Learning LIVE

Learning LIVE 2019 featured a number of expert speakers including…

***PROGRAMME COMING SOON***

There are four dedicated seminar theaters running at the show. All sessions are free to attend – please click the session title to BOOK YOUR PLACE to ensure your attendance at your preferred sessions (registration limited to 3 sessions per day). Please note that there will also be limited seats available for each session, on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. However please don’t panic if you can’t book your place to listen to your preferred speaker as we will still be accepting walk-ins to all sessions on the day.

Featuring a number of expert speakers including…

Click on the picture to find out more about the speaker.

Theatre 1 – Wednesday October 30

TIME	SESSION	TITLE	SUBJECT	SPEAKER/PANELLISTS
10:00– 10:30	1	Groundscare in the Social Media Spotlight	How to deal with social media criticism to survive in a world of raised expectations	Gary Barwell, head groundsman, Warwickshire CCC; Neil Stubley, head of courts & horticulture, AELTC; Karl Standley, head groundsman, Wembley; Alex Latto, assistant head groundsman, BT Murrayfield
10:40 – 11:10	2	Creating Champions	The story of the grounds staff’s contribution to this summer’s biggest weekend of sporting success – from the ground manager’s’ perspective	Neil Stubley, head of courts & horticulture, AELTC; Karl McDermott, head groundsman, Lord’s
11:20 – 12.00	3	Groundsmanship – Sport’s Vital Profession	If you want to find out the latest research findings of your industry – this is a MUST attend event. The IOG will present the results of its latest independent research that charts the changes, challenges and opportunities of the turf sector. Including a update on the IOG’s Grounds4Spor t initiative	Carol Doran, consultant research lead; Geoff Webb, IOG CEO;Nyree Ambarchain, Stand Agency
12:10 – 12.40	4	The UK’s Busiest Stadia	How grounds teams cope with multiple fixtures and multi-sports, often with very quick turnaround times	Karl Standley, head groundsman, Wembley; Ryan Golding, head groundsman, Leeds Rugby; Jim Dawson, head groundsman, BT Murrayfield; Stuart Wilson, pitch manager, Croke Park
12.50 – 13.20	5	Long-term Strategies for Natural Turf Pitches	The National Governing Bodies outline their forward-thinking strategies for the provision, improvement and maintenance of natural turf sport pitches	Ted Mitchell, national facilities manager, Rugby Football Union
13.30 – 14.00	6	Tennis Tactics	Planning, building and delivering world-class courts in record time, and lessons for those with budgets of every size	Danny Negus, head groundsman, Devonshire Park
14.10 – 14:40	7	Galloping Ahead	The challenges of managing three different racecourse surfaces	George Hill, clerk of the course and Jon Harris, estates manager, Lingfield Park Racecourse
14.50 – 15.20	8	UEFA Pitch Programmes	An update on the pitch support programmes led by Europe’s governing body of football	Lee Guerriero, UEFA Pitch and technology specialist
15:30		SALTEX COLLEGE CUP PRESENTATION

Theatre 1 Thursday 31 October

TIME	SESSION	TITLE	SUBJECT	SPEAKER/PANELLISTS
10:00 – 10:30	9	Managing Stress in the Workplace	Do you suffer from mental anxiety? If so, you’re not alone. Share your views and coping mechanisms with others in the industry	Karl Standley, head groundsman, Wembley; Graeme Farmer, pitch manager, Leicester City FC
10:40 – 11:10	10	Improving Pitches at Grassroots Level	GaNTIP team of regional pitch advisors share exciting progress and informative data collated from more than 6,000 pitches assessed and improved at grassroots level.	Jason Booth, IOG learning & technical director; Tom Rowley, GaNTIP key account manager (football), Ian Mather-Brewster, GaNTIP key account manager (cricket)
11:20 – 12.00	11	The Tottenham Experience	Find out how the new Tottenham Hotspur FC stadium was built, from the groundsperson’s perspective	Gary Lee, head groundsman, Tottenham Hotspur White Hart Lane Stadium
12:10 – 12.40	12	Staying at the Top of your Game	How to fill any knowledge gaps that grounds managers at elite level may have	Adrian Kay, head groundsman, York Racecourse;Les Gibbs, grounds manager, The University of South Wales; Neil Stubley, head of courts & horticulture, AELTC;
12.50 – 13.20	13	Encouraging Diversity in the Workplace	Learning the lessons from sport, to encourage more diversity in the grounds industry workplace	Funke Awoderu, senior inclusion & diversity manager, The FA Group; Anthony Facey,grounds manager, Colchester UFC training ground
13.30 – 14.00	14	Introducing Hybrid Pitches into Cricket	How cricket is learning lessons from football. Learn about the ongoing research by County cricket grounds and England’s Centre of Excellence	Andy McKay, head groundsman, Sussex Cricket; Gary Barwell, head groundsman, Warwickshire CCC; Will Relf, sports grounds manager, Loughborough University
14.10 – 14:40	15	Accessing Education in Groundsmanship	What are the barriers preventing access and understanding of our industry and profession	Alison Robinson, chief executive, Myerscough College; Bojan Jovanovic, apprenticeship course manager, sport turf, Askham Bryan College; Paul Campbell, senior lecturer, work-based horticulture, CAFRE; Lee Price,employer services manager, Myerscough College.
14.50 – 15.20	16	Bowled Over!	An anecdotal look back on a lifetime in cricket groundsmanship	International pitch advisor Chris Wood

