Golf tournaments are a driving force behind promotional products sales at Midwest Single Source Inc., a 27-year-old distributorship in Wichita, Kan. "Tournaments are really what got us into the promotional products business seven or eight year ago," says John Osborne, the firm's president and CEO. Promotional products for tournaments held by universities, financial institutions, hospitals and non-profit organizations account for approximately 40 percent of the distributorship's promotional products sales.
Golf tournaments present lucrative sales opportunities for distributors because hosts often order large volumes of products to distribute to participants and attendees. Tournaments often require less creativity than other events, Osborne says. "You know it's going to be a sporting event, and you know the products you should sell," he says. "The selection process is easy."
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Golf tournament participants need more than balls and clubs. Offer golf bags, golf club headcovers, umbrellas, towels, divot tools, bag tags, shoe bags, tees, rain gear, divot tools, scoring pencils, water bottles, sunscreen, trophies and more.
Photo courtesy of Ball Pro Promotional Group, Minnetonka, Minn.
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Golf balls can cost anywhere from $10 to $60 a dozen, but some distributors make the mistake of showing clients only the cheapest options, says John Osborne, president and CEO of Midwest Single Source Inc., a 27-year-old distributorship in Wichita, Kan. Many clients are willing to pay a higher price for quality, he says.
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The promotional products industry produces a wide variety of items that can be used in golf tournaments, including imprinted golf balls and tees, golf bags, towels, divot tools, bag tags, golf apparel, scoring pencils, golf clubs and headcovers, gloves, sunscreen, water bottles, umbrellas and rain gear, bee-sting swabs, golf awards and trophies, and more. In fact, sales of promotional sporting goods, leisure goods and travel accessories grossed more than $714 million in 2000, according to Promotional Products Association International.
Golf tournaments also offer distributors sales opportunities for other printed products. For example, a distributor providing golf balls for a tournament also can provide registration forms, programs, scoreboard sheets, signs, banners and other promotional materials. Distributors also can design print advertisements for local newspapers and magazines.
Each spring, Midwest Single Source provides a local university with promotional products for its annual golf tournament. For previous tournaments, the distributorship provided the university with the same products—wind shirts and golf balls. But last spring, the university wanted to try something new.
Midwest Single Source provided the university with 250 dozen Titleist Pro V1 golf balls and 225 umbrellas. The white golf balls were imprinted in navy with the university's logo. The umbrellas featured alternating navy and white panels (the school's colors) and were imprinted in black with the school's logo. Each of the 225 tournament participants received an umbrella and a dozen golf balls as gifts. The remaining balls were sold at the university's bookstore.
—Kara S. Carpenter
Wildflower Seed Mix, Saplings, Flower Bulbs, Tree Starter Kits, Seeded Tree Stakes
Smokey the Bear, Georgetown, Texas, introduces its Smokey the Bear line of promotional products, including bags of hybrid wildflower seed mix; bagged Evergreen, Spruce and Blue Spruce saplings; red, white and blue flower bulbs; and starter kits for Red Maple trees, White Dogwood trees and Blue Spruce trees. Packaging includes an image of Smokey the Bear and a custom imprint. The company also offers seeded tree stakes that include Blue Spruce seeds and full-color images of Smokey the Bear. Stakes can include custom imprints. For more information, call (512) 863-8541. Visit www.smokeythebear.org.
Lenticular Products, Note/Scratch Pads, Paper Cubes,
iTSA Products®, North Mankato, Minn., introduces its 2002 product catalog. The catalog features Verge™ lenticular products, including spiral notebooks, magnets, coasters, bookmarks, rulers, mouse pads, phone cards/business cards, post cards and more. The catalog also includes scratch pads in a variety of new sizes and colors featuring new foil imprint designs and inspirational images and lower prices on iTSA Note® pads and note cubes, according to the company. For more information, call (800) 560-3598 or (507) 625-2594 (fax). Visit www.itsaproducts.com.
