The British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) has unveiled its program of education for January 2021, with members offered access to BIGGA’s world-renowned Continue to Learn via an entirely-online platform for the first time ever.
BIGGA should have done this a long time ago! I remember during my time at Citibank in 2012-2013, 99% of our pieces of training were online.
You can explain this by the COVID-19 crisis, but it is more a natural development as more professional organizations are investing in the digitalization of their services (e.g. educational programs).
Let’s be honest, it was obvious/evident that physical events are expensive and hard to scale! I am expecting that even after the COVID-19 crisis online events will have a much bigger role and importance.
As you know I am a great supporter of sustainability initiatives. Did you know attendees represent 73% of an event’s total carbon footprint?
BIGGA had to realize that the Harrogate Convention Centre will not be able to host BTME 2021 since now it is functioning as an NHS Nightingale Hospital.
In normal years, 3000 delegates are participating in the event.
BIGGA’s Continue to Learn goes online
The education program will be split into two distinct sections, with Continue to Learn:
- The conference taking place from 19 to 21 January 2021 and
- Continue to Learn: Classes being held from 25 to 29 January 2021.
The Conference will feature three days of sessions on a wide variety of topics relating to all things turf management and professional development.
Among the keynote speakers will be Dr. Frank Rossi of Cornell University and world-renowned golf architect Agustín Pizá of Pizá Golf.
The 24 Classes being offered by the association will enable BIGGA members to focus on an individual topic of interest with a wide range on offer, from developing personal confidence to the control of leatherjackets and other pests or the writing of reports and proposals.
Continue to Learn 2021 follows a summer of online learning opportunities provided by the association, with the regular Continue to Learn Extra webinar series held since the start of the first Full Lockdown in March and featuring guest speakers who count among the most influential names in the industry.
Turf professionals have also been able to access most of this learning in an audio format via the Green Room Golf Course Podcast, hosted by BIGGA and available on most podcast platforms, while BIGGA’s website also provides a vast library of exclusive learning opportunities.
In November, BIGGA hosted its first entirely online education event, called the National Regional Conference, which brought together the association’s regular regional conference sessions into a single day of learning.
The event was widely praised and gave encouragement to BIGGA’s Learning & Development team that they could pull of an event as ambitious in scale as Continue to Learn 2021.