Tag Archive for: Open

SALTEX Registration Open

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SALTEX Registration Open: Registration for this year’s SALTEX, Europe’s largest annual groundscare exhibition, is now open and visitors will notice some notable improvements to the registration process. 

Visitor registration is an integral part of the customer journey and new for SALTEX 2019 event organisers have partnered with LiveBuzz – the largest registration specialist in the UK which is the preferred supplier for some of the world’s most prestigious events.

SALTEX Registration Open

Commenting on the new registration partnership, SALTEX event director Matthew Knight said: ““It’s important that our visitors, our exhibitors and their customers have the best possible experience at SALTEX. We are always aiming to make improvements to the show each year and following an open tendering process we appointed LiveBuzz because we want the very best in all aspects of the show.

“We are confident that our visitors will experience a best practice registration process – it will be smoother, more interactive and in addition there will be ten registration terminals at the show entrance meaning that visitors will gain faster entry.”

Taking place at the NEC, Birmingham on 30 and 31 October, SALTEX 2019 will feature over 300 exhibitors including some of the biggest names in groundscare. The two-day event will offer visitors a unique opportunity to experience the very latest industry trends and innovations, enhance their education and learn from industry experts.

The exhibition is the longest-standing event of its kind in the world, having been held almost every year since 1938, and the show is continually evolving with the people of the industry in mind.

This year the show floor will be bursting with everything a visitor needs to increase their efficiency and improve operations – and attendees can expect features such as:

  • NEW! Eco Village – live demonstrations purely dedicated to environmentally-friendly products.
  • Learning LIVE – SALTEX’s world-class free educational programme.
  • Pathology and Soil Science LIVE – a look in detail at the symptoms of turfgrass fungal disease problems.
  • SALTEX Innovation Award – celebrating the very best in new groundscare technology.
  • Ask the Expert – free face-to-face turfcare advice.
  • Outdoor Demonstrations – the latest products in action in an area directly outside halls 6,7 and 8.
  • SALTEX College Cup – land based colleges compete in an academic test of turf management knowledge.
  • Lawn Care Legends LIVE – a fantastic networking opportunity for landscapers and gardeners.
  • Job Clinic – free one-to-one sessions covering CV writing to interview techniques.

Registration is accessible through the SALTEX website and visitors can simply bring their email confirmation (on a phone or a printed copy to the registration desk) which will be located at the show entrance.

SALTEX 2019 takes place at the NEC, Birmingham on October 30 and 31.

For more information visit www.iogsaltex.com

Follow SALTEX on Twitter @IOG_SALTEX and Facebook – www.facebook.com/IOGSALTEX

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STRI Group Announce Open Day

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STRI Group Announce Open Day: STRI Group has announced that its annual research open days will take place on 25 and 26 September 2019.

The event, which takes place at STRI’s UK research and development facility in Bingley, West Yorkshire, offers an opportunity for sport facility managers, owners, groundstaff and greenkeepers to learn about and discuss the development of the latest products and technology for the sportsturf industry.

STRI Group Announce Open Day

Dr Christian Spring, research operations manager, said: “STRI Research Days are an excellent way to gain insight into the latest developments and thinking on tackling current and future turf management issues.

“STRI Research Days offer turf managers a unique opportunity to network with, not only fellow turf managers, but to view and discuss the latest developments in turf maintenance with turfgrass scientists and industry professionals. This is reflected in feedback from previous events, where those attending have valued learning about what is new and upcoming in our industry and to have an opportunity to discuss these ideas.”

Delegates will be taken on a tour around a range of live research stations by an STRI staff member. At each station, there will be a joint presentation on the research being undertaken delivered by a member of STRI’s research team and representatives from the sponsor company. There will be time at the end of each presentation for delegates to ask questions.

STRI Research 2019 attendees can look forward to a freshly prepared breakfast, lunch and refreshments at no additional cost, as well catching up with fellow sport industry professionals. A limited number of discounted rooms are available and will be provided on a first come, first-serve basis.

Places are filling up quickly so if you would like to book a place for 2019 please email enquiries@strigroup.com, call +44 (0) 1274 565131 or tweet @striturf and indicate which day you would like to attend.

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Open 2020 Prep Starts With Toro

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Open 2020 Prep Starts With Toro: The Open Championship is returning to Royal St George’s Golf Club in 2020, and the south coast club has chosen Toro irrigation to ensure the famous old course is looking its best when the world’s top golfers arrive in under two years’ time. 

