MACNA 2006

[Isis]

For those who need more convincing to come to MACNA... here is a link with tons of info... Please read!!!!

http://www.nicksreef.com/MACNA.htm

What is MACNA? and Why should I attend?

These are the questions I hope to answer by this quick reference webpage.

MACNA - The Marine Aquarium Conference of NORTH AMERICA

MACNA is THE LARGEST marine aquarium conference in North America geared STRICTLY to marine aquarium hobbyist!!!

Why YOU should attend:

70 and counting venders all tougher in one trade show with their products setup just for YOU.

The chance to meet the people who make your hobby products and a chance to ask them any questions you may have FACE TO FACE.

400+ of YOUR fellow hobbyist all in one hotel on one weekend.

23 different speakers (idols) giving talks on what matters in this great hobby.

8 professionals giving demonstration workshops for YOU.

$20,000 dollars AND GROWING in raffle items.

It wont cost you any more than 2 or 3 corals and the gas to get them.

FREE FRAGS.

CHEEP FRAGS.

RARE CORALS/FISH.

NEW UNRELEASED products to preview.

Here are some other links..

www.MACNAXVIII.com

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-10/kk/feature/index.php

http://www.melevsreef.com/why_macna.html

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/macna17/vendors.html

These all have pics to enjoy...

[Isis]

Just and FYI....

All the rooms are sold out at the Westin Hotel. We have now arranged a new block at the Sheraton Suites Hotel down the block.

There is a complimentary shuttle for those who don't like to walk in the heat.

[Isis]

Hey all, just wanted to give you all an update... We have a few more booths left and we are aiming to sell all 120. There are going to be tons of corals for sale, kick butt equipment and displays, so I hope you all are at least planning on coming to the trade show. There are over $30,000 in raffle items, of which 5 items are tanks!!! There is a jellyfish tank, a fully stocked tanks and three other awesome ones that will be set up. There may be even a few vendors selling ones they don't want to haul back.

There are going to be some awesome skimmers for raffle, so I wouldn't miss that if I were you.

[lhoy]

Just curious, I probably can't stay on Sunday, but do you have to be present to win?

Lee

[Isis]

Just curious, I probably can't stay on Sunday, but do you have to be present to win?

LeeYes, because we need the product to be removed. If you have a buddy who you trust, they can bring it home for you.

[Isis]

On September 22 - 24, 2006 the Houston MARSH club is sponsoring this event. The MARSH Board has been working hard to bring MACNA 2006 to Houston. This will be your best (and cheapest) opportunity to attend all or part of MACNA. This is the first time the conference has been in Houston and it will not be here again for a long time, let alone in Texas.

What is MACNA 2006? http://nicksreef.com/MACNA.htm
Register and more information: www.MACNAXVIII.com

MACNA is THE LARGEST marine aquarium conference in North America geared STRICTLY to marine aquarium hobbyists!!! We expect to have over 500 attendees, 24 speakers and 100 Vendors.

World Renound Speakers: Listen and learn about a portion of your hobby that you need to know more about. Ask questions and get answers.

See Schedule of Events: http://www.macnaxviii.com/schedule.php

Vendors: Selling their products, some giving free samples, your chance to see and touch products you have only read about. Corals, Fish. So don’t go to the LFS this weekend go to MACNA. And find something different and cool.

Imagine a fish store that is over 20,000 SF!! Oh yes, it will be heaven.

See List of Vendors: http://www.macnaxviii.com/vendors/

Other Hobbyists: We have attendees from all over the world. You can brag about your tank and listen to others do the same. Get new ideas and ask questions from people who are interested in the same thing you are.

Workshops: LEARN and perhaps make your hobby more interesting or change something to make your tank better.

Raffle: Over 100 items to win, BIG and small. A trip for two to Jamaica! 5 fish tanks! Jellyquarium! and LOTS more!

Costs: With a MARSH/MAAST/DFWMAS membership all 3 days are only $125.00. Is that a lot when you see what you can get? We also have one day passes as well has vendor hall only passes, which can be purchased at the door or online. Tradeshow passes are only available at the door.

See here for full listing of prices: http://www.macnaxviii.com/registration/

Regards,

Kim Lowe
Vice President, MARSH

[Marlin]

With the new security measures in place at the airports, I assume we are not able to carry-on corals/fish in containers with saltwater in them.

Any problem with checking these in with your luggage?

[Isis]

With the new security measures in place at the airports, I assume we are not able to carry-on corals/fish in containers with saltwater in them.

