Attendees will come to STMA’s Midwest Regional Conference and Exhibition June 24-25 in Ames, IA to experience more than 12 hours of excellent education and networking opportunities.
However, equally as important to some attendees, there will be more than 6 hours in the outdoor Exhibition area, viewing the latest and greatest products and services from STMA National and Chapter Commercial members.
STMA hosted a Regional Conference in Philadelphia last year, but there was not an exhibition tied to that event. This will be the first event with an exhibition outside of STMA’s annual event held each January in many years.
STMA expects more than 40 exhibitors for the event (see sidebar for current exhibitor list), and the Exhibition will be open from noon until 6pm on Wednesday, June 24, with several hours dedicated to the Exhibition alone. However, it will be up to the exhibitors to stay open even later if they so choose. Exhibitors may remain open during the Bar-B-Que dinner and softball games, which are taking place in an area adjacent to the exhibition. These events run until 8pm, and Exhibitors may remain open, as long as they are able to move out of the area that night. This maximizes the amount of time attendees have to talk with their national, regional, or local distributor if they would like.
Exhibition rates are only $195 for STMA National Commercial Members and Commercial Members of the participating chapters. Each space comes with a table for display, two attendee registrations (STMA asks that any additional commercial members resister as attendees), and a sign displaying company name. Sponsorships are also available starting at very reasonable levels. If you are interested in exhibiting or sponsoring, please contact Patrick Allen, Manager, Sales and Marketing, at pallen@stma.org or 800.323.3875.
Other events on the 24th include tours of the Iowa State athletic facilities, Dr. Dave Minner’s sports turf specific research plots, and demonstrations on topics including irrigation, logo painting, workplace safety and back-injury prevention by an OSHA approved instructor. All of these events, except for the ISU athletic facility tour, will be taking place in areas that are in close proximity to the exhibition area. Education on the 25th will be at the Scheman Center, just northwest of the previous days’ events and will include many nationally renowned speakers. Larry DiVito, Dale Getz, CSFM, Brad Jakubowski, Dr. Andy McNitt, and John Netwal, CGCS headline what will be a day packed with useful tips and tricks for sports turf managers, crew, coaches, and administrators alike. Registration costs for the two-day event will are $75 for a member of STMA National or one of the eight participating chapters (Gateway, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, MO-KAN, Nebraska, Ozark, and Wisconsin) and $95 for a non-member. This price will include two days of education, entrance to the exhibition and demonstrations, and meals. Online registration is available at www.STMA.org.
STMA has negotiated reduced rates at two Ames hotels. The AmericInn and The Country Inn and Suites, sister properties less than a five minute drive from Iowa State, each serve a daily hot breakfast, and have rates starting at $79 and $89 respectively. Both properties are taking reservations at these special rates through May 27. Call 515-233-1005 for the AmericInn or 515-233-3935 for the Country Inn and Suites, and mention that you are with the Sports Turf Managers Association to get the negotiated rate.