The simple rationale which pushed course manager, Paul Larson, into lobbying for a Toro irrigation system, when the club made the decision to replace the existing 20-year-old one, was accuracy he says: “I want to irrigate in millimetres and not in minutes.”

Open 2020 Prep Starts With Toro

Now in place and guaranteeing the kind of accuracy Paul was after is Toro’s Lynx GDC system from Reesink Turfcare, an official Toro UK distributor. He says: “In fairness, the alternative system we looked at did offer the type of accuracy I was looking for, but while I could achieve three millimetres of water on a specific part of the course with one click of a button on the Toro system, the other system required some calculations and seemingly two or three clicks.”

Complete with pump and weather station integration and installed with a course map and Toro’s round-the-clock support in their handheld and NSN apps, the club’s adoption of the Toro system might not have been the case had Paul not given Rob Jackson, irrigation field sales manager at Reesink, the chance of a trial on a small patch of the golf course.

“I told Rob that I’d more than likely stay with the original system provider but that I was happy to learn of anything new as I like to be open-minded. And I’m glad I did. What I found was that Toro was easier, better and more suited to our course. I’ve had full confidence in the company and the system ever since. Everything has been first class,” revealed Paul.

“We have Infinity sprinklers on the greens, surrounds, approaches and fairways, which give us 360 degree spread, and we can control every head on every sprinkler individually. This morning I have had someone out taking moisture levels everywhere on the course and, for example, if we find a reading of 24 percent at the back of a green and a reading of 18 percent at the front we can set the sprinklers to level it out. My goal is round 20 percent,” said Paul who added that the tees have the FLEX B series, with main nozzle multi-trajectory adaptors. “Everything is just so easy to adjust; we are currently tweaking everything so that it will do exactly what we want.”

Paul continues: “The user friendliness means that I am able to sit with my tablet and control the system remotely, safe in the knowledge that we are irrigating the areas that require it and not wasting water by irrigating the rough or tee banks which was happening with the previous system.”

One area of the course which is benefiting greatly from the new system is the pathways, which now have over 1000 Toro 590G sprinklers with Precision Rotating Nozzles (PRN’s).

“Our paths were in poor shape,” says Paul. “We kept turfing them but it just didn’t last, so now we seed with a fairway fescue, something we can do because with the dedicated sprinklers we can keep them irrigated. It’s too dry down here for the paths to survive without it.”

Installation expert, Ocmis, was able to use most of the original pipework, just replacing all the joints and heads, with only a small amount of new pipework so disruption was minimised.

“The work was carried out over the winter and finished by early spring and by closing a hole at a time there wasn’t much disruption to the golf,” said Paul, who is looking forward to preparing the course for what is always a spectacular Open at Royal St George’s.

Club secretary, Tim Checketts, was part of the panel which had put in place a rigorous tendering process designed to ensure the club would identify the best new irrigation system for them.

“At the end of the process Royal St George’s Golf Club was quite clear that Toro’s irrigation system offered us the significant uplift in capability we had been looking for. We felt that Toro gave us the ability to use less water and target it precisely where we wanted it to go and in doing so the new system would support our strategy to encourage the growth of the finer fescue grasses while reducing the percentage of broadleaf grasses on the course.

“Ocmis was chosen as our preferred contractor recognising its track record in delivering major projects to cost and on time and its reputation for tidy and professional work. The company deserves great credit for completing this project despite the considerable challenges posed by the 2017/18 winter,” said Tim.

“As a result of this successful project the Club now enjoys the use of a highly capable irrigation system and we are well placed to ensure the delivery of the course in Championship condition for 2020.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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ICL Scholarship Applications Open

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ICL Scholarship Applications Open: Applications are now open for the ICL Continue to Learn Scholarship 2019.

Now in its third year, ICL and BIGGA are seeking five BIGGA members to take up the 2019 scholarship. The scholarship provides 15 hours of education from the Continue to Learn education programme, three nights accommodation, visiting the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition and also includes networking opportunities with fellow greenkeepers and the sponsor.

ICL Scholarship Applications Open

2018 recipient Daniel Ashelby, assistant greenkeeper at Wilmslow Golf Club, commented “Being an ICL Continue to Learn scholar is a very busy experience” he continued “The experience is very immersive and offers fantastic learning opportunities and is highly motivational to aspiring greenkeepers”.

