2027 SFMA Conference & Exhibition Schedule
January 31–February 4, 2027 | Tampa, Florida
Schedule subject to change.
Sunday, January 31
| Time | Location | Event |
|---|
| 6:30–9:00 PM | | Attendee Registration |
| TBD | | Field Rebuild |
Monday, February 1
Conference Operations & Registration
| Time | Location | Event |
|---|
| 6:30–8:00 AM | | Continental Breakfast |
| 6:30 AM–5:00 PM | | Attendee Registration |
| 6:45 AM–12:00 PM | | SOW Half Day |
| 8:00 AM–5:00 PM | 401 | CSFM Testing |
| TBD | | Golf |
Pre-Conference Education: Seeds to Success — Essential and Advanced Turfgrass Education
| Time | Location | Session / Event | Presenter(s) |
|---|
| 8:00–8:55 AM | 120/121 | Fertilizer 101 | AJ Lindsey, Ph.D. |
| 9:00–9:55 AM | 120/121 | Managing Operating Budgets: Development and Tracking for Parks and Recreation Professionals | Cliff Driver, CSFM & Matthew Coates |
| 10:00–10:55 AM | 120/121 | Grow Your Crew: Developing Leaders from Within | Holly Kasperbauer & Nick McKenna |
| 11:00–11:45 AM | 120/121 | Closing & Boxed Lunch | |
| 11:50 AM–12:00 PM | Convention Center | Load Buses for SFMA Live Learning: Outdoor Demonstrations-USF | |
| 1:00-4:00 PM | University of South Florida | Live Learning: Outdoor Demonstrations | |
| 6:00–9:00 PM | | SAFE Bowling-TBD | |
Tuesday, February 2
Registration & Conference Services
| Time | Location | Event |
|---|
| 6:30–8:00 AM | | Continental Breakfast |
| 7:00 AM–5:00 PM | | Attendee Registration |
| 8:00 AM–5:00 PM | 401 | CSFM Testing |
General Session
8:00–9:30 AM | Ballroom BC
General Session — Nick Pappas
Education Sessions | 9:45–10:45 AM
| Room | Session | Presenter(s) |
|---|
| 118/119 | Advancing Sports Field Performance with Next Generation Irrigation Technologies | Ben Sacks |
| 120/121 | Considerations with Biostimulants and Turfgrass Fertility | Michael Fidanza, Ph.D. & Beth Guertal, Ph.D. |
| 122/123 | Maximizing Equipment Life: Practical Maintenance Strategies for Sports Field Managers | Trent Manning, CTEM |
| 124/125 | Reducing Water Use While Maintaining Turf Performance | Jada Powlen, Ph.D. |
| Ballroom A | Building Your Professional Network: The Key to Long-Term Career Success in Sports Field Management | Drew Miller, Ed.D. & Joe Hill |
| Ballroom D | Efficient Athletic Field Management: More Performance per Dollar | Gregg Munshaw, Ph.D. |
Education Sessions | 11:00 AM–12:00 PM
| Room | Session | Presenter(s) |
|---|
| 118/119 | Surgical Precision: Redefining Herbicide Applications through Targeted Spraying | Pawel Petelewicz, Ph.D. & Navdeep Godara, Ph.D. |
| 120/121 | The Professor and The Practitioner: Science, Strategy and the Art of Sports Field Management | Mike Goatley, Ph.D. & Jason Bowers, CSFM |
| 122/123 | Next-Generation Turfgrass Care: Autonomous Mowing and Mechanical Weed Control for Improved Weed and Disease Management | Jason Henderson, Ph.D. & Victoria Wallace |
| 124/125 | You’re Not In It For The $$—But You Need To Be! | Brad Chambers |
| Ballroom A | Quick Repair on Synthetic Mounds and Home Plate Area with Other Options | Mike Hebrard |
| Ballroom D | COTS — SFMA Strategic Plan | Greg Petry |
Midday Activities
| Time | Location | Event |
|---|
| 12:00–2:00 PM | | Break / Women’s Luncheon |
| 1:15–2:00 PM | Education Hallway | Poster Project Showcase Presentations |
Education Sessions | 2:00–3:15 PM
| Room | Session | Presenter(s) |
|---|
| 118/119 | Selecting Species and Cultivars for Low Input Sports Fields | Leah Brilman, Ph.D. |
| 120/121 | Contrasts and Similarities in Bermudagrass Management from West Lafayette to West Palm Beach | Barry Stewart, Ph.D. & Cale Bigelow, Ph.D. |
| 122/123 | Getting Comfortable with 2-Wire: A Practical Guide for Field Managers | Brad Jakubowski |
| 124/125 | Grounds Management in the Sports/Campus Landscape | John Fech, ISA |
| Ballroom A | Comparing Injury Trends on Natural Grass and Synthetic Turf: A Data-Driven Analysis | Kyley Dickson, Ph.D. & Conlan Burbrink |
| Ballroom D | So You Have Budget Issues, Staffing Issues, Not Enough Fields and High Demands — Let’s Make It Work | David Pinsonneault, CSFM, CPRP, CPWP-M |
Education Sessions | 3:30–4:30 PM
| Room | Session | Presenter(s) |
|---|
| 118/119 | Services No Longer Needed — The Aftermath & Landing Back on Your Feet | Eric Harshman, James Bergdoll, Neil Cathey & Peter Thibeault |
| 120/121 | 10 Lessons in Excellence from Award-Winning Sports Field Managers | Joe Breedon, CSFM |