Any problem with checking these in with your luggage?Right now there are a few options, but by then we would still need to verify with the airports...

Check the corals in you lugguge with some of the styrofoam boxes we will be providing to ensure your corals don't get crushed. The corals don't need water to be shipped, and actually do better when shipped in wet paper towels. (No water to spoil over the long trip.) Some corals may be even able to be carried on with you, but again this will be dependant on the security measures at the time.

[Texreefer]

did i miss an address to the Hotel?,, i would like to book a room for saturday night

[Isis]

Here is the page on hotel info.... http://www.macnaxviii.com/travel/

[AlexKilpatrick]

I'm planning to drive down just for one day to go to the tradeshow. Which day would be best?

[ShaneV]

Depends on what you want to do, Saturday will have the longest tradeshow hours, but Sunday will have the raffle, and we have a TON of items. http://www.macnaxviii.com/sponsors/raffle.php

[DeAngelove]

Do you have to be present for the raffle to win on Sunday? :unsure

[ShaneV]

Argh, opening weekend of south zone dove season.

The doves will still be there the following weekend :D

[ShaneV]

Do you have to be present for the raffle to win on Sunday? :unsure

You do have to be present to win.

[Isis]

Hey all!!!

Check the reefcast episode on MACNA!

http://www.reefcast.com/downloads.php

[Isis]

There is also a review of MACNA in the latest edition of Reefkeeping Magazine

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/index.php

[Isis]

The Friday Night Reception has SOLD OUT!!!!

Full Registration tickets with banquet only are now listed at $165 each.

[Isis]

If you are a member of MARSH or any club located in the great state of TX, you absolutely have to positively attend MACNA. Go all three days. Make it happen. Figure out what you have to do, and commit to the event.

Look, I'm just a hobbyist like the rest of you. And my first MACNA was the Ft Worth one, and the only reason I even found out about it was during a phone call or email with Jeff's Exotic Fish in California. Jeff told me "It's in your own back yard! How can you possibly miss this?!" So that led me to a thread on RC that asked "Who's going to MACNA?" I read some posts, but still didn't understand what was going to take place, plus it was going to cost me $150. Well, $150 then was "a lot of Live Rock", so why waste it going to a trade show / conference? Duane, a BOD of DFWMAS took me under his wing and answered all of my questions. I also called the president of MASNA (Nancy Swart) to see just why she thought MACNA was so amazing. Between the two of them, plus the thought Jeff had planted in my brain, I decided I'd go. Still, I hated to have to pay the $150. Duane told me that volunteers would get $50 off the price, but you had to be a DFWMAS member to volunteer.

So the first day of MACNA, I showed up knowing hardly a thing, paid to become a member of DFWMAS and paid the $100 entry fee, and asked what they needed me to do as a volunteer. They told me they'd let me know, and to just go on in and listen to the speaker.

When I entered the meeting room, there were tables and chairs, all facing forward similar to a classroom. Every spot had a thin tablet of paper and a pen, for note taking. The speakers used slides, video, or power point to get their information across. A camera man trained the lens on the speaker, so his face would be projected on both large screens bracketing the stage. The room was cool, relatively dark, and comfortable.

And I just soaked up information, speaker after speaker. A ton of it went right over my head, because I knew so little. Yet, tidbits stuck with me. Each speaker always ended with a 15 minute Q&A, and I must have raised my hand a thousand times that weekend. They answered my questions, even when they were the most basic (and even stupid at that) of queries. Often you'd see the rest of the audience nodding in agreement as if I'd just asked the same question they had in their mind. I do remember one guy asking advanced questions, and it almost felt like he was arguing with the expert rather than accepting the information as it was presented. It felt a little rude, honestly, but I learned more about the personalities of the presenters at the same time.

The gala dinner was included in my discounted entry fee. I hung around in the hotel waiting for it to start, looking at the vendors booths and drooling over the clams that everyone was buying. I had PC lighting, it it was killing me that my tank wouldn't be a suitable home for them.

