The Deep South Turf Expo

By Melanie Bonds, ATA Executive Director

In the fourth year since its inception, the Deep South Turf Expo is coalescing into a permanent fixture on the Mississippi Coast. Biloxi is a destination site with plenty of space for our Expo to grow at the Convention Center, and the Beau Rivage offers us an excellent host hotel. Additionally, we have recourse to several excellent golf courses and sports fields in the area. In 2018, the Expo dates proved a bit of a challenge, but the DSTE Board is seeking the best week in the future and hopes to get things on track with a permanent date for future Expos.

Tres Wilkinson passes the torch to Kim Byram, incoming ATA president

While Biloxi offers excellent opportunities to play – golf and gaming to mention a few – the crux of the Expo has been and always will be a great education program. Planning for last year’s educational program was intense as always, and we have been fortunate to have a committee of some of the most respected names in the turf industry, dedicated to finding us the best programs in the industry. Dr. Scott McElroy (Auburn University) headed up the committee last year and began confirming speakers immediately after January 1st, 2018. Our education committee, Drs. Scott McElroy (Auburn University), Bryan Unruh (University of Florida), and Jay McCurdy (Mississippi State University) put their heads together to hammer out a rough schedule early last year, and planning is already underway for the 2019 Expo. We want to welcome Dr. Dave Han (Auburn University), who will rotate on the education committee for 2019. Different ideas are bounced around with university colleagues to help determine what expertise best fits the topics important to discuss. We do encourage everyone to take a few minutes to fill out our online survey so we can be sure we are addressing our attendees’ needs. Stay tuned for developments on the 2019 program!

A busy trade show floor

At the 2018 Expo in November, we were fortunate to have BASF, Inc. sponsor our Keynote Speaker, Pat Jones. Pat, a veteran industry journalist, brought his crystal ball along and made a few predictions about the future of the turf world. His comments were insightful and spiced with humor.

l-r: standing: Ben Anderson, Tim Etheridge, Ben Williams, Heath Puckett, CGCS, Tony Culberson, Dr. James Jacobi l-r: sitting: Deven Peek, Joe Collins, CSFM, Kim Byram, Tres Wilkinson, Scott Wanzor

Another aspect of the keynote this year was a round table discussion between Dr. Scott McElroy, Dr. Jay McCurdy and Dr. Gerald Henry on weed management which was very wellreceived. This allowed the audience to join in with questions and comments and made for a highly entertaining and effective presentation.

Education Session

Following the keynote presentations was a lunch sponsored by Simplot and the trade show opened. The focus at the trade show was on our exhibitors and sponsors and they were wellrepresented this year. Not only was this an opportunity to see the latest offerings by a host of different companies, but also it was a great time to network with old friends and make new contacts. Kim Byram, President of the Alabama Turfgrass Association said he had made it his mission this year to personally greet and thank every exhibitor. What he didn’t allow for was the time it took to greet old friends on the tradeshow floor!

The grand finale was the Trade Show Reception sponsored by Jerry Pate Turf and Irrigation again this year. Thank you! We also want to thank Harrell’s for sponsoring a band to add to the ambiance at the reception, Regal for providing some fun contests on the trade show floor, and Bayer for providing a charging station as a convenience to the attendees!

While our first-class education program and our trade show are the heart and soul of the DSTE, the extracurricular activities provide an opportunity to network and relax. Since our golf tournament at The Preserve filled up last year, the Board decided to add a second, two-day Best Ball Tournament in 2018. This tournament began on Monday at The Preserve with a Fish Fry dinner. On Tuesday the Best Ball Tournament moved to Fallen Oak, while the Preserve hosted the Scramble. We were blessed with fine days for golf on the beautiful courses. Many thanks to John Deere Golf, Beard Equipment and Greenville Turf and Tractor for sponsoring the Best Ball Tournament and the Fish Fry. Also, we thank AmeriTurf who sponsored the Scramble Tournament again this year. We also appreciate Redox who provided the drink sponsorship! We are especially grateful to our hosts. Superintendents Stephen Miles, CGCS and Jeremy Stevens, and PGA Professional Chris Champagne have worked tirelessly with us on the Scramble Tournament for several years now, and this year Matt Hughes welcomed us at Fallen Oak as another great venue in the golf tournaments.

Other activities were held simultaneously on Tuesday. Keaire Edwards again hosted a sports field tour of Biloxi that included the Gulfport Sports Complex, Goldin Park and MGM Park, home of the Biloxi Shuckers. The Trap and Skeet Tournament was repeated this year at the Coastal Rifle and Pistol Club for the marksmen in our midst. We thank Corteva-Dow for sponsoring the shoot. Net Connection, Inc. came onboard this year to sponsor a great Past Presidents’ Reception for all the hosting organizations which include the Alabama GCSA, the Alabama Turfgrass Association, the Gulf Coast GCSA, the Louisiana/Mississippi GCSA and the Mississippi Turfgrass Association. Southern States also stepped up to sponsor a Breakfast for our Deep South Turf Expo Board.

An important component of the Expo is the opportunity for our host organizations to hold their Annual Business meetings and elections. We have scrambled to find the most opportune time for the meetings and following the trade show on Wednesday seems to be a good fit.

Thanks to everyone who supported the 2018 Deep South Turf Expo and made it a success!

Please visit www.DeepSouthTurfExpo.org for information coming soon about plans for next year’s educational schedule and events. Exhibitor Registration is open.