“There are always obstacles, but we had a unique set this year,” Cramer said the day after the Expo wrapped up. “But that’s my job to make it all run smoothly and to kill all the alligators behind the curtain.”
Despite those “alligators,” the Denver Golf Expo set another record for attendance, drawing 11,202 — 612 more than the previous record, set last year.
It was a good sign that on Friday morning, when the Expo opened, there was a line of people stretching out to the parking lot waiting to get into the Merchandise Mart entrance.
“I don’t like to see people waiting out in the cold, but I think it shows the value that we give back (to Expo attendees),” Cramer noted on Friday.
Cramer said he found out Jan. 22 or 23 that The Sex Show was booked at the Merchandise Mart the same weekend as the Golf Expo. Suffice it to say that Cramer was not happy.
“You don’t match those things up,” he said. “I went ballistic. I called the (Colorado Golf Association) and the PGA and apologized, and told them that if they had to pull out, I understood. (The CGA and Colorado Section PGA didn’t change their plans to participate.) It was a very, very bad decision (to pair up the two shows), but we got through it” after some changes agreed to by Merchandise Mart officials.
There was no avoiding a few jokes about the matter — it was ready-made for a couple of one-liners by CGA Tee-Off Luncheon speaker Tom Green, for example — but it didn’t turn out to be a major issue.
Then there was the large sinkhole that took shape on northbound I-25 at 58th Ave., the day before the Expo was to open. The situation left the 58th Ave. northbound exit closed all three days, forcing many of the Expo attendees to find far more circuitous routs to the Merchandise Mart.
“Even with the sinkhole they came,” Cramer said, noting that the Expo received some additional exposure from the Denver TV stations because of the Expo’s proximity to the huge hole on the freeway.
Inside the Merchandise Mart, there were less curveballs — aside from the golf balls being hit into the indoor nets by some high-handicappers. The main thing that rankled Cramer was the lower-than-expected participation by club manufacturers in the club demo area.
“That’s embarrassing to me,” he said. “I’ve been doing these kinds of shows for 26 years and I like to deliver more than I say I’m going to deliver.”
But all things considered, Cramer was happy with the outcome of the Expo, especially given what event organizers overcame.
“Lynn and I are on Cloud 9 — exhausted, but incredibly blessed,” he said. “With all the obstacles thrown up to us, so many people found a way to get there. And our exhibitors were so positive and supportive.”
Next year, Cramer and youth organizations plan to have more of a presence conducive to junior golfers. This year, the CGA netted a record $12,500 for its youth developmental programs via its golf swap, where people donate and consign clubs and other items that are sold. Open Fairways — a non-profit organization dedicated to improving lives of at-risk children through the game of golf — also had a presence. But Cramer would like to see more juniors in attendance at the Expo than has been the case.
“We have to give them more to do,” he said.
Overall, with the number of rounds of golf played in Colorado having leveled off, Cramer would like the Expo to be a major player in helping grow the game in the state.
“Denver is getting a reputation as one of the best golf shows in the country,” he said. “We’d like to provide the platform where people can come together and help the game in the state. The bottom line in getting that done is having more rounds played. We need to provide lessons, seminars, better technology and other tools to help people improve their game. I want people to be as addicted to golf as I am.”
