Only the Beginning…

By Den Gardner, Executive Director For those who attended the Charlotte annual meeting and watched the “tribute” Kristy Mach prepared for the first 30 years of TOCA, themed to the music “Beginnings” by the pop/rock group Chicago, it might seem a dichotomy. (As many of you know, I manage and play in a cover band […]

TOCA Announces Communications Award Winners

By Kristy Mach The Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) honored members from around the world for their outstanding communications entries at the association’s 30th annual meeting, held April 30-May 2, in Charlotte, N.C. This year’s contest drew 362 entries. TOCA’s communications contest recognizes individuals for excellence in writing, design, photography/audio visual, new media and […]

My TOCA Experience, from Across the Pond

By Ellie Parry, Forte Marketing & Public Relations I was thrilled and excited to be informed that I was the recipient of an international stipend, which enabled me to attend TOCA’s 30th Annual Meeting in Charlotte. I arrived a day early so I could take advantage of the sunshine and location, and explored the area […]

Summer 2019 Running Column

 By Dan Gardner, TOCA Special Running Correspondent Thanks to everyone who participated in the TOCA Run/Walk at the annual meeting in May in beautiful (except for the 3 a.m. fire alarm at our hotel) Charlotte. The great turnout of walkers and runners was exciting, and we look forward to growing our numbers next year in […]

Branded Content and Native Advertising

by Jill Odom Gregg Hiller, editor-in-chief of Progressive Farmer, Sheri Seger, director of national advertising with DTN and Progressive Farmer, and McGavock Edwards, strategic communication director at Eckel & Vaughn, participated on a panel discussing branded content and native advertising during the 2019 TOCA Annual Meeting in Charlotte. Seger broke down how marketing has its […]

Digging Deeper into Digital Tools

By Scott Covelli, EPIC Creative As a follow-up to Ren LaForme’s crowd-pleaser presentation last year at the 2018 TOCA Annual meeting, the Poynter Institute digital specialist returned in 2019 with more tools and updates. The digital tools he highlighted are designed to help us avoid misinformation, tell better stories and make our overall lives easier. […]

Ten Takeaways on Interviewing Skills

By Debbie Clayton Mick Mixon, the play-by-play announcer for the National Football League’s Carolina Panthers, delivered a rousing session on interviewing techniques at the 2019 TOCA Annual Meeting. Saying he was “cheated” out of the genes needed for playing sports, he decided covering sports was the next-best thing. Mixon strongly suggests preparing for interviews by […]

Turning Analytics into Action

By Dawn Rigby, Xylem Marketing In part two of the keynote Poynter Institute presentation at the 2019 TOCA Annual Meeting, Ren LaForme focused on analytics – which ones are important, what they mean and how to turn analytics into action. “Analytics provide an overwhelming amount of information,” he said. “You can ignore most of it.” […]

Leveraging Market Research

By Amy Jones Research is an invaluable tool for brands or media organizations, but it’s important to know the right way to find and use it. To help navigate the ins and outs of market research, the team from Kynetec, a global leader in agriculture and animal health market research, presented best practices at the […]

GIE Horticultural Group 2018 Media Kit – Gardner Award Winner

Gardner Award Winner for Design – Publishing Overall Media Kit Design GIE Horticultural Group by Dawn Rigby We asked Irene Sweeney, marketing director, GIE Media, Inc., the following questions about the GIE Horticultural Group 2018 Media Kit. Please briefly describe your winning project. The GIE Horticultural Group 2018 Media kit is a combined positioning piece […]

‘Down But Not Out’

Gardner Award Winner – Publishing Photography, Video and Multimedia Golf Course Management magazine by Britney Riggs We asked Scott Hollister, editor-In-chief of Golf Course Management magazine, the following questions about the winning photography entry, “November GCM – Down But Not Out.” Please briefly describe the winning entry.  This image served as the lead photo for […]

A New Dawn: Dawn Rigby Joins TOCA Board

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.19.14″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.19.14″][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”3.19.14″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.19.14″] by Scott CovelliEPIC Creative Dawn Rigby is the marketing manager for Xylem Marketing (the marketing services division of Advanced Turf Solutions), based in Fishers, Ind. She recently added to her resumé by being elected to the TOCA board of directors, where she serves on the Professional Development committee. […]

TurfNet to Host TOCA Intern in Ireland this Summer

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.19.14″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.19.14″][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”3.19.14″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.19.14″] By Jon Kiger, TurfNet For the ninth year TurfNet will send a US-based turf student to Europe to work on a golf course, blog for TurfNet, and for the fourth year to represent TOCA as the media intern. Adam Galigher from Horry Georgetown Technical College in Myrtle Beach […]

Syngenta Divanem Nematicide Launch

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.19.14″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.19.14″][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”3.19.14″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.19.14″] Gardner Award Winner for Special Projects — Marketing Series — Two or more articles by Jill Odom We asked Mark LaFleur, communications lead for Turf and Ornamental, Syngenta, the following questions about the Divanem nematicide launch. Please briefly describe your winning project. Syngenta and its agencies were awarded […]

Project EverGreen to Host TOCA Intern

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.19.14″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.19.14″][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”3.19.14″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.19.14″] By Cindy CodeProject EverGreen   Non-profit Project EverGreen is pleased to once again host the 2019 TOCA marketing communications intern. Internships are a great way for students to learn more about a particular career focus and gain hands-on professional experience to get them ready for their post-graduation careers. […]