Registration opens for BIGGA’s largest-ever event as BTME and Continue to Learn evolve for 2019
With registration for BTME 2019 due to open on Monday 8 October, details have been released about what will be on offer at the largest turf management exhibition in Europe.
Click here to register now for BTME 2019.
During BTME 2018 last January, the event hosts, the British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association, revealed that the annual exhibition would be drastically transformed for 2019. A whole host of innovations and exciting new offerings will further evolve what amounts to the most influential event in the calendar for the golf industry in the UK.
And with registration for the event imminent, BIGGA is delighted to reveal that it has lived up to this promise, with an event that has expanded by 25% and that will feature a host of new conferences, forums, exhibition platforms and more opportunities than ever to network and gain valuable knowledge and experience.
Utilising a new hall layout at the Harrogate Convention Centre, BTME will feature 4,800sqm of exhibition space and feature Golf Course Construction Live!, a golf simulator competition, a new product and innovation area and a TED Talk-style theatre, where short presentations will be delivered by some of the leading names in the industry.
As always, Continue to Learn will kick off the week, with the education programme evolving to better suit the needs of BIGGA members. Taking place from Sunday 20 to Wednesday 23 January, the association's Learning & Development team has put together its largest-ever package of education with more than 250 hours of education.
There will be a Deputies' Conference, a Links Forum, an Ecology and the Environment Forum and a panel discussion looking at The R&A's Golf Course 2030 plan.
Left: BTME will utilise new halls at The Harrogate Convention Centre in 2019. Right: Naga Munchetty will return to BTME
Other workshops will discuss Gadgets & Gizmos, The Disturbance Theory: 10 years on, Work-Related Stress, while regular favourites such as the Turf Managers' Conference and the Young Greenkeepers' Conference will also return.
Last year, 50% of Continue to Learn workshops and seminars sold out within five weeks of registration opening, so BIGGA members have been encouraged to get their places booked soon to avoid missing out.
BTME 2019 itself begins on Tuesday 22 January with the ever-popular Welcome Celebration taking place on the opening evening. Housed in a new location in the HCC's main auditorium, television presenter Naga Munchetty will once again host the event, which will see a number of BIGGA members recognised for their achievements throughout the year, including the announcement of the winners of the annual BIGGA Awards, revamped to coincide with the new, expanded BTME offering.
Throughout the show itself, which runs from Tuesday until Thursday 22 January, there has been an increased offering for members, including more social space for networking and a larger BIGGA stand featuring a Wellness Area where skin cancer screening, hearing screening and mental health advice will all take place.
Also on the stand will be a Membership Benefits advisory service, where experts will provide information for members regarding legal advice, HR, health & safety, volunteering and member opportunities.
BIGGA Chief Executive Officer Jim Croxton said: "The expansion of BTME arose due to the exhibition's incredible popularity among our exhibitors, of which in 2018 there were more than 140 and we're due to expand on that number this year. In providing more space, we were presented with an incredible opportunity to create a greatly improved visitor experience, further enhancing BTME's position as the premier turf management exhibition in Europe.
"We anticipate BTME 2019 being our most popular event ever. By registering early for BTME, you can ensure you skip to the front of the line and increase your BTME experience to the limit, ensuring you won't miss a single part of what promises to be a historic event for the greenkeeping industry."
Click here to register now for BTME 2019.
Visit www.btme.org.uk for more information.