SHOW RECAP
2021 STMA Conference and Exhibition
The Sports Turf Managers Association ’ s ( STMA ’ s ) first-ever virtual conference and exhibition was held virtually January 12-13 , 2021 ( with bonus conference continuing education on Jan . 19 , Jan . 26 , Feb . 2 , Feb . 9 , Feb . 16 , Feb . 23 and March 2 ).
The STMA Conference brought together the top academics , practitioners and professional speakers for industry education , networking and a virtual exposition hall .
The afternoon of January 13 featured a keynote from Pete Smith , leadership trainer for SmithImpact , titled “ Dare to Matter : How Sports Field Professionals Rise to Significance .” The keynote addressed the question of “ Where do I go from here ?” and Smith shared tips to increase ownership and accountability , implement a behavioral model that builds trust , and much more . The STMA Conference and Exhibition also featured networking , including special chat rooms for the Women ’ s Forum , international attendees , CSFMs , first timers , students , and more .
Throughout both days of the event , attendees were able to visit the virtual exhibit hall , view products and equipment , meet with booth staff , and get their questions answered .
Conference programming on January 13 wrapped up with the Annual Meeting and Awards . The new STMA Board of Directors was introduced and award winners were announced .
Some highlights of the 2021 STMA Conference and Exhibition are as follows :
On Tuesday , January 12 , the Conference kicked off with the General Session Town Hall addressing the state of the industry . A panel of experts , moderated by Andrew McNitt , Ph . D ., Penn State University , discussed the current climate of the sports field industry and how to best prepare to move forward successfully in 2021 .
Afternoon concurrent sessions on January 12 covered topics such as labor and budget , establishing cool-season turfgrasses from seed , turfgrass math , and MLB field operations .
The welcome reception began with a presentation featuring trivia , surprise guests and more , before transitioning over to the small group area to continue with the networking . The welcome reception was sponsored by Toro and Covermaster .
On Wednesday , January 13 , morning concurrent sessions covered topics such as soil tests , after-cut appearance , pest management and communication within an organization .
STMA STUDENT CHALLENGE WINNERS STMA Student Challenge winners were as follows :
2-year teams 1st Place : University of Maryland Team 2 Brandon Carbary , Ryan Geils
2nd Place : University of Maryland Team 3 Jarrett Maynor , Mason Hofmeister , Payton O ’ Connor
4-year teams 1st Place : University of Maryland Team 1 Tyler Johnson , Jacob Hess , Ben Word
2nd Place : Penn State University Team 1 William Covert , Kyle Masters , Ryan Thornton , Ben Rita
3rd Place : Iowa State University Team 2 William Stipanovich , Trevor Clawson , Bryce Hoyle
8 SportsField Management | February 2021 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com