Virtual reality: There's still time to check out IGCEMA virtual trade show

The live version of the IGCEMA Virtual Trade Show concluded Thursday, but you still have the opportunity to check it out without the live chat feature for another 90 days by going to the website www.virtualgolfshow.com. More than a dozen companies are participating, including John Deere Golf, Jacobsen and The Toro Co. That is a handful more than last year, and newcomer participants include Weidenmann and Speed Roller.

This is the second year for the virtual trade show, but the first time IGCEMA has partnered with GCSAA to make it happen. The association is helping market the virtual trade show.

The three days in which the virtual trade show featured the live chat received a passing grade from Stephen Tucker, IGCEMA chief executive officer, who is pictured above. He also is equipment manager for The Ritz-Carlton Members Club. Tucker said he plans for the virtual trade show to be back in 2012.

"Overall, I'm pleased with the way the event went, but overall we have a lot of work to do to get the event to reach our goals," Tucker said. "We are progressing and learning as we go."

The virtual trade show served as an alternative for those who can't attend their regular trade shows to see the products.

Tucker immediately noticed an increase in traffic at the website shortly after it opened Tuesday. Only a few hours after the show began, more customers entered the lobby area of the trade show than at the same time in 2010. "We averaged 50 concurrent users through the first two days of the event (between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST), which was good but tells us we have to work on more of the European time zones for next year," Tucker said.

There were, however, people from far away places who checked out the virtual trade show, and that pleased Tucker.

"We're seeing people from South Africa, Dubai and China log in to something we came up with and created and are taking advantage of it," he said. "I get a goose-bump feeling when we pull up those names from another country. That's huge for where we want this to go."

A new feature to make the experience appear more like you are at an actual trade show was the voice-over IP, in which you actually could talk to some of the exhibitors.

"We can't do anything about touch and feel, but we can integrate communication," Tucker said.