Fellow 2018 recipient Simon Pyett, greenkeeper at Halesworth Golf Club, reflected that the scholarship has helped him to identify that he is “now certain that my passion for ecology and nature sit squarely alongside my passion for greenkeeping” he continued that he “would love to be at the leading edge of such an approach to greenkeeping going forwards”.

The application process invites applicants to consider why BTME and Continue to Learn are important to the industry, how it will help them achieve their career aspirations and why they should be awarded the scholarship.

Applicants should be full greenkeeper members of BIGGA and be CPD Active. To apply, simply scan the QR Code or visit www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ICL2019.

Applications close at 5.00pm on Tuesday 31 July 2018. The selected scholars will be announced in the October of Greenkeeper International.

It should be noted that the Scholars will be expected to meet the costs of their travel, meals and other personal expenses.

For further information about becoming CPD Active visit www.bigga.org.uk/education/continuing-professional-development.html

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk or www.icl-sf.ie if you are in Ireland.

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SALTEX Registration Open

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SALTEX Registration Open: Event organisers have announced that visitor registration for SALTEX 2018 is now officially open at www.iogsaltex.com.

SALTEX 2018, Europe’s largest annual event for groundscare professionals, takes place at the NEC, Birmingham, on 31 October and 1 November and visitors can now register their attendance for free via the newly-designed website.

SALTEX Registration Open

The new website has been built to provide the ultimate user-friendly experience with improved navigation and functionality throughout, allowing both visitors and exhibitors to access all the information they need in preparation for SALTEX 2018.

The site is compatible with many browsers and all mobile devices meaning that visitors and exhibitors alike will have easy access to the site and stay informed with the latest show news and exhibitor event previews. With over 230 exhibitors signed up to date, visitors to the website will see an extensive exhibitor list complete with individual profiles – each containing relevant information on products, services and show offers.

SALTEX Registration Open

Visitors will also be able to find out more about new and exciting show attractions as well as popular features such as Learning LIVE – SALTEX’s free and all-encompassing education programme; Outdoor demonstrations – which take place directly outside the SALTEX halls 6, 7 and 8; the SALTEX College Cup – a national student-led sports-turf challenge; Pathology & Soil Science LIVE – allowing visitors to look in detail at the symptoms of some common turfgrass fungal disease problems; Ask the Expert – a team of 10 IOG regional pitch advisors providing free pitch care advice; the Job Clinic –  a chance to receive specific career advice and find out all the latest job opportunities from industry expert Frank Newberry, and the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) 10th annual Industry Awards celebration.

SALTEX exhibitors will notice some improvements to the portal, which is an indispensable tool for maximising event presence and making connections with potential customers in advance of the show. All of the exhibitor forms, such as the Health and Safety Declaration and the Risk Assessment Form, have now all been digitalised, meaning that exhibitors can fill out the relevant forms online without having to print them off.

Visitors can register to attend SALTEX via the website – www.iogsaltex.com. Visitors will receive a confirmation email with their badge to print and take along to the show, to gain free entry.

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Nominations Open For IOG Awards

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Nominations Open For IOG Awards: Nominations are now open for the 2018 Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) Industry Awards, with 21 categories of entry recognising the passion, dedication and challenges faced by grounds staff in both grassroots and professional sports at clubs of every size and from all areas of the UK.

This year’s awards – the 10th in the series and being held on October 31 at the Hilton Metropole hotel at the Birmingham NEC, on the evening of the first day of SALTEX – includes the introduction of new awards and enhancements to existing categories.

Nominations Open For IOG Awards

To celebrate the anniversary, the IOG is planning some exciting changes to the awards event which has continually grown in status for acknowledging the achievements of volunteer and professional grounds teams, as well as community clubs and national stadia.

Commenting, IOG chief executive Geoff Webb says: “We are planning some exciting developments for the awards presentations to mark the 10th anniversary. We have added new categories and enhanced the entry criteria – opening up the awards to more potential winners from all sectors of society – at all levels of the sporting spectrum.

“The awards continue to provide the only national stage for the achievements of everyone involved in groundscare across all levels of sport – whether professional teams at stadia or, indeed, the lone volunteer groundsman at a small village club.

“Importantly, applications to every category are encouraged from Scotland, Ireland and Wales, as well as England.”

He adds: “These are the only awards for groundsmen that are judged by groundsmen, and we are lucky to have a dedicated group of volunteer judges with a range of backgrounds that encompass the diversity of the industry and profession today.

“Please take the time to nominate as you must know many deserving candidates and great examples of sports turf management at every level.”

