MELBOURNE 2016 MELBOURNE 2016
WELCOME TO THE CROWN ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX
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n behalf of my fellow AGCSA Directors I would like to welcome you to the 32nd Australian Turfgrass Conference and Trade Exhibition in Melbourne and ask you to join us in celebrating the 25th birthday of the association this week. The Crown Entertainment Complex will be called home for this ‘must attend’ event on the Australian turf industry calendar and I congratulate and thank you for making the effort to attend. The popular Monday workshops, which are presented with thanks to AGCSA Gold Partner Jacobsen, continue and we once again welcome David Bancroft-Turner to our shores. David’s presentations have been some of the most popular over the past three years, with some fantastic information and strategies on dealing with clubs and committees put forward. Prof. Fred Yelverton (North Carolina State University) conducts the other workshop and with his knowledge of weeds, in particularly the oft despised Poa annua, it will again be a must attend. An excellent range of speakers have been engaged for the week highlighted by the return of Cornell University turf guru Dr Frank Rossi. Frank was quite possibly the highest rating speaker to ever present in Australia when he last visited in 2012 and will no doubt create much discussion within the walls of Crown during the week. Ken Mangum and Stan Kostka round out the international speakers who will be ably supported by the cream of Australia’s turf presenters. An innovation this year is the introduction of specialised focus sessions on Wednesday which are available for all attendees, however, numbers
have been deliberately limited to ensure the quality of these forums. Not surprisingly these have been quickly subscribed and I’m sure all those who got in early will greatly benefit from these workshops. Once again the trade exhibition will bring together a broad range of turf related companies and the proximity to the education sessions will ensure exceptional interaction for exhibitors and delegates alike. The AGCSA thanks the trade for their support of this sell-out event and I encourage delegates to ‘do some business’ on the show floor. As always we are pleased to provide a forum for the sportsfield industry, turf equipment technicians and Society of Australian Golf Course Architects to conduct educational streams for their members and we welcome all those delegates to Melbourne. The 2016 AGCSA Golf Championship, sponsored by Toro, will be hosted by superintendent Adam Lamb at Barwon Heads Golf Club, with the stableford event hosted by Steve Hewitt at neighbouring 13th Beach. Both are very highly regarded and I am sure we will be provided with two wonderfully presented golf courses. The usual social events are also scheduled and the week promises to provide everything you could want in a conference. I have said this before, but if you can glean three new ideas to take back to your course to improve your operation then your attendance will have been worth it. Please enjoy the week and if you have any concerns please do not hesitate to contact me personally.
PETER LONERGAN PRESIDENT, AGCSA
32ND AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS CONFERENCE AND TRADE EXHIBITION Melbourne plays host to the 32nd Australian Turfgrass Conference which sees the AGCSA celebrate its 25th anniversary
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AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 18.3
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he Australian Turfgrass Conference returns to home territory in 2016 with Melbourne set to host delegates from 19-24 June. Traditionally one of the two ‘big’ conferences on the annual rota, this year is set to be a little different. The AGCSA is extremely excited to be staging the 32nd Australian Turfgrass Conference and Trade Exhibition at The Crown Entertainment Complex in Melbourne. The unavailability of the Melbourne Convention Centre, where the conference has traditionally been held, has opened up the opportunity to host the 2016 Melbourne conference within metres of the trade exhibition. This accompanied with Crown’s state-of-the-art and on-site conference, exhibition, accommodation and social facilities will ensure a fantastic week of networking and education as the industry gathers for one of its most anticipated events. The four day education programme will again kick off with the full day Jacobsen–sponsored