By Ray Smith, Exhibit City News
Checking his watch, Mike Boone figures he can easily down a quick one before tee time. After all, he’s playing in a charity tournament, the Randy Smith Memorial Golf Classic, and he’s never pretended to be an avid golfer, nor even a weekend hack.
He’s there to help the Randy cause, which is to succor families in the meetings and events industry in times of hardship. And take a few swigs between swings, chasing the little white ball around the course and hoping to drop it into the final hole before the sun goes down.
Some players like to make it interesting, placing friendly bets on the scramble scoring format, common in charity tournaments, where each player in a foursome hits their ball, then chooses the best shot to play from there.
“Boonie,” as he’s known in the industry, takes a different tack.
“Our scramble is more likely to have a bet as to how long before we see the beverage cart ladies come back,” jokes Boone, director of international business for Coastal International in Nashville, Tenn.
That’s the playful attitude shown in the plethora of golf tournaments sponsored each year by tradeshow industry associations, organizations and companies. They’re mostly about networking, meeting new contacts, building relationships.
Occasionally, somebody takes the game too seriously. They want that trophy for their office in the worst way.
“They bring in ringers not even in the industry,” Boone tells Exhibit City News. “I’ve seen Senior PGA Tour pros added to teams. Some of us laugh, as we play seldom, and just came to see our friends who are still with us and help other families in need.”
Despite ups and downs over the decades, golf has never lost its allure and importance. It’s prevalent in all strata of the tradeshow and events industry: associations that own the shows; facilities and management companies; general contractors; labor unions; and supply partners.
GIVING BACK
Charities play an important role in most golf outings held each year at prominent courses across the country. They benefit a myriad of causes, including scholarships, funding for industry association initiatives, and paying medical expenses for people in need.
The major tournament on the tradeshow tour, if you will, is The Big Randy, named in honor of Randy Smith. He was project manager for IDEAS exhibit house in Atlanta and died in an automobile accident on his way home from work in 1995, survived by his wife and two children.
In nearly 30 years, the Randy Smith Memorial Golf Classic has raised more than $2 million for distribution to distressed families in the tradeshow industry. The RSMGC board of directors reviews and decides who will become the beneficiaries of the tournament, having granted assistance to more than 200 families.
The Chicago Randy is coming up July 29 at Itasca Country Club in Itasca, Ill., and the 30th annual Atlanta Randy is set for Sept. 26 at Chateau Elan in Braselton, Ga. Registration for Chicago is $60 for dinner reception, $225 for golfer and dinner, and $900 for foursome and dinner. Atlanta fees are $75 for dinner, $250 for golfer and dinner.
In addition to registration fees, charity tournaments raise money through auctions and raffles, hole-in-one sponsorships, award dinners, alcohol sales, and company logos on social media.
TOO BUSY TO BE GOOD
Robert Laarhoven, past president of EDPA and member of the RSMGC board of directors, says most people are “too darn busy” working in the tradeshow industry to improve their golf game.
Hotshots on the course likely played when they were younger, guys like Matt Kleinrock, a college golfer at Jacksonville University and CEO of Rockway Exhibits. He’s won numerous tournaments, including the 2021 Atlanta Randy.
Some of the more skilled players form dominant teams, and they’ve been banned from playing together at certain EDPA tournaments.
“Most of us don’t go to tournaments to try to win,” adds Laarhoven, who retired as president of beMatrix USA in 2021. “At every one of these tournaments, there are one or two really good golfers that show up. For those groups, it’s very competitive. It’s kind of a mix of both.”
The broad intent, he declares, is to mix and mingle with people you compete against every day in business, but seldom find a chance to converse with them.
“We’re not competing that day. We leave our swords at the door, and that’s what it really is. Then you get to see their human side, people just trying to make a living,” the retired industry leader says.
SPREAD THE WEALTH
The Big Randy spawned other tradeshow charity tournaments around the country such as the EDPA Las Vegas Scholarship Golf Classic and the Southwest Chapter of IAEE annual charity tournament in Seal Beach, Calif., that benefits California Family Life Center. EDPA-sponsored fundraisers extend to bowling tournaments, trivia contests, and, for the last two years, the East-West Hockey Extravaganza in Las Vegas.
EDPA holds various regional tournaments, including the 51st annual Upper Midwest EDPA Golf Outing on Aug. 15 at Theodore Wirth Golf Course in Minneapolis, Minn.; and “The Classic” Northeast EDPA charity golf tournament on Sept. 9 at Cyprian Keyes Golf Club in Boylston, Mass.
Another popular tournament coincides with EDPA Access, the annual convention slated for Dec. 3-5 in Palm Desert, Calif., a golfer’s haven.
“In the bigger picture, it’s amazing to see this (Randy) last for 30 years with so many volunteers and sponsors passionate about being awesome people,” Boone says.
Like any sporting event, a certain amount of heckling is to be expected. It can be merciless, Boone admits.
“The one serious guy is fun to mess with for me,” he says. “We’ve had some dandies along the way, for sure. They blow up, like the pros do, when they blow it, and it’s 10 times funnier.”
The panacea is to laugh it off. To hell with the scores. Let’s have another beer.
