TOCA Talk – Summer 2021
TOCA Talk is proudly sponsored by EnP. EnP has been Engineering Optimal Plant Health™ for nearly 30 years, manufacturing specialty fertilizers under two brands: Foliar-Pak, and Age Old Nutrients. Because EnP professionals believe that collaboration and the exchange of ideas are essential for innovation, they are proud to support the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA).
Thank you, members of the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association, for supporting this industry through your information, education, and outreach.
The President’s Corner – Rocky Mountain High
By Russell Warner, TOCA Board President
It’s finally time to start thinking about Denver! After more than a year of Zoom calls, masks, quarantining and social distancing, it’s finally time to see each other in person.
Even though our virtual TOCA Annual Meeting last year was successful, there is nothing like getting together in person, seeing old friends and meeting new ones.
The dates of the TOCA Annual Meeting are Aug. 31-Sept. 2, and the planning committee has been working overtime the last few months to make sure everyone in attendance gets the most out of Denver and the education we have planned.
As always, the week will be filled with excellent continuing education, some great keynote speakers and plenty of networking time.
I, for one, am extremely excited to be heading west to Colorado. My wife and I plan to spend some extra time around the meeting to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. Colorado is one of our favorite places in the world and we are both very much looking forward to it.
For me, the meeting will be a little bittersweet as it will be my last as president of TOCA. I have very much enjoyed my time as president. TOCA has always held a special place in my heart. This organization has been great over the last two years as we helped shape the organization’s direction for years to come.
So, if you haven’t registered for the TOCA Annual Meeting yet, please do so ASAP! I can’t wait to get back to some semblance of normal and see all of my friends again in August.
Register for the 2021 TOCA Annual Meeting
Join us in the Mile High City – Aug. 31-Sept. 2 – for the 2021 Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) Annual Meeting. After more than two years of being apart (in person), you won’t want to miss this incredible opportunity to gain excellent continuing education, hear from amazing keynote speakers and network with inspiring colleagues.
The Sonesta Denver Downtown will serve as headquarters for TOCA’s 32nd Annual Meeting. Click here to make your hotel reservation. Make your room reservation by Aug. 9, to take advantage of TOCA’s group rate.
Here’s a sneak peek at what the meeting will offer.
August 31
Board of Directors Meeting
Informal Social Gathering
September 1
Scholarship Recognition
Environmental Communicator of the Year
Volunteer of the Year
Panel: Communicating in a highly regulated industry
Tour + Top Golf
September 2
TOCA Run/Walk Club
Panel: Sports turf
Poynter presentation
TOCA Awards + Hall of Fame
Crisis management
Panel: Young professional end user OR Grass to hops (former superintendents find their passion for brewing)
Colorado Rockies baseball game
To register for this year’s TOCA Annual Meeting, click here.
Gardner Award for International – Best writing publication
“Stadium of the Future”
By Scott MacCallum, Turf Matters
Please briefly describe your winning project. The most talked about, and delayed, new stadium in Europe two years ago was the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London. Spurs, as they are known, played their home matches at Wembley while the state-of-the-art new stadium was being built and talk of it costing in excess of £1 billion were not dismissed.
Turf Matters was delighted to be the first trade publication to visit the recently opened Stadium for a YouTube interview with Head of Playing Surfaces and Estates Darren Baldwin. So, it came to pass, that I found myself with Darren in one of the massive stands interviewing him about the Stadium and his role within it. The three part-video came out really well and the content formed part of the magazine article, which I wrote to accompany it.
What were your main objectives in developing this project? My main objective was to bring to life the wonders of the Stadium – its soccer pitch slides away to expose an American football pitch underneath that hosts the increasing number of National Football League (United States) games that are played in London – and the trials and tribulations in getting the project over the line.
Darren was a superb interviewee and gave his time and thoughts generously to Turf Matters. As the most talked about stadium around, our readers were keen to learn as much as we could tell them about the stadium and how it is run from a turf management perspective.
What influenced your approach? I come from a golf writing and golf industry background, but my knowledge and experience of Stadium Groundsmen is growing and enabling me to ask more insightful and relevant questions. The growth of Turf Matters as a title is now opening doors, which would previously have remained shut to such a new publication. It was also lovely that Darren was so open to talk about his new stadium and we built a rapport during the filming of the video.
Please tell us what you think stood out in your winning entry. The sheer scale and majesty of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium came across well in the design of the article – carried out by Turf Matters Design and Production Editor Tim Moat. The Thunderbirds Are Go styling of the heading also brought home the stadium’s futuristic nature. I’d like to think that I make any article I write readable and relatable to both turf professionals and non-technical-minded readers as well!
