2025 Southeast Sports Field Management Conference & Trade Show

The NC/SC/GA chapters of the SFMA and its partners are proud to present the Southeast Sports Field Management Conference & Trade Show.

November 16- 19, 2025 at The DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel Myrtle Beach Oceanfront.

The room rate for this year will be $100.00 and is inclusive of the resort fee. A $7.00 Parking Fee may be included with your room if you have a vehicle. This does not include tax!

Please book your rooms early!!! Last years room block sold out by October 1st. The link to book is here: https://group.doubletree.com/5beoxk If the link doesnt work, please copy and paste into your browser. You may need to use a chrome browser for full functionality.

Option 2 : To book by phone, please call the reservation number at 1-855-778-1190 and reference GROUP CODE: STM You must use the group code for our rate!

Please Support our Presenting Sponsors: Ewing Outdoor Supply - Helena - Jacobsen, Tri-State Pump - John Deere, Revels/Beard - Toro, Smith Turf and Irrigation - Green Resource

Schedule Subject to Change

Sunday - Nov 16

2:00 - 6:00 CSFM exam

4:00 - 6:00 Registration and Badge Pick Up

Monday - Nov 17

10:00 - until John Deere Golf Presents - Carolinas' Cup Golf Scholarship Fundraiser

10:00 - until Advanced Workshop - Local Athletic Field Tour & Education

8:00 - until Welcome Reception & Golf Banquet (Dunes Room)

Tuesday - Nov 18

7:00 - 8:00 Breakfast (3rd Floor- Springs Room)

8:00 - 8:20 SFMA CEO - Association Update (2nd floor Carolina Room)

Paula Sliefert, SFMA CEO

8:30 - 10:00 Keynote 2nd floor Conference Center- Carolina Room

Jeff McManus – University of Texas at Austin – Leadership/Management

10:00 - 10:15 Announcements

10:30 - 12:30 Trade Show (Basement)

12:30 - 1:30 Lunch (3rd Floor – Springs Room)

1:30 - 2:30 General Session (2nd Floor Conference Center – Carolina Room)

Jamie Richardson & Will Schnell - Church Hill Downs – Racing for Resilience: Innovations in Sports Turf Management at Churchill Downs

2:30 - 3:30 Breakouts Round One

Breakout I – Dr. Dara Park – Interactive Problem Solving *Pesticide Credit Pending*

Breakout II – Mike Echols - Testing Sports Fields for Safety and Performance

Breakout III – Gerald Henry – Influence of Field Paint on Soil Properties

3:30 - 4:30 Breakouts Round Two

Breakout I – Gerald Henry - The Hole Truth: Aerification Myths and Methodologies

Breakout II – Ryan Andersen - Synthetic Turf Converstion to Natural Grass

Breakout III – Danny Losito - NC SFMA Internships and Intern Presentations

4:30 - 5:00 NC/SC Member Chapter Meetings

1st Floor Atlantic AB NC SFMA Members Meeting

1st Floor Atlantic CD SC SFMA Members Meeting

7:00 – until Social at Damon’s

Wednesday - Nov 19

7:30 - 8:30 – Prayer Breakfast 3rd Floor – Pastor Mike Burgess (3rd Floor – Springs Room)

8:30 - 9:30 – General Session (2nd floor Conference Center – Carolina Room)

Bill Albetz - Understanding & Evaluating Fertilizer

9:30 - 10:30 – Breakout Round Three

Breakout I – Dr. Tyler Carr - Essential elements of turfgrass fertilization

Breakout II – Navdeep Godara & Ben Pritchard

9:30 - 10:30 – Breakouts Round Four

Breakout I – Bert McCarty - Pesticide update/specific topic *Pesticide Credit Pending*

Breakout II – Trent Manning