The Sports Turf Managers Association’s Southeast Regional Turf Conference and Trade Show — held Monday to Wednesday, Nov. 15-17, 2021, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina — was a great success. Ewing was well-represented, with Jeremy Bohonko, Dylan Epting, Kevin Scott, and Adam Slatinski attending in addition to myself.

Catching Up with Old Friends and Meeting New Ones

On Sunday, we hosted a gathering and “low-country boil” for our customers. It was great to interact with folks, many of whom we hadn’t seen in a year, over an excellent meal. The following day, we had several groups in the “Carolinas Cup” golf event at Myrtle Beach National Golf Course.

On Tuesday, we attended educational sessions in the morning, then enjoyed an excellent turnout at the trade show put on by the SE Conference Committee before lunch. We all enjoyed reconnecting with partners and customers, whom we have dearly missed, and meeting new colleagues. We gave away our green buckets, as well as catalogs and handshakes, before heading into afternoon educational sessions, and North and South Carolina STMA Business Meetings.

Ewing partnered with our friends from Hunter Industries to host a Tuesday evening gathering at Damon's Grill in Myrtle Beach for everyone attending the show. It was a great night of fun, fellowship, and continued catching up with our many friends and industry partners.

The conference wrapped up on Wednesday after a morning filled with presentations. As we prepared to leave, we wished our customers and partners a Happy Thanksgiving and holiday season ahead, as we are very thankful for them.

Learning from the Best of the Best

There are many reasons that educational sessions are an important part of the conference and trade show. Most of the presenters are practicing sports turf managers or people who work in the field. We all want to successfully maintain safe, playable, and aesthetically pleasing fields for our end users, and the conference provides a great opportunity to rub elbows with some of the best in the industry.

New practices and methods to save time and money, and new practices and technologies available to make you a better sports turf manager are presented at the event. Participants also had the opportunity to learn about new research from academic sources, and to gain vital information about the turfgrass industry they can apply to their fields. They also get to visit with and learn from vendors and have vital one-on-one conversations as they network with other industry professionals.

Ewing is proud to be a presenting partner of the Southeast Regional Turf Conference and Trade Show, and we’re already looking forward to seeing everyone again in 2022!