| 122/123 | Integrated Weed Management for Sports Fields | Pawel Petelewicz, Ph.D. & Gerald Henry, Ph.D. |
| 124/125 | New Job, New Fields, No Budget: How to Build a Sports Field Management Budget from the Ground Up | Barry Gardner & Jamie Mehringer |
| Ballroom A | Buying the Right Tractor: A Practical Guide for Sports Field Managers | Trent Manning, CTEM |
| Ballroom D | John Mascaro’s Photo Quiz Comes Alive | John Mascaro |
Evening Events
| Time | Event |
|---|
| 5:30–6:30 PM | First-Time Attendee / Mentorship / CSFM / International Attendee Reception |
| 7:00–9:00 PM | Welcome Reception |
Wednesday, February 3
Registration & Conference Services
| Time | Location | Event |
|---|
| 6:30–8:00 AM | | Continental Breakfast |
| 7:00 AM–5:00 PM | | Attendee Registration |
| 8:00 AM–5:00 PM | 401 | CSFM Testing |
Education Sessions | 8:00–9:00 AM
| Room | Session | Presenter(s) |
|---|
| 118/119 | Leadership: How Are You Shaping Yourself to Be the Next Leader? | Brad Finn, CSFM |
| 120/121 | Infield Maintenance: Taking Lessons Learned from MLB Level to Parks and Recreation | Matthew Coates |
| 122/123 | From Concept to Establishment to Data Delivery: The Anatomy of a Cool-Season Turfgrass Variety Trial | Brad Park & Geoff Rinehart |
| 124/125 | Why Do Pesticides Fail? | Aaron Hathaway |
| Ballroom A | Finding the Right Sand for Your Athletic Field | Barry Stewart, Ph.D. & Cale Bigelow, Ph.D. |
| Ballroom D | Managing Across and Up in the Sports Workplace | Larry Divito, CSFM |
Education Sessions | 9:15–10:30 AM
| Room | Session | Presenter(s) |
|---|
| 118/119 | Achieving Peak Bermudagrass Performance on Sports Fields | Mingying Xiang, Ph.D. & Marco Schiavon, Ph.D. |
| 120/121 | From Pigments to Performance: A Worldwide View of Field Paint | Lorenzo Lopez, CSFM & Dustin Pixton |
| 122/123 | Beyond the Forecast: Why One App Isn’t Enough for Smarter Field Decisions | Brad Jakubowski |
| 124/125 | Surface Showdown: Cost Efficiency of Synthetic vs. Natural Grass Fields | Gregg Munshaw, Ph.D. & Kyley Dickson, Ph.D. |
| Ballroom A | Dealing with Difficult People | Lisa Goatley, LPC |
| 107/109 | Soil Testing Interpretation and Application | Travis Shaddox, Ph.D. |
| Ballroom D | Soccer vs. Football Surface Usage at Elite Levels | Nick Pappas |
Education Sessions | 10:45–11:45 AM
| Room | Session | Presenter(s) |
|---|
| 118/119 | How Climate Change is Influencing Turf Management Decisions: View from Across the Pond | Geoff Webb, Gary Bardwell & Neil Stubley |
| 120/121 | Navigating Difficult Partnerships: M-NCPPC Providing Oversight for Prince George’s County Public Schools | Dean Turnbull, Brian Hogan, Aaron Sipes & Matt Coates |
| 122/123 | Advanced Weed Management | Navdeep Godara, Ph.D. |
| 124/125 | Mentor to Manage: Building Stronger Teams in Sports Field Management | Jeff McManus |
| Ballroom A | Turf Trends Across the U.S. | Matt Anderson |
| Ballroom D | Navigating Ceremonies, Events, and Operational Challenges During the FIFA World Cup | Tyler Morris & Robert Heggie |
Afternoon Activities
| Time | Location | Event |
|---|
| 12:00–1:15 PM | | Annual Meeting & Lunch |
| 1:30–4:30 PM | 118/119 & 120/121 | Baseball SIG |
| 1:30–6:30 PM | | SFMA Trade Show & Live Learning: Indoor Demonstrations |
| 2:00–4:30 PM | 114–117 | Student Challenge |
| TBD | | SAFE Board Meeting |
Thursday, February 4
Registration & Conference Services
| Time | Location | Event |
|---|
| 6:30–8:00 AM | | Continental Breakfast |
| 7:00–9:00 AM | | Past Presidents’ Breakfast |
| 8:00 AM–1:00 PM | | Attendee Registration |
| 8:00 AM–5:00 PM | 401 | CSFM Testing |
Professional Panel Sessions
| Time | Location | Session | Panelists |
|---|
| 8:00–9:00 AM | Ballroom BC | MLB Panel | Matt Brown, Larry Divito, Trevor Vance & John Turnour |
| 9:15–10:15 AM | Ballroom BC | NFL Panel | To Be Announced |
Trade Show & Afternoon Activities
| Time | Location | Event |
|---|
| 10:00 AM–1:00 PM | | SFMA Trade Show & Live Learning: Indoor Demonstrations |
| 12:45 PM | Hunter Booth | Student Challenge Winner Announcement |
| 1:15–5:00 PM | | SOW Half Day |
| 1:30–3:00 PM | 124/125 | Chapter Officer Networking Session |
| 1:30–4:30 PM | 118/119 & 120/121 | Baseball SIG |
| 4:30–6:00 PM | | Professional Headshots |
| 6:00–6:30 PM | | Board Member Photos |
Awards Celebration
| Time | Event |
|---|
| 6:30–7:30 PM | Pre-Awards Reception |
| 7:30–10:00 PM | SFMA Awards Banquet |
