C4 Feedback

[+BobcatReefer]

I'm never surprised that a stunning coral is expensive, but I am usually surprised at just how expensive it is.

[FarmerTy]

First off, great conference! Thank you to Mike, Dan, Meg, Brian, Jim, Isaac, Christy, Dave, Robin, John, all the vendors, and Aquadome and River City Aquatics for their hard work/support in making the conference what it was, a great event! I apologize if I left anybody off as I'm sure there were plenty of behind-the-scenes work that went into this as well.

Food:

I thought the same as most, tasty, but wish some would have came a bit more prepared for the number of attendees that came. I could always use more variety as well so the more the merrier. The italian ice truck was sent straight from heaven... nothing like super cold italian ice cream on a hot summer day.

Bounce House and Photo Booth:

Seems to be the consensus to keep both. I don't have kids so I can't add too much input but it seemed to help run out some energy for the little ones while the parents ran off to shop corals and listen to speakers.

Speakers:

I thought the selection of speakers was great! Good job in securing them! I think the same format should be kept except that maybe the volunteers go around while the speakers are talking and hush the frag section. Either that or give vendors signs that they can hang in front of their tanks to indicate that there will be a momentary break while speakers are talking. As a "vendor" selling corals myself, I wanted to listen to the speakers when possible and honestly, it was a good break from selling and was appreciated. I did take the opportunity to eat during one talk and sat at my table and people kept coming up to look at frags and try to buy stuff. It put me in an awkward situation to not sell them frags. A simple sign in front of my frag tank would have made it clear that we are taking a break from frag sales in respect for the speakers.

Location:

I liked the venue that was used. It had plenty of space and the space seemed to work well for our purpose. On that note, my only complaint was the location itself. It wasn't just South but a little beyond south and not close to a major highway. I understand we'll get more for the money out there but I'm perfectly happy with another hotel lobby conference located someone more central. Plus, to me, it made it feel much more professional of a setup at a hotel... like maybe attending a mini-Macna or mini-Reef-a-palooza.

Name Tags:

I would have much appreciated name tags as I am terrible with names. Its always fun to match up the person with their online persona as well so that you can be like... oh you're that crazy guy Bobcatreefer who throws up all the GIFs to welcome people! I'm kidding Jeff!

Auctions:

I thought it a great idea to incorporate the auction into the swap. I know it was more of an impromptu addition to the event so I can understand the format could use some revising. While it would be hard to place all the auction frags in one tank, I do like the idea of maybe setting it aside in the vendor's frag tank and maybe having a generic label beside it to denote that it is the auction frag. That way everyone can get a look at the frags being auctioned. Then do all the auctions at once so those who want to participate can get an opportunity to bid without having to wait all day for the deals for a good cause. This also allows vendors to attend and bid as well as many of us are just hobbyists and would like to snag a pretty coral in the name of charity.

All in all, great conference. I'd take it exactly as it was this past weekend if nothing changed at all. Those are just areas I thought we could build on in my opinion. Oh yeah, and free lunch for all the vendors works for me too. Nothing crazy, just some steak and shrimp skewers would suffice... maybe a nice glass of wine. I'm easy! Maybe even a masseuse on hand...

[BornToHula]

I really enjoyed the event! Met lots of great people and got some really killer frags.

My big suggestion is to have it at a more central location, the drive from Leander was more than an hour each way (I35/Mopac traffic didn't help).

[Gig 'em @ NDstructible]

As for the "frag check", a lot of us brought small coolers, Maybe it would be easier to have a cooler check. People can bring their own coolers, fill it with frags, and then check the cooler at the check in area until they want to leave? Maybe have a large common cooler for those who don't bring a cooler and zip ties with name tags or just a permanent marker to write down names.

As for food, I live next to Garbos and their restaurant is small quantity of food for $$. It's good food, but that's just how they roll. What if we had the option of buying a meal plate prior to the event and having a caterer provide the food? I know Pok-E-Jo's has an option to set up a buffet table with BBQ, plates, and serving utensils without having to pay for someone to man the table. Cheaper than hiring an actual caterer, but you get the food and everything you need. Having everyone interested chip in, say $10, and sell tickets at the door would pay for the food and everyone wouldn't be left hungry who wanted to eat. If not a caterer, I can smoke a mean brisket! [emoji41]

[Isaac]

I really enjoyed the event! Met lots of great people and got some really killer frags.