As the Gala was about to begin, the vice president of DFWMAS lead me to a table at the front of the room. "You sit here," he said, and I gratefully accepted. Then one of the speakers, Steve Tyree, sat down at the same table. Next to him, Julian Sprung sat down. And then two more speakers sat down. Finally a guy with a beard walked up, and was going to take the last two spots for himself and his wife. Sheepishly, I told him that there were two walky-talkies sitting in the dinner plates, so they must be reserved. He said okay, and moved on. The other speakers looked at me and ask "Do you know who you just told to move?" Of course, I didn't have a clue. "That was Walt Smith, the keynote speaker for tonight." OMG!!! Then they asked "And who are you, btw?" "I'm nobody! I don't even know how I ended up at the table with all the speakers. LOL" We had a great meal; they were very nice and I listened to whatever they decided to chatter about, and then Walt did a nice presentation about aqua-cultured rock and corals in the Fiji islands.

On Sunday, I finally had to do my 'volunteer' job, and that was to help set up the raffle items in the room so that the winners could put their tickets in the appropriate bins. I think it took me 10 or 20 minutes to complete my only assignment for the entire 3 days of attending.

Each night, I drove home rather than stay at the hotel. The drive was about 45 minutes. I ate at the hotel for lunch, as DFWMAS had arranged a $10 Box Lunch for attendees. It was a nice buffet like set up where you could get a plate of food and a drink, and it was sufficient.

At the end of the day's events, others went out to the pool area where some snacks were provided as well as a cash bar. I really didn't have money to blow, so I ate some cheese and crackers, and got to meet Martin Moe and his wonderful wife. I never heard of Martin, which made his wife chuckle. Btw, the next day he gave a very interesting presentation with a 7 tidal zone system that used a surge tank. It was amazing.

I didn't win anything in the raffle on Sunday, but I did end up coming home with a clam and 3 SPS, which lived in my 29g for 2 years under those same Power Compacts. ;) I think I used some of my utilities money to buy the corals, but I couldn't resist and knew I'd earn more money to pay my bills anyway.

So, why this long post? Because it would be a real shame that all of MARSH not attend their own conference. You've got some great leadership that has spent a solid year working on getting this conference organized. That is an enormous task, and you simply have no idea how tough it is, especially if the last MACNA left a bad taste with some vendors or speakers. That type of backlash can really hurt the next year's conference. If you feel any of your BOD members are getting a snippy, it could be because they are frustrated by the fact that all their hard work for YOU MEMBERS is being taken for granted. This opportunity is rare. There are people all over the nation whining, "if only it was closer to my home, I'd go in a heart beat!"

Going to MACNA is not about getting a free bag of salt or a tee-shirt. It is about education. And yes, you can buy books, read online articles and discussion threads, but having it presented to you in person either via demonstration or with a/v gear is not to be missed.

DFWMAS has a very large group coming down. Do you know why? Because I've spent time every meeting for the past 11 months telling them to go. Why do I do that? Because I know personally that MACNA isn't to be missed. Your tank will benefit from what you learn. Your members will benefit from the information you'll be able to share with them when they post a question on a topic you just absorbed. You've got 21 experts coming to Houston next weekend, and your club is paying for their time, their flight, their room, their food, their parking, their dog boarding, etc... If anything, you need to recoup that money and listen to the knowledge they have brought to share.

MACNA is for hobbyists. MACNA helps brand new hobbyists; it helps more experienced hobbyists. And it helps me. A lot of people come to me for help on a regular basis. I know when I attend next weekend, I'll come home with a few nuggets of gold that will help others as well as my own reeflings. And my fellow club members.

If you have kids, bring them. If you are concerned what it will cost to bring your kids, talk to your BOD. I'm sure you can work out what is equitable and not break the bank. If you're broke, break out your credit card, and pay it off over the next few months. Your kids will enjoy the conference. There is plenty to look at, to touch, to laugh at, and more. They can bring along their favorite toy, blanket, crayons and coloring book, etc... You can always take a break, walk your kids to a different area or visit some of the mall to break the monotony they may be experiencing. Buy them a soda or a candy bar, get some sunlight, then come back in.

MACNA is not boring, that is to be sure. If you don't like a particular talk, the vendors area will keep your attention for sure. New products, unique applications, new releases, and just the abundance of hobby-related goodies will keep your interest up. Hobbyists are coming from all over to hang out and talk about reefkeeping and everything that entails. You'll meet people you've probably been talking to on ReefCentral for years. How cool is that, to finally put a smiling face to that name, and to shake their hand after all the help they've given you online?

