InterFun Expo 2021

A look ahead to next year's InterFun Expo.

With the coronavirus pandemic affecting all areas of daily life and businesses around the world, the team at the InterFun Expo have moved the event to April 2021.

InterFun Expo is open to anyone in the business of providing fun activities for families and friends. The event has a wide-range of trade exhibitors and expert speakers from the industry including family entertainment centres, arcade games, aerial adventures, minigolf, VR, tenpin bowling, interactive surfaces, edutainment, laser tag, table games and more a lot more.

I'm really looking forward to attending and speaking about minigolf and competitive socialising at the InterFun Expo next year.

I was due to be speaking at the event this week. I can't wait for the 2021 event

The InterFun Expo takes place at New Dock Hall in the Royal Armouries complex in Leeds on the 27th and 28th April 2021.

You can find out more and register for your free ticket on the InterFun Expo website.

You can read my blog about keeping active, social and competitive in the new world of physical distancing at 'Competitive socialising in isolation'.

Out to Play exhibition at the Manor House Museum in Kettering

A visit to the Out to Play exhibition at the Manor House Museum in Kettering.

While in Kettering last week we called in to the Manor House Museum in the town centre as we'd spotted a poster for the Out to Play exhibition there.

We're big fans of museums, sports and games and it's always interesting to see different displays and exhibitions.

Kettering is home to the famous Wicksteed Park and the exhibition included a number of items from the amusement park.

It was nice to spot something minigolf related on display.

There were a lot of postcards used in the exhibition.

A nice old postcard of Wicksteed Park

Visit the Manor House Museum website for more information.

Our main reason for being in Kettering was to play the indoor Adventure Golf course at the New York Thunderbowl, our 900th course visit in the British Isles.

There is a Crazy Golf course and a Putting Green at Wicksteed Park and it's on our to visit list when the weather is nicer.

HM Adventure Golf at the NEC

While at the Family Attraction Expo and Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show at the NEC I swung by the HM Adventure Golf stand.

I've played one of HM Adventure Golf's modular minigolf courses at the Palace Fun Centre in Rhyl. There's also an indoor Adventure Golf version of it at the Blackpool Tower that we've yet to play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The first hole of the indoor minigolf course in Rhyl

Having a minigolf layout on an exhibition stand is a brilliant way to engage delegates and entertain visitors.

Art Attack FX and GlowGolf

It was great to chat to the Art Attack FX team at the Family Attraction Expo and Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show in Birmingham.

I'm a big fan of UV / glow-in-the-dark minigolf and enjoy playing them on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

My brother and Charter Member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Christopher has played one of Art Attack FX's GlowGolf creations in Amsterdam.

Time Machine GlowGolf in Amsterdam

As well as miniature golf courses Art Attack FX also create laser tag arenas, mini bowling alleys, play systems and more.

Exhibition minigolf at the NEC

Playing the Marsh Industries hole-in-one challenge minigolf course.

I've been down in Birmingham attending the Family Attraction Expo and Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show at the NEC today. On my way out of the exhibition I was surprised and pleased to find a very nice 3-hole minigolf layout on the Marsh Industries stand.

I had so much fun playing the course and chatting to the Marsh Industries team on the stand I almost missed my train home!

I didn't manage to get an ace with my first three goes to enter the prize draw. But I did get a hole-in-one on my fourth go.

Having a miniature golf layout on a trade or exhibition stand is a brilliant way to engage delegates and entertain visitors.

Check out the Marsh Industries website for more info on what they do.

The second and final day of the shows is tomorrow, Thursday 7th November. Find out more on the Family Attraction Expo and Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show websites.

North Korea Exhibition in Wigan

Visiting the North Korea, An Exploration exhibition at The Old Courts in Wigan.

Last Friday we went along to the opening night of North Korea, An Exploration - an exhibition by our friend Dylan Harris from Lupine Travel. The exhibition is a showcase of a selection of rare propaganda posters and artifacts collected by Dylan from his travels to the country. There were some very interesting items and photographs from his collection on display.

Welcome to Pyongyang!

North Korea, An Exporation is open at The Old Courts in Wigan until the 30th September.

Poster from North Korea's participation in the 2010 World Cup

  

We bought a set of postcards

A book on Kim Jong Il

Also at the exhibition opening party was photography from Sandra Ratkovic's very interesting and colourful Moscow project.

Visit the Lupine Travel website for more information on the tours they organise. It's not just North Korea you can visit with them either, as they operate tours to other far-flung places including Chernobyl, Transnistria, Eritrea, Chad, Iran, Iraqi Kurdistan, Antarctica and more!

On Dylan's 2015 trip to North Korea he and his party competed in the first-ever Pyongyang Minigolf Open Tournament! Check out the blog post Mini Golf in Pyongyang, North Korea for more information and photos of the course, said to have been in Kim Jong Un's personal residence before he gifted it to the North Korean people and had it moved to its current location.