Gardner Award for Design – Printed magazine/single page design, advertising
“Syngenta GreenTrust 365 Advertising Design”
Provided by Gibbs & Soell Inc. (Lyndsey Newnam)
Please briefly describe your winning project. GreenTrust 365 (GT365) is the annual early order program for Syngenta, which means customers are incentivized by making purchases for the following year during the fall early order period. Each fall the program is promoted throughout the golf, lawn and ornamental industries, using various communication tactics, including print and digital advertising. There are many aspects of the program, so the ads had to convey a lot of information within limited space while also standing out from competitive programs being advertised simultaneously.
What were your main objectives in developing this project? At G&S, our approach is always to assess our client’s business goals first and ensure our communication proposals align with those goals. For Syngenta, the program’s goal was to increase sales by garnering participation in the program. From a communications standpoint, that meant succinctly sharing the various ways customers could easily participate while creating a cohesive identity applicable to all three audiences. Additionally in 2020, Syngenta made some substantial changes to the GT365 program, so we had to share those changes without causing confusion. Specifically, G&S was tasked with developing a brand identity for the campaign that visually showed the main savings benefit of the program and built awareness of the new GT Bonus Booster Rebate.
Read more here.
Gardner Award for New Media – Most engaging social media campaign
“Syngenta Thank a Super Spouse Twitter Campaign”
Provided by Gibbs & Soell Inc. (Lyndsey Newnam)
Please briefly describe your winning project. Golf course superintendents have a reputation for working hard and devoting long hours to maintaining their courses. The spouses who support superintendents through their tough schedules are often the unsung heroes of the turf industry. That’s why Syngenta and G&S developed the #ThankASuperSpouse initiative to play off the already established GCSAA #ThankASuper campaign and bring awareness to the spouses who support superintendents. G&S worked with Syngenta to create Thank a Super Spouse week, featuring a Twitter campaign that would empower superintendents to recognize and show appreciation to their spouses.
What were your main objectives in developing this project? The main objectives of this campaign were to build awareness of the #ThankASuperSpouse initiative, encourage superintendents to engage with the Syngenta Turf Twitter account and position Syngenta as a goodwill ambassador and supporter of superintendents and their spouses.
What influenced your approach? To build awareness and engagement around this campaign, G&S planned a series of tweets over four weeks. Some were teasers to make superintendents aware that Thank a Super Spouse week was approaching and others were posted during Thank a Super Spouse week to encourage superintendents to share how they were celebrating. Syngenta also wanted to use an interactive element to encourage engagement from Twitter users, so G&S designed a thank you card that would be mailed to superintendents who requested one via Twitter. The intent was for superintendents to easily request and receive the cards and give them to their spouses during Thank a Super Spouse week. The design showed a couple in a golf cart and it read, “Thank you for being a super spouse.”
Please tell us what you think stood out in your winning entry. Overall, I think this campaign stood out simply for being unique in the market. It was based on empathy and appreciation for superintendents and their families without any type of product promotion. We also worked hard to make it easy to participate so our audience would have the opportunity to do something nice and caring for their loved ones without it adding even more stress to their lives. It was a really fun and meaningful campaign to create and be part of!
Lawn & Landscape shares plans for 2021 Technology Conference and Trade Show
Lawn & Landscape announced this year’s dates for the Lawn & Landscape Technology Conference, which will take place Aug. 31-Sept. 2, at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate in Orlando, Fla. The three-day event will offer both virtual and face-to-face options, as well as expanded education for pest control operators powered by sister publication Pest Control Technology (PCT). Additionally, attendees will experience organized networking and access to an exhibit hall featuring industry-leading technologies, solutions and innovations for green industry and pest management professionals.
The Lawn & Landscape Technology Conference will bring together landscapers, lawn care operators and pest management professionals to learn from technology experts and fellow professionals who have successfully integrated software and technology into their companies to operate more efficiently. In addition to the educational program, attendees have access to the trade show portion of the event, where they can discover some of the best software and technology serving the professional landscaping, lawn care and pest management professional markets.
“We are excited to bring the industry back together in 2021 and to offer the opportunity for green industry and pest management professionals to reconnect and discover new ideas, tools and processes that will give their companies the competitive edge,” says Brian Horn, editor of Lawn & Landscape.
“Recognizing lawn care operators and pest control professionals can benefit from the same technologies to advance their businesses, we are excited to engage the pest control industry and offer both a high-level education track as well as the latest technology that will allow project management professionals to continue to grow their business,” says Jodi Dorsch, editor of PCT.
The Lawn & Landscape Technology Conference educational program has been developed by the editorial team behind Lawn & Landscape and PCT magazines, and experts in those industries.
“This year’s conference offers a one-of-a-kind networking opportunity between two service industries that not only survived, but in many cases excelled, during the recent worldwide pandemic,” states Dave Szy, publisher of Lawn & Landscape. “The exchange between professionals in both industries will be just as valuable as the educational programming.”
Look for more details at: www.lltechconference.com.