The 2018 IOG Industry Award categories are:

  •  IOG Toro Most Promising Sports Turf Student of the Year
  • IOG Rigby Taylor/Top Green Young Grounds Person of the Year
  • IOG Redexim Charterhouse/AMS Volunteer Sports Grounds Person/Team of the Year
  • IOG National Governing Bodies’ Community Sports Club Grounds Team/Individual of the Year
  • IOG Public Sector Sports Grounds Team of the Year
  • IOG Bowling Greenkeeper/Team of the Year
  • IOG Best Managed Artificial Surface Award
  • IOG Ransomes Environmental and Ecology Strategy Award
  • IOG National Governing Bodies’ Professional Multi- Sports Ground/Facility
  • IOG Headland Amenity Professional Cricket Grounds Team of the Year
  • IOG Professional Tennis Courts Grounds Team/Individual of the Year
  • IOG John Deere Professional Horse Racing Grounds Team of the Year
  • IOG Professional Rugby Football League Grounds Team of the Year
  • IOG Kubota Professional Rugby Football Union Grounds Team of the Year
  • IOG SISGrass Professional Football Grounds Team of the Year – for English Leagues 1 & 2, National League, National League North/South, Scottish Championship & Leagues 1 & 2, Ireland & Wales Professional Leagues
  • IOG SGL Professional Football Grounds Team of the Year – for the Premier League, Championship and Scottish Premier League
  • IOG University/College Grounds Team of the Year
  • IOG Growth Products Independent School Grounds Team of the Year
  • IOG International Ambassador of the Year
  • The IOG Ransomes/DLF Johnsons Alex R Millar Award – to the person chosen as the outstanding winner across all award categories
  • IOG GrassMaster Solutions Lifetime/Outstanding Achievement Award.

To make nominations, visit www.iog.org/awards where you can also find full details of entry criteria for each award.

For information on how to sponsor an award, please contact Karen Maxwell on 0908 552 987 or email: kmaxwell@iog.org

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Charterhouse Open Day A Success

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Charterhouse Open Day A Success: Charterhouse Turf Machinery, in conjunction with dealers Ben Burgess GroundsCare, recently entertained over 80 groundsmen and greenkeepers at an open day at Thetford Golf Club.  The day featured a technical talk from the STRI and gave Turf Managers the opportunity to share best practices with other professionals in the industry, as well seeing a number of practical demonstrations from Charterhouse Turf Machinery and their products. 

Four stations hosted talks and demonstrations on all areas of surface maintenance including aeration, scarification and topdressing. Antony Kirwan, Course Manager at Romford Golf Club attended the event and added, “It was a very well organised and well attended event. Walking round the various stations, it was great to see a large range of machinery in action, not just from Charterhouse but also BLEC, Rink and Graden. The various presentations and demonstrations covered all areas of surface maintenance – I found it a very worthwhile day.”

Charterhouse Open Day A Success

Nick Darking, Sales Manager at Charterhouse TM added, “We had a superb day for it weathewise, and would like to pass on a big thanks to Ben Burgess for getting a great crowd together and helping to deliver a comprehensive and informative event.  We find these sorts of gatherings very worthwhile, not only being able to show what our products can really do, but also to spend some time just talking to our customers.”

For more information, visit: www.charterhouse-tm.co.uk

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FA Groundsman Awards Open

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FA Groundsman Awards Open: Each season The FA runs a nationwide competition to find the Groundsman of the Year.

Now in its 15th year, the Award was set up to recognise the contribution of these unsung heroes of the grass roots game and encourage the development of groundsmanship.

FA Groundsman Awards Open

These annual awards provide a great opportunity to recognise and reward Club Groundsmen at Step 7 (Kent County Premier Division) and below. The majority of football in this country is played at grassroots level, and quality pitches are therefore essential for the development of football at every level.

Grassroots groundsmen, the vast majority of whom are volunteers, play a huge role in ensuring pitches are in their best possible condition, week in, week out. The Awards were set up to recognise the contribution of these ‘unsung heroes’, who work in all weather, all year round, to make sure that thousands of matches can take place on a high standard of playing surface.

Any club wishing to nominate their groundsman need to complete the nomination form and return this to Darryl Haden, Football Development Manager at the Kent FA no later than Friday 2nd March 2018. Nomination forms can be submitted via email at Darryl.haden@kentfa.com or via the post to:

Darryl Haden
Football Development Manager
Kent FA, Invicta House
Cobdown Park, London Road
Ditton nr Aylesford
ME20 6DQ

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