Theatre 2 – Wednesday October 30

TIME	SESSION	TITLE	SUBJECT	SPEAKER/PANELLISTS
10:00 – 10:30	17	Disease Management		Dr Christian Spring, research operations manager, STRI;Glenn Kirby, technical manager, UK & Ireland, Syngenta; Daniel Ratling, head groundsman, Whitgift School. Chaired by the Amenity Forum’s John Moverley
10:40 – 11:10	18	Sustainable Grass for the Future of Turf Management	New methods are being used to deliver more sustainable grass varieties. Of particular focus will be the topics of nitrogen-use efficiency, drought tolerance, biomass production and disease tolerance	Sam Horner, amenity seed specialist, Limagrain; Derek Smith, amenity sales & marketing manager, DLF Seeds; Jayne Leyland, product manager seeds & line marking, Rigby Taylor
11:20 – 11.50	19	Funding & Expert Advice for Community Pitch Care	Where to look for grounds maintenance and funding advice	GaNTIP regional pitch advisors Phil Jeggo and Kevin Duffill, with Matt Bartle, managing director, TRI-Sports Consultancy and IOG consultant
12:00 – 12.30	20	Pitch Grading Framework Pilot Scheme	How you can get involved in the IOG’s Pitch Grading Framework to improve pitch quality standards	Tim Nicholls, Framework project manager; Geoff Webb, IOG CEO: Jason Booth, IOG learning & technical director
12.40 – 13.10	21	21st Century Turf Management	Groundsmen have a wealth of tools for managing high-end turf surfaces – which has led to increase in the quality of turf surfaces and increased user expectations. This session will explore some of the ways in which 21st century turf management can be linked to other aspects of a sports facility	Dr Tom Young, technology manager, STRI
13.20 – 13.50	22	Weather…or Not? The impact of the weather and climate change	An entertaining and comprehensive talk on how day-to-day weather and longer term climate change impacts on our lives and what we might do to maximise the positives and mitigate the negatives	Jim Dale, founder and senior consultant meteorologist, British Weather Services
14.00	23	Question Time with the Amenity Forum	An opportunity to question the assembled panel on current topics and issues at a time when the turf and amenity sector is facing considerable challenges particularly in terms of the use of pesticides post-Brexit	Chaired by the Amenity Forum’s John Moverley with panellists: Dr Dan Jones, Advanced Invasives; Will Kay, Languard; Peter Corbett, Rigby Taylor; Richard Salmon, Prolawncare

Theatre 2 – Thursday 31 October

TIME	SESSION	TITLE	SUBJECT	SPEAKER/PANELLISTS
10:00 – 10:30	24	Passing the Baton at Twickenham	Catch up on the career of former head groundsman Keith Kent – on the highs and lows of working at most famous rugby stadium in the world	Keith Kent
10:40 – 11:10	25	Pesticide 2020 and Beyond	The regulations relating to plant protection products (PPP) have had a significant impact on turf management. With a number of widely-used insecticides, fungicides and herbicides having been withdrawn in recent times, what further changes can we expect in 2020 and beyond? This seminar will explain the current status of PPP, what PPP are being withdrawn or introduced, and how you can get the optimum results from them.	Dr Colin Mumford, technical support manager Bayer
11:20 – 11.50	26	Harlequins and Hockey	How a drop-in pitch was planned, installed and used at The Stoop	Paul Sykes, head groundsman
12:00 – 12.30	27	Integrated Turf Management	Chemical-free sports pitch management	Adam Witchell, head groundsman, Forest Green Rovers; Clive Pearson, technical director XL ProBio
12.40 – 13.10	28	Managing Parasitic Nematodes with Seaweed	The positive initial results of a four-year research project into utilising an extracted seaweed product to support plant health	Andy Owen, international technical manager ICL; Tamsin Williams, PhD student, Royal Holloway University, London
13.20 – 13.50	29	Building a Pitch Policy…and a budget	Meeting the demands of stakeholders with improved and much-used playing surfaces on a restricted budget	Andy Spetch, volunteer head groundsman, Bury St Edmunds RFC
14.00	29a	Hybrid turf at community level	Year 2 results of the Sport England trial test pitches and how the success being achieved in football will also impact rugby union and league playing surfaces at community level	Dr Iain James, technical director, TGMS

