:15 p.m. (see page 148 for more)
The official PGA Show opening ceremony tees off three busy days of exhibitions and education sessions at 8:15 a.m. on Wednesday (Jan. 22), with doors opening to the PGA Show floor from 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. A PGA of America Golf Professional reception is scheduled for the PGA of America Industry Stage presented by CapTech at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, while the Welcome Reception sponsored by johnnie-O begins begins at 5 p.m. at THE l RETREAT in Hall E, followed by the always-upbeat PGA Show Fashion Show at 5:30 p.m. to round out the Wednesday events.
PGA Show Education sessions and PGA Show exhibits run throughout the day on Thursday, Jan. 23, followed by the second PGA Show Winter Jam concert featuring THIRD EYE BLIND at 6 p.m. on THE l RETREAT stage in Hall E of the Orange County Convention Center (see page 110 for more). PGA Show exhibits are open from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24, with PGA Show Education sessions and presentations on the PGA of America Industry Stage presented by CapTech running from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
All-Star Lineup of Companies
With more than 1,000 leading golf companies and brands setting up shop amid the 12 miles of aisles on the PGA Show floor, PGA of America Golf Professionals, industry professionals and VIP buyers will need to organize their time efficiently to visit all the booths at the 2025 Show.
Companies such as 7Diamonds, aboutGolf, Ahead, Ashworth, Bad Birdie Golf, Black Clover, Blue Tees Golf, Bobby Jones Sportswear, Bridgestone, Bushnell, Callaway Golf, Callaway Golf Apparel, Club Car, Cobra-Puma, Donald Ross Sportswear, Dunning, Eastside Golf, E-Z-GO, Faherty, FootJoy, Foresight Sports, Full Swing, Garmin, GN Collection, Golfzon, Golf Forever, Greyson Clothiers, Harlestons, Holderness & Bourne, Imperial, johnnie-O, KJUS, and Levelwear will be showing off their latest products.
Malbon Golf, Mizuno, Nike, Original Penguin, Ping, Pukka, Skechers, Srixon/Cleveland, Straight Down Clothing, Sunice, Technogym, Titleist, Toptracer Range, Tourism Ireland, Trackman, True Linkswear, Under Armour, Uneekor, U.S. Kids Golf, Vice Sporting Goods, Vineyard Vines, Visit Scotland, Volvik, Wittek Golf Supply, XXIO, Yamaha and many other leading brands also will be displaying their products and taking orders at the 2025 PGA Show.
“The thing I really love about the PGA Show is that we get to see so many new products and get to meet new people in the industry,” says Pam Storz, PGA, Head Professional at The Landings at Lake Oconee Golf Club in Georgia. “Every year, we see many items we have never seen before. Some of these companies are just getting started and they don’t have reps to visit us in person, so meeting them at the PGA Show is our only chance to see and order their products.”