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IPMA Conference Review holding our first virtual conference.
‘Unprecedented’ is one of the most On Friday, November 13, 190 pest
overused words of 2020. ‘Unprecedented,’ control owners, managers, and technicians
however, was not chosen as the 2020 participated in the virtual IPMA Conference
word-of-the-year. That honor went to held on a Zoom Video conference. We
“pandemic,” beating out other words that were enthused by the participation and
describe the year, including “lockdown,” effective use of technology to accomplish
“mail-in,” “malarkey,’ “kraken,” and others. professional education during these
difficult times. Our speakers and topics
This year was unlike any other for pest this year were:
control and IPMA, and ‘unprecedented’
describes our experiences and activities • Mosquito Management. Nicky Gallagher,
this year. The continuing and ongoing Syngenta Professional Pest Management
pandemic forced customers to spend • Termite Treatment Options. Daniel Dye,
more time at home, leading to increased Florida Pest Control Training Coordinator
business for home remodeling and • Iowa Laws and Regulations. Jeni Lara,
decorating companies, home office IDALS
furniture sales, and residential pest • Rabies and Other Occupational
control. IPMA members have reported Hazards and Stored Product Pests.
that it was “a very good year” despite the Mike Merchant, Texas A&M University
inconvenience of adding face coverings (retired)
to the usual PPE worn by pesticide
applicators. For more about COVID-related • Bed Bug Management. Mark
actions, see updates and resources from VanderWerp, Rose Pest Solutions
NPMA. The IPMA virtual conference was
The coronavirus changed how IPMA made possible by essential collaboration
operated, especially for the annual and support from several partners,
conference and trade show that has been especially the Iowa Department of
mission-critical to IPMA for over 80 years. Agriculture and Land Stewardship Pesticide
The IPMA Board of Directors started Bureau. Regulatory cooperation and
planning for the fall conference over a accommodation made it possible for our
year ago. The switch from our traditional conference to be the first commercial
face-to-face conference to an online pesticide applicator VIRTUAL recertification
experience was a difficult decision. We all meeting in the state. We were able to
long prefer to be together, talk directly verify participant attendance by the
to vendors, handle the latest equipment Zoom login record, and engagement
and products, and visit with each other to was documented by requiring sign-in
share challenges and ideas over coffee and to Zoom Chat at the beginning, middle,
donuts. However, concern for the health and end of the meeting. Attendees were
and safety of applicators, their families, permitted to participate as a group
and customers, the vendors and speakers at their office or other location. When
prevailed, and planning switched to more than one person participated at
a login site, an additional sign-in sheet
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Page 4 IPMA Connection • 4th Quarter, 2020