Theatre 3 – Wednesday 30 October

TIME	SESSION	TITLE	SUBJECT	SPEAKER/PANELLISTS
10:00 – 10:30	30	Natural Not Chemical	With chemicals such as chlorpyrifos and imidacloprid now removed from the groundsman’s armoury, nature has its own answers to combat chafer grubs and leatherjackets – solutions that are equally effective and come a reduced cost to the environment as well as being within many clubs’ budgets. This seminar will explain how nematodes can fill the gaps in the market	Dr Minshad Ansari, CEO, Bionema
10:40 – 11:10	31	Life Without Propiconazole	In the last four years, over 80% of the value of the turf fungicide market has either been revoked or is under revocation. The loss of three major actives and numerous products has required a radical rethink on disease control. This session will summarise long-term trials (by independent organisation) which show prevention is better than cure and illustrate the importance of timing, mixing modes of action and how, by using bio-stimulants and anti-stress products, the performance of modern fungicides can be improved	Peter Corbett, industry expert
11:20 – 11.50	32	360° Management	Why you should be managing upwards, sideways and down in your organisation	Frank Newberry, IOG approved management trainer and consultant
12:00 – 12.30	33	Setting Pitch Standards by using Big Data	ProPitch collects a great deal of data from a playing surface with the pitch assessment protocol. The ProPitch 18 item assessment looks at construction aspects, performance of both player and ball, and the health of the grass. With in excess of 500 field assessments carried out to date, it is possible to characterise what makes a surface not only satisfactory but great for football. ProPitch proposes a set of standards for the three critical areas of construction quality, performance and grass health/condition	Dean Gilasbey, director of international pitch management ProPitch
12.40 – 13.10	34	Pupil Power	How top-class sports surfaces can help in the success of independent schools	Lee Marshallsay, grounds manager, Charterhouse; Danny Beckley, head of estates & grounds, Harrow School
13.20 – 13.50	35	How to Progress your Career in Groundsmanship	Tips and hints on how to get a job and progress your career in groundsmanship	members of the young IOG Board and Frank Newberry John Wright, stadium head groundsman, Southampton FC
14.00 – 14:30	36	How to Attract Young, Diverse People into the Turf Sector	Have your say on the challenges of attracting young, diverse people into the industry and compare these with those faced in the US industry.	IOG Young Board members; Pam Sherratt, turfgrass specialist,The Ohio State University; Ian Lacy, lead project advisor, Tom Irwin Advisors, USA
14.30 – 15.00	37	Introducing the Groundskeeping Community App	The FA’s Grass pitch strategy and how digital technology will help improve grass roots pitches.	Tom Rowley, GaNTIP key account manager (football) with FA facilities investment managers Chris Smith

Theatre 3 – Thursday 31 October

TIME	SESSION	TITLE	SUBJECT	SPEAKER/PANELLISTS
10:00 – 10:30	38	It’s Only Long Grass!	An overview of natural grass horse racing surfaces including agronomy and development of technologies to further improve turf quality	Gareth Phillips NDT, LCGI, senior agronomist, Professional Sportsturf Design/Labosport
10:40 – 11:10	39	Environmentally-friendly Turf Maintenance	Environmentally-friendly options for top-level turf maintenance, including water management, reduced chemical usage and improved waste management	Clement Bodin, managing director
11:20 – 11.50	40	Class Acts at Independent Schools	How independent schools can balance internal demands on sports pitches with those of outside use, with a focus on costings, timings and benefits to the school, as well as the problems – and solutions – of quick turnarounds on multi-sport pitches	Ian Avery, head of grounds Sutton Valence School
12:00 – 12.30	41	Making an Exhibition of Yourself	An introduction to self-promotion for turf care professionals	Frank Newberry, IOG approved management trainer and consultant
12.40 – 13.10	42	Earn while you learn – a guide to apprenticeships in the turfcare sector	An interactive Q&A session on how to attract and recruit capable young people into the sector and what progression routes are available	Richard Ayling, grounds manager – Merchant Taylors School Chris Gray IOG Learning Programme Architect
13.20 – 13.50	43	Someone to Turn to in Time of Need	Perennial can help alleviate worry, stress and anxiety by providing support that helps people who work in horticulture and grounds management regain control and plan for the future	Helen Waddington, head of casework, Perennial