North Korea's first Miniature Golf course

The Pyongyang Minigolf course and red velvet covered bench in the centre where it is claimed Kim Jong Un sat while he directed the workers on where to place each hole

Links:
- Lupine Travel
- The Old Courts

Related blog posts:
- Wigan
- Mini Golf in Pyongyang, North Korea

The Golf Show by American Golf at Event City, Manchester

A visit to the American Golf Show in Manchester.

This afternoon Emily and I swung into day one of The Golf Show by American Golf at Event City in Manchester. We're glad we did as there were plenty of putting opportunities. And Golf Darts!

Minigolfing Adventurers at our 729th course!

First up was a round on the TomTom Sports Adventure Putting course. The 6-hole layout became the 729th course we've visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. It's the 702nd we've been to in the UK and the 429th we've played since our minigolfing travels began in 2006.

Emily playing hole 1 en route to victory on the Adventure Putting layout

In our minigolf match-up Emily picked up the win 13-14 and landed a spot in tied second place on the leaderboard.

Next we had a go on teeofftimes.co.uk's incredibly lengthy Long Putt Challenge.

Emily putting on the loooooooooooong putt challenge hole

While neither of us managed to ace it, we did get close.

The elevated green on the Long Putt Challenge hole

We then noticed the giant inflatable Dartboard at the end of the hall. It looked brilliant.

I need a bigger back garden so I can get one of these dartboards!

The team at Golphin had set-up the Golf Darts game to promote their training programme for youngsters and I must say it was a great way to get non-golfers into giving the game a go. A fine crossover sport.

In our match-up I overturned the minigolf defeat to Emily by scoring 53 with my five chips/throws to her 0!

Emily on her way to five 'throws' out of the board!

We then had to go back to the Adventure Putting for another round. This time I picked up the win 13-14.

More minigolfing

Finally I stepped up to have a go on the Pressure Putt Challenge in the Skills Zone.

The Pressure Putt Challenge was tough

The tricky charity putting challenge saw me attempted to sink a succession of putts from two-foot intervals. It's a lot more difficult than you think. Especially when you're against the clock.

If you miss any of your putts you have to return to the first two-footer and work your way back. I finished on the 8 foot mark, which wasn't too bad. Good fun for the £2 charity donation to the On Course Foundation.

Check out our videos from the event on YouTube.

The Golf Show at Event City is on until Sunday and tickets are free. Book your place online via the American Golf website.

Three weeks ago today we were in Wrexham for another one of American Golf's free events - the Adventure Golf Pairs Championship. Peter Jones and I won the regional qualifier at Clays Golf Centre and will be playing in the Grand Final at The Belfry in September.

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

Putting Edge portable minigolf

Playing the Putting Edge portable minigolf course at Prolific North Live 2017.

The team Putting Edge minigolf were exhibiting at Prolific North Live 2017 at EventCity in Manchester so I got to play minigolf while wearing both my @putting_gott and @marketing_gott hats!

The Putting Edge minigolf course gets the thumbs-up from me - even if David from Putting Edge had made the second hole very very tough indeed!

The tricky little 2-hole Putting Edge minigolf layout was the 722 visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the 423rd played since September 2006.

I really liked the ramp and jump on the first hole - I shot a few aces on it

Admittedly I had a fair few goes on the course (probably enough to constitute a full round of 18-hole), but by the time I left I'd equaled the day's low score of 4, with an ace and a three. The long dog-leg second hole was nigh on impossible to get a hole-in-one on.

On the leaderboard

Check out the Putting Edge website for more details and do get in touch with David to find out how he can help make a difference to your event, function or exhibition space.

David and the team at Putting Edge can tailor the obstacles and branding on the course to suit your needs 

Check out the video of me scoring a hole-in-one on the first below.

The king is dead. Long live the King of #minigolf @putting_gott #PNLive pic.twitter.com/BGu4dmcIwa

— Putting Edge (@puttingedgeltd) February 15, 2017

Links:
- Putting Edge
- Prolific North

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Portable Minigolf

Video:
- Hole-in-One on the first

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

Trade On Tap Hole-in-One challenge at CIH Housing 2016 Exhibition

Trade On Tap (Plumb Center and Parts Center) Hole-in-One challenge at CIH Housing 2016 Exhibition.

The Plumb Center and Parts Center stand was a Mini Golf hole!

I was recently at the CIH Housing Exhibition in Manchester and wouldn't you know it - there was a Mini Golf hole there!

Needless to say - I nailed my first shot

And won all this merch!

One of these is headed to Martin Vallance's MASSIVE collection of logo golf balls

Putting courses and obstacles are a popular gimmick at trade shows and exhibitions. Way back in May 2007 I played an UrbanCrazy minigolf hole at the International Direct Marketing Fair at Earl's Court.

Links:
- Trade On Tap
- Chartered Institute of Housing

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Crazy about mini golf balls

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.