So that's it. You've read my post. Now, make the decision to attend. Call a friend, family member, ask for whatever help you need to allow you to go. Tell your boss why it is so important that you attend. Trade a shift with a fellow worker, or perhaps ask if you can work the night shift so you can attend during the day time. You'll miss some sleep, but I bet you'll recover and make up for it after MACNA has ended. :)

Don't let this opportunity slip through your fingers. Are you really going to wait for next year's MACNA, and fly to Pittsburg, PA and pay for hotel accomodations, taxi service, etc? This is the cheapest MACNA MARSH will ever be able to attend. Carpool to save gas, brown bag your lunch, don't buy a PPV movie this week so you have some coral money next weekend. :D

I'll be there. Will you? Melev says "Go!"

[ReefOne]

Quick Update!!

Man this thing is SWEET!!! Awaiting Julian Sprung's talk on Nano-Tanks

The Vendors are sweet, I've got about 300gallons worth of salt. New products that are coming out are going to be AWESOME!!!


Ram

[Ping]

I just got back from macna tonight. The Marshians did an OUTSTANDING job of puttting this years event together. I had a great time, learned alot, and met a great bunch of people. Over the next few days to weeks I will be writing several articles for Maast on my experience and the education I recieved this weekend. Just to name a few of the topics off my head right now (it is late and I am tired); Lighting, all types including led's, Eric and Kims salt study, Coral Farming, Sand bed microfauna, and more.

The event as a whole..........., My only complaint is that the weekend was not long enough.

[cpreefguy]

Yeah, It was soo sweet that I drove from San Marcos to Houston...twice!!!
MARSH did an AWESOME job organizing it. Julian Sprung was telling GaryP and myself that this was the best organized MACNA that they have done.
Great job guys!

[ReefOne]

Look @ what I got this past weekend!!

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/462/dscn1191rj5.jpg

[ReefOne]

still missing a can of Red Sea and my frags are not pictured!!! :)

[Shark_Bait]

And that was just his freebies !!!

[Isis]

Dang... that is where all the Seachem salt went. I didn't get too many freebies, but Boyd's left 5 cases of food behind, which me and another BOD jumped on.

[Shark_Bait]

Isis is your salt research going to be posted anywhere? I missed half of your speech and would like to see the full presentation.

[DeAngelove]

I didn't get any free stuff :( :cry

I still had a good time though, and glad I went! :shades

[Isis]

Isis is your salt research going to be posted anywhere? I missed half of your speech and would like to see the full presentation.It will be a while, we have way too much data to process... Hopefully by the beginning of next year.

[lhoy]

Kim,

I can only say what an outstanding job MARSH did with the conference. Everything was so enjoyable. I'm sorry you guys had to put up with people complaining about the workshops. I thought the volunteers handled everything very well. Ram and I were very fortunate to get to go to the conference. We would like to thank MAAST for the opportunity.

I learned a lot. Have a bunch of pics to post later.

Lee

[ReefOne]

Totally agree w/ Lee. Thanks to MAAST for the best prize any reefer could ever be given. I came home w/ about 500gallons worth of salt + extras. I'm gonna try to make it to all MACNA's now :)

[cpreefguy]

I'm gonna try to make it to all MACNA's now :)
Me too! Nice meeting you too Ram, youre talanted way beyond your years!

[ReefOne]

lol!! Thanks Sean. Hey man, we have to trade some frags of we got from MACNA next time i'm up in SA

[cpreefguy]

yeah for sure, just shoot me a PM whenever youre in the area

[GaryP]

So, for those of you that went, what would you think about having it here in a few years? Would you be willing to help out?

To be honest, I don't think, as a club, we are ready yet for something of that scope. However, that being said, I do think we can get there is we have the commitment as a club to make it a long term goal. I'm thinking of it in the 2009-2011 time frame. Its going to take a lot more then a few BOD members to pull something of this scale off. It would be something that the majority of the club would have to jump into and not just a few worker bees like we have done in the past. Once we commit to something like MACNA, there is no going back.

Just so you know, clubs bid on hosting MACNA 1 1/2 years in advance. So, for example, the bid for 2010 would be early in 2009. That's only a little over 2 years from now.

I spoke to the folks from MASNA (the national organization) about this. I also spoke to the folks from MARSH and DFWMAS (that hosted a very successful MACNA 5 yrs. ago). They are will to help out by giving us advice on the the do's and don'ts that they learned from their MACNA experience. I would also suggest that we, as a club, send people to every MACNA in the future, like we did this year. In particular, I would suggest that we send people that are committed to being a major part of a future MACNA's planning and execution.

I'll start another thread along these lines in the charter member forum so we can get your feedback and start a dialog on this topic.