Theatre 4 – Wednesday October 30

TIME	SESSION	TITLE	SUBJECT	SPEAKER/PANELLISTS
10:00 – 10:30	44	Recruit for The Future	Why more technicians are needed to support the sports turf industry and why problems associated with the current lack of recruitment must be addressed.	Keith Christian, director BAGMA
10:40 – 11:10	45	Groundsmanship in the Media	‘Jimmy the Mower Man’ took the sports industry by storm by sharing his passion for improving local sports facilities on social media. He will talk about how he attracted media interest and promoted our profession, while a professional marketing consultant will also offer advice	Jimmy the Mower Man (James Broadhouse); Miri Buac, Stand Agency
11:20 – 11.50	46	The Maintenance of Synthetic Sports Surfaces	A roundup of what’s new and the latest technology being used in the maintenance of synthetic sports surfaces, to ensure optimum surface performance and longevity	Colin Corline, project manager, SAPCA
12:00 – 12.30	47	Planning a Play Area	How to design a successful play area set in natural surroundings, where children want to stay and social interaction is promoted. Includes examples of a selection of playgrounds plus videos with user interviews	Gerry O’Sullivan & Rinske Wassenaar, The Children’s Playground Company
12.40 – 13.10	48	The Value of Play in the Landscape	Creating shared spaces that are fun, interesting, challenging and engaging is important – it impacts on community cohesion, health and wellbeing, physical activity and connectedness with outdoor spaces. It can also increase visits, increase dwell time and increase revenues. Touching on 10 design principles, the session will take you on a journey to an effective way of designing for play	Play England trustees Beth Cooper and Simon Fagg
13.20 – 13.50	49	Pesticide 2020 & Beyond	The regulations relating to plant protection products (PPP) have had a significant impact on turf management. With a number of widely-used insecticides, fungicides and herbicides having been withdrawn in recent times, what further changes can we expect in 2020 and beyond? This seminar will explain the current status of PPP, what PPP are being withdrawn or introduced, and how you can get the optimum results from them.	Dr Colin Mumford – technical support manager – Bayer
14.00 – 14:30	50	Spraying Safety	The importance of reading product labels; equipment checks; what to look for with knapsack and boom sprayers with a link to NSTS; why calibration is essential – including nozzle selection and checks	Paul Bannister, Amenity Training and Consultancy
14.40 – 15.10	50a	Environmentally-friendly groundscare	Examples of how to reduce your carbon footprint	Ben Connell, grounds manager, Ipswich Town FC; Adam Witchell, head groundsman, Forest Green Rovers
15.15		Innovation Award short listers and winner announcement		3 Reps from IOG Board as judges

Theatre 4 – Thursday 31 October

TIME	SESSION	TITLE	SUBJECT	SPEAKER/PANELLISTS
10:00 – 10:30	51	How to Motivate your Staff	There are many ways to be an effective manager. Your management style must adjust based on personality style and what motivates each employee. Learn how to motivate and retain your team members to produce a positive turn on your investment in time, energy and money	Sara Hey, vice president business development, Bob Clements International, USA
10:40 – 11:10	52	Data-driven Sports Turf Management	Empowering grounds managers by showing the surface as a useful performance tool and enabling a sustainable approach using factual data for decision making	Reece Watson, Raw Stadia
11:20 – 11.50	53	Latest Standards and Guidance on the Design and Construction of Sports Surfaces	A review of the latest standards and best practice in the sports surfacing industry, from facility design and construction through to surface performance and testing	Eric O’Donnell, SAPCA Professional Services Group
12:00 – 12.30	54	Tree management and biosecurity	Tips on good tree management, including the importance of biosecurity and why the arboricultural and horticultural industries should work together more closely	John Parker, senior technical officer, Arboricultural Association
12.40 – 13.10	55	Enabling Sport in the Community	How a charity dedicated to enhancing the scale and scope of sport is shifting the goalposts to create opportunities for sports and access to green spaces	David Cobb, grounds manager, Bath Recreation

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