GroundsFest Education Programme – Learn, Grow, Excel
With five seminar theatres, practical sessions, and an abundance of land-based education providers in attendance, GroundsFest has a wide variety of educational opportunities.
The CPD accredited education programme is free to attend.
PITCHCARE Theatre
PITCHCARE Theatre
9 SEPTEMBER
| Time | Title | Speaker/s |
| 11:00 | Managing Moisture Effectively | Josh Thomason – Pitchcare |
| 12:00 | PGR (Plant Growth Regulators) | Josh Thomason – Pitchcare |
| 14:00 | Site Ecology and Biodiversity | Abi Graceson – Agrovista |
| 15:00 | Is Turfcare a Career for You? | Bradley Tennant – GroundsFest Academy; James Kimmings – Pitchcare |
10 SEPTEMBER
| Time | Title | Speaker/s |
| 11:00 | Autonomous Solutions – Grounds Robotics | Matt Murray – XDC |
| 12:00 | Sports Management | ProPitch |
Lantra Theatre
Lantra Theatre
9 SEPTEMBER
| Time | Title | Speaker/s |
| 11.00 | Lantra – Recruitment and Retention | Chair – Professor John Moverley, Lantra trustee Panel – |
| 12.00 | 40 Years at the Top | Angus Macleod – The Belfy, Scott MacCallum – Turf Matters |
| 13.00 | Integrated Autumn Disease Management Plan | Kelly-Marie Clack, Technical and Research Lead – OAS |
| 14.00 | TBA | Jim Croxton – BIGGA |
| 15.00 | What’s changing at BASIS: supporting the people behind our green spacesn | Corrina Urquhart – BASIS |
10 SEPTEMBER
| Time | Title | Speaker/s |
| 11:00 | Precision Nutrition: Delivering Results While Using Fertilisers Responsibly | Phil Collinson – ICL |
| 12.00 | Autumn Integrated Leatherjacket Control | Sean Loakes – Syngenta |
The Landscape Theatre
The Landscape Theatre
9 SEPTEMBER
| Time | Title | Speaker/s |
| 11:45 – 12:15 | Hidden Gems: Legitimate Tax-Saving Strategies for Business Owners in the Landscaping Industry | Kim Sones – Sones Accountancy Services |
| 12:15 – 13:00 | How AI is changing digital marketing in landscaping | Aalia Zorko and Ben Shaw – Adtrak |
| 13:00 – 13:45 | Making the Case: How to Talk Sustainability with Your Clients | Andrew Fisher Tomlin – London College of Garden Design |
| 14:00 – 14:45 | Futureproofing Urban Landscapes | George Trott – George Trott Tree Consultancy, John Mellor – The Green Partnership, Michael John McGarr |
| 14:30 – 15:15 | Grounds Maintenance in the Age of Sustainability | Andy Corcoran – Glendale, Ryan Pembroke – Majestic Grounds Maintenance |
| 15:15 – 16:00 | Growing the Future: Tackling the Skills Shortage in Horticulture | Nigel Payne – Blakedown Landscapes, Victoria Fiander – Wiltshire College, Laura McArthur – WCG |
| 16:00 | From Drought to Deluge: Resilient Water Strategies for Landscaping | Amy Cobbett – BALI Head of Policy and Public Affairs Noel Brock from Frognal Gardens Alistair Bayford from Frost Landscapes Andy Turner from the Environment Agency |
10 SEPTEMBER
| Time | Title | Speaker/s |
| 10:45 – 11:30 | “The Grit Behind the Green”: What It Really Takes to Run Your Own Landscaping Company | Rob Woodhouse – Solent Garden Services; Will Petty – Jacq & Wills Landscapes; Dan – Design It Landscapes |
| 11:40 – 12:15 | From the Ground Up: Mastering Soil for Resilient Landscapes | Tim O’Hare – Tim O’Hare Associates |
| 12:15 – 13:00 | Real Talk: Mental Health and Motivation in the Trades | Kate Cooney – Perrenial |
| 13:00 – 13:45 | Wildflower Meadows & Rewilding: Targets for Local Authorities | Helen Simmen – Wildflower Turf, Owen Hayman – Horticultural Innovation Manager, Alex Pettitt – Topoforma, Colin Reader – Wildflower Lawns and Meadows Ltd |
| 13:45 – 14:30 | Breaking Ground – Practical approaches to narrowing the skills gap | Jonathan Pettit – GoLandscape, Deric Newman – Glendale, Graham Parry – Groundwork, Louisa Mansfield – Future Gardeners, Jonathan Ward – Central YNMCA, Matt O’Connor – John O’Connor |
HortWeek Theatre
HortWeek Theatre
With thanks to the following sponsors:
9 SEPTEMBER
| Time | Title | Speaker/s |
| 11:00 | Integrated weed management: realities vs. government goals: Sponsored by Kersten. | Rachael Forsyth – Hort Week; John Nicholls – Commonwealth War Graves Commission; Sean Faulkner – Kersten; Darren Greatbatch – Environmental Controls; Ben Wood – Environmental Services; Andrew Corcoran – Glendale. |
