The Sports Turf Managers Association’s (STMA) 24rd Annual Conference and Exhibition will be held Jan. 15-18, 2013 in Daytona Beach, Florida and will feature increases in all educational offerings made available to attendees. Nearly 1,500 sports turf managers – from high schools and parks districts to Major League Baseball and NFL groundskeepers – will converge on Ocean Center Convention Center for more than 90 hours of sports turf specific education, dedicated networking functions and exhibitor demonstrations. Keynote speakers for the conference include business leader and philanthropist Ian Hill, who will speak about the power of positive change and Nobel Peace Prize-winning climate change scientist Dr. Michael Mann. Additionally, the association’s newly introduced continuing education program “STMA Academy” will offer attendees higher level learning opportunities that can be built upon at each successive yearly conference.
“STMA is committed to the ongoing education and enrichment of sports turf managers across the country,” said Kimberley Heck, Chief Executive Officer, SMTA. “We are proud to continue building on the invaluable educational opportunities provided at our national conference and look forward to Daytona Beach in January 2013.”
STMA has increased the number of educational opportunities for conference attendees through the addition of several new tracks and the numbers of sessions and speakers. The number of educational tracks available now at conference totals 11, up from nine in 2012 and include Industry Developments, Professional Development, Facility Management, Agronomic, Synthetic, Water, Sustainability, Baseball, Pest Control, Construction, and Research. The addition of two additional tracks raises both the number of sessions (up to 72 in 2013 from 64 in 2012) and the number of speakers (up to 74 in 2013 from 55 in 2012). Additionally, the introduction of “STMA Academy” was born out of member requests for deeper educational opportunities pre and post conference; all sessions offer higher-level learning opportunities in hands-on, interactive workshop settings that can be built upon at future conferences and are included in the full registration price. As with all of STMA’s annual national conferences, CEUs will be awarded by a select group of leading industry associations including NRPA, NIAAA, ASBA, PLANET, GCSAA, IA, ASLA, and FNGLA. Those individuals wishing to take advantage of this opportunity can purchase a one day education and trade show package for only $140.
The association’s selection of Daytona Beach as its 2013 conference destination speaks to the city’s many strengths. Daytona has found its success as a year-round tourist destination because of its temperate climate, proximity to other popular Florida cities, and hosting of locations and activities of interest that are unique to the area including the Daytona International Speedway, Florida Tennis Center, Ladies Professional Golf Association International (featuring two championship courses, The Legends and The Champions), Tomoka State Park, and Halifax Harbor Marina.
For those of unable to attend the conference, STMA will also be offering the opportunity to view four education sessions online that will be featured on Wednesday, January 16, 2013. These featured sessions include:
“Making Plant Growth Regulators Work for You” – Thomas Serensits
“The Reality of LEED Certified Landscape and Site Management” – Larry DiVito
“3 Keys to Providing High Quality, High Traffic Athletic Fields” – Jerad Minnick
“Back To Basics: Getting the Most from Your Granular Fertilizers” – Brad Jakubowski and Dr. Tom SamplesRegistration to view the webinars will be $10 for each of the morning sessions and $20 for the three hour afternoon sessions. A majority of other conference education sessions will be recorded and made available for purchase following the conference at the association’s Web site, www.stma.org.