2020 Conference Program

Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

June 22 - 25, 2020

Day 1       Monday 22nd June

Day 1 of the Sports Turf Management Conference features 2 different all-day workshops sponsored by Gold Partner Jacobsen.
 Conference delegates can choose either when registering. 

Time

Workshop 1

Agronomy Workshop

Workshop 2

Management & Leadership

10.00am - 3.00pm

includes morning tea + lunch

Progressive Nutrient, Growth and Pest Management

Dr Frank Rossi

Management & Leadership Workshop 

9.00 am - 3.30 pm

includes lunch

Turf Technicans Shed Tour:  Peninsula Kingswood and Royal Melbourne Golf Clubs

                       Monday 22nd June                      6.30pm - Arrival and Pre Dinner Drinks

Sovereign Room, Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre

Day 2      Tuesday 23rd June

Day 2 of the Sports Turf Management Conference is a plenary session combining with attendees of the Golf Business Forum, where all delegates and exhibitors are invited to attend.

The conference plenary sessions will cover a broad range of content from keynote speakers and panel discussions focusing on sport & recreation industry updates, exploring the evolution of customer experience and hearing from a range of sporting governing bodies on managing facilities and developing leadership skills for delegates. 

Day 2 also sees the Turf Technicians Stream return to MCEC.  Please click here for the extended program

Time

Sports Turf Management & Golf Business Forum Plenary Sessions - Goldfields Theatre

Conference Opening and Welcome Address

Revitalising the Game - NBL & The Customer Experience

Jeremy Loeliger, 

Chief Executive Officer, National Basketball League (NBL)

9.15am - 10.00am

Leadership - Delivering Exceptional Experiences

Jaquie Scammell, 

Customer Relationship Expert, jaquiescammell.com

10.00am - 10.30am

The Customer and the Course

Brendan Allen, 

General Manager & Superintendent, The Hills Golf Club, New Zealand

Morning Tea

Insights into Sporting Facilities, Infrastucture and Participation

Fiona Broughton, Sport Australia

Driving Participation & Facility Development in Australia

Expert Panel Session - GA, AFL, NRL, CA

Integrating the Customer into Facility Management and Planning

Carla Armanet

Director Sport & Recreation - Centennial Parklands

Lunch & Trade Exhibition

Leadership in Sport

Keynote Presentation

VIP Trade Exhibition Opening

8.30pm - 1.00pm

                                                   Turf Technicians Stream                                                 

For full details of the technicians stream please click here

Day 3       Wednesday 24th June

Day 3 of the Sports Turf Management Conference breaks the Education Sessions into more specialised streams where full and day delegates can attend any session or workshop of thier choosing.

The conference education sessions cover golf, sportsfields & grounds, technicians, workshops and management topics and feature a combination of international and Australian researchers, sports turf managers from sportsfields, schools and golf courses, keynote speakers and panel discussions. 

Time

Golf

Sportsfields & Grounds

Management

Technicians

Workshops

8.30am - 9.15am

HIgh Performance Putting Surface Management

Dr. Frank Rossi

Guest Grounds Manager

Developing Effective Presentation Skills to Engange an Audience

Carmen Sederino

* Future innovations in Turf machinery

* Small Engine Maintenance

* Electric and/or Hybrid Small Engines

Integrating Field Assessments into Sporting Facilities

9.15am - 10.00am

Contamination & Biosecurity Responsibilities

John Neylan

Effective use of Wetting Agents on Playing Surfaces

Dr. Andy Owen

Morning Tea & Trade Exhibition

10.30am - 11.10am

Utilising Seaweed to Reduce Parasitic Nematodes

Dr Andy Owen

Developing a Fertiliser Program for Sportsfields & Grounds

Bruce Macphee + Tim Fankhauser

Building Effective Relationships in the Workplace - The Relationship between GM and Super

Eastern/RM/Kingston

* Multi purpose prime units care

Chris Stiig

* It's about you - Increasing your profile in the team

* Motor Maintenance and New Technologies

Research into Poa Annua Management and Control

Dr. Peter Boutsalis + Friends

The 2019 Presidents Cup

Richard Forsyth

Turfgrass Disease Management in Sportsfields

Dr Nathan Walker

Leadership: Coaching for Success

The 2020 Players Championship at TPC Tournament

TPC Program Attendees

Research into Green House Gas Emissions from Australian Sportsfields

Greg Dingle (Ph.D.)

Modern Leadership for Turf Managers

Ben Gibson

LUNCH & Trade Exhibition Seminars

Combined Final Plenary Session

Inspirational Speaker - Resilience in the face of Adversity 

AGM of the Australian Sports Turf Managers Assocaition 

ASTMA Members

Day 4       Thursday 25th June

Day 4 of the Turfgrass Conference, the final day of education, continues sessions in specialised streams, where full and day delegates can attend any session or workshop.

The conference education sessions cover golf, sportsfields & grounds, technicians, workshops and management topics and feature a combination of international and Australian researchers, sportsturf managers from sportsfields and golf courses, keynote speakers and panel discussions.  The final session of the conference will be an interactive talkback session with a team of sportsturf and industry experts answering audience questions on a range of sports turf management topics. 

Time

Golf

Sportsfields &

Grounds

Workshop 1

Workshop 2

 Turf Technicians Tours - West

8.30am - 9.30am

Turf Patch Disease Biology and Management

Dr Nathan Walker

Balancing Safety and Performance on Sports Playing Surfaces

Dr Frank Rossi

Sand Selection in Sports Turf Environments

Bruce Macphee & Industry Panel

Guest Speaker

Future Innovations in Turf Machinery for Golf Course Management

Revisiting Challenges in Sports Turf Management

John Marscaro

Morning Tea

Golf Analytics: Blending Technology with Instinct

Dr Frank Rossi

The Last 12 Months - Challenges and Successes - Delivering Despite Disasters

Sand Selection in Sports Turf Environments

Bruce Macphee & Industry Panel

Time Management 

11.40pm- 12.20pm

Irrigation Auditing 

Dr Gary Thomas

The Importance of Data - Understanding what the Numbers Tell you

Damien Hough

Couch - Establishment Methods and Tolerence to Drought

Dr Philip Ford

Multi - Use Venues

Panel Session

LUNCH

Turfgrass Talkback

Hosted talkback session with a team of Sports Turf and Industry experts. 

Interactive session with audience based questions on all areas of Sports Turf Management

Conference Farewell Bash - Sponsored by Greenway Turf Solutions