| 13:00 | Tools of the Trade: Navigating Machinery, Equipment & Scams Sponsored by Cramer, Makita & STIGA. | John McGrady – Cramer; Martin Towsey -The Bedford Estates; Mark Earles – Makita UK LTD; Howard Drury – consultant. Sam Fletcher – STIGA |
| 15:00 | Innovation Awards Presentation Sponsored by Cramer and Bosch. | Join us at 3pm for a champagne reception to see which products will be crowned as the innovations of the year! |
10 SEPTEMBER
| Time | Title | Speaker/s |
| 11:00 | Horticulture Question Time – Landscape and Amenity Edition Sponsored by Hillier Nurseries and Bourne Amenity. | Wayne Grills – BALI; Jonathan Bourne -Bourne Amenity; Adam Dunnett – Hillier Nurseries Bradley Tennant – GroundsFest Academy; Michael Klemperer, English Heritage. |
Bowls Seminar Theatre
Bowls Seminar Theatre
9 SEPTEMBER
| Time | Title | Speaker/s |
| 10:45 | Soil: A Living, Breathing Organism | Stuart Yarwood MG, DLF Seeds |
| 11:15 | Aeration: The Art of Annoyance and Excellence | Ewan Wilson, SISIS |
| 11:45 | Wetting Agents & Dry Patch: The Hidden Killer of Greens | Paul Lowe, Aquatrols |
| 12:15 | Irrigation & Water Wisdom | Wes Henshaw, KAR UK |
| 12:45 | Grass & Seed Selection: Seed to Sward | Stuart Yarwood MG, DLF Seeds |
| 13:15 | The Mower Workshop: Blades, Brushing, Scarifying & More | Dennis Mowers |
| 13:45 | Top Dressing: Sand, Science & Smoothness | Gary Cunningham, Mansfield Sand |
| 14:15 | Nutrition & Turf Health: Healthy Turf, Healthy Play | Tom Wood, Agrovista Amenity |
| 14:45 | The Trouble with Turf: Weeds, Worms, Moss, Pests & Diseases | TBC |
| 15:15 | Bringing It All Together | Stuart Yarwood MG, DLF Seeds |
10 SEPTEMBER
| Time | Title | Speaker/s |
| 10:45 | Soil: A Living, Breathing Organism | Stuart Yarwood MG, DLF Seeds |
| 11:15 | Aeration: The Art of Annoyance and Excellence | Ewan Wilson, SISIS |
| 11:45 | Wetting Agents & Dry Patch: The Hidden Killer of Greens | Paul Lowe, Aquatrols |
| 12:15 | Irrigation & Water Wisdom | Wes Henshaw, KAR UK |
| 12:45 | Grass & Seed Selection: Seed to Sward | Stuart Yarwood MG, DLF Seeds |
| 13:15 | The Mower Workshop: Blades, Brushing, Scarifying & More | Dennis Mowers |
| 13:45 | Top Dressing: Sand, Science & Smoothness | Gary Cunningham, Mansfield Sand |
| 14:15 | Nutrition & Turf Health: Healthy Turf, Healthy Play | Tom Wood, Agrovista Amenity |
| 14:45 | The Trouble with Turf: Weeds, Worms, Moss, Pests & Diseases | TBC |
| 15:15 | Bringing It All Together | Stuart Yarwood MG, DLF Seeds |
Machinery Nation LIVE
Machinery Nation LIVE
9 SEPTEMBER
| Time | Title | Speaker/s |
| 10:00 | Chainsaws – Past, Present and Future. | Including brands such as STIHL, EGO, Milwaukee, Dewalt and some very rare vintage chainsaws! |
| 12:00 | Stand-On Commercial Mowers, is this the next machine for your business? | See top brands such as Toro, Grasshopper and Hustler going head-to-head. |
| 14:00 | Machinery Relay – machine vs machine, man vs man | See the guys compete in an exciting machinery relay involving different power tools and machinery brands. |
10 SEPTEMBER
| Time | Title | Speaker/s |
| 10:00 | Chainsaws – Past, Present and Future. | Including brands such as STIHL, EGO, Milwaukee, Dewalt and some very rare vintage chainsaws! |
| 12:00 | Stand-On Commercial Mowers, is this the next machine for your business? | See top brands such as Toro, Grasshopper and Hustler going head-to-head. |
| 14:00 | Machinery Relay – machine vs machine, man vs man | See the guys compete in an exciting machinery relay involving different power tools and machinery brands. |
Lawn Mower Racing
Lawn Mower Racing
9 SEPTEMBER
| Time | Title |
| 11:00 | Lawn Mower Racing Round 1 |
| 13:00 | Lawn Mower Racing Round 2 |
| 15:00 | Lawn Mower Racing Round 3 |
10 SEPTEMBER
| Time | Title |
| 11:00 | Lawn Mower Racing Round 4 |
| 13:00 | Lawn Mower Racing Round 5 |
| 15:00 | Lawn Mower Racing Round 6 followed by winners’ ceremony6 |