My big suggestion is to have it at a more central location, the drive from Leander was more than an hour each way (I35/Mopac traffic didn't help).

straight down mopac to slaughter to brodie worked for me from RR... 50mins

[Isaac]

As for food, I live next to Garbos and their restaurant is small quantity of food for $$. It's good food, but that's just how they roll. What if we had the option of buying a meal plate prior to the event and having a caterer provide the food? I know Pok-E-Jo's has an option to set up a buffet table with BBQ, plates, and serving utensils without having to pay for someone to man the table. Cheaper than hiring an actual caterer, but you get the food and everything you need. Having everyone interested chip in, say $10, and sell tickets at the door would pay for the food and everyone wouldn't be left hungry who wanted to eat. If not a caterer, I can smoke a mean brisket! [emoji41]

We do something similar for out HOA annual meeting. The problem is, we always end up ordering way too much. Many people RSVP, about half dont show up. This would have eaten away at club funds, which we really don't want. I think the food truck idea was awesome.. maybe we just need more?

[Gig 'em @ NDstructible]

Another idea I just had, totally brainstorming here, what if we had club members provide the food (smoke some briskets, grill some chicken, prepare a large salad and enough sides for everyone, etc) and all the proceeds go to scholarships and charity. A little less formal, but goes to a good cause.

[BornToHula]

I really enjoyed the event! Met lots of great people and got some really killer frags.

My big suggestion is to have it at a more central location, the drive from Leander was more than an hour each way (I35/Mopac traffic didn't help).

straight down mopac to slaughter to brodie worked for me from RR... 50mins

That's how I went coming home from the event. 1hr 10mins to Leander. Not complaining or anything, just a suggestion

[Isaac]

re: central tank for auctions... I'm kinda on the fence.

Having each one in front of the vendor brought people... in front of the vendor. This spawns more sales. This also allows the vendor to throw in extra stuff if they want to last minute (3-4 vendors added more frags at the last min). This ensures a vendor's frags are in a tank they maintain and make sure are healthy.

Having a central tank would unify everything in one place, and it wouldn't be so... haphazard. you'd pick which auction you'd go for upfront, knowing whats coming up, etc. problem is, you are mixing water from diff systems.. the odds of parasitic issues spreading are cranked way high by this co-mingling/mixing. You also have diff lighting opinions. vendor A might want more actinic, vendor B wants more whites, etc.

maybe a good mix would be to ask the vendors to mark off the auction frag(s) in a corner or a box. We take pictures and print them out (or they bring pictures!) and put them in a central place. I don't know how feasible and good that would be.. but kinda allows for a reasonable compromise?

spitballin here.

[Isaac]

Another idea I just had, totally brainstorming here, what if we had club members provide the food (smoke some briskets, grill some chicken, prepare a large salad and enough sides for everyone, etc) and all the proceeds go to scholarships and charity. A little less formal, but goes to a good cause.

I like that one! "brisket donated by X, all proceeds to scholarship fund"

[Sascha D.]

My first time going, I did not get there until later, around 2, but I personally liked the mix of speakers and frag swap concurrently, it was nice to break the time up, it would be nice to have a separation, even just the temporary room dividers to cut down on the noise. During the last speaker there was a time it was hard to hear the speaker over the talking at one of the tables, the minor audio problems did not help that tho. A frag check is a great idea, nothing a permanent marker and a sicker with a numbering system would not address. Provide a sicker with a number on it to the person, write the number on the bag, and float it. Heck charge a buck to check, or something. To get your frag back provide your numbered sticker.

I went out to get some BBQ, later in the day and they were sold out. so can't comment on if it was good or not..

Thanks for organizing the event, and those who working it!

As hobbyists, what we're worried about is temp change. A club tote with a heater would have been perfect. Some of the frags that I had asked about were already sold and it deterred me from asking about others. I feel like I'm bothering them with questions when there is a line of people behind me. The problem that you have is liability. What if someone grabs the wrong bag. Who is responsible for the person that lost their money?

Just thinking aloud, but if the event was speakers first, then swap, arguably you probably would need the "frag check". You may want a cooler / bag check just in case you didn't want to carry your bag around, but it would seem less necessary.

Speaking as a vendor, I will tell you it's hard to organize everything by price. Plus I actually want people to ask / talk because then they have to engage with me and I'm more likely to get a sale. But as a buyer, I understand the frustration of being disappointed. At the same time, if you see some stunning coral, are you really that surprised when it's expensive? That's kinda the MO of this hobby.

And on that note, each vendor has their own setup, their own system, and way of doing business. Many of them are hobbyists, so organizing 150 frags by price can be a challenge.

Keep the feedback coming! This is really helpful and lots of good idea.

I wasn't surprised that an expensive coral was expensive. I was surprised that some normal corals were priced higher than expected. For example, one vendor was selling a single head of standard frogspawn for $40. Every buyer has their own idea of what fair market value is. I think other people are commenting on here about prices because we expected "deals". Whatever that means

[FarmerTy]

Yeah, I see no reason for setting up or worrying about a frag coat check type of setup. Trust me folks, they'll be fine in your cooler for 6 hrs. They get shipped overnight in much less favorable conditions and are still fine.

The extra work and liability involved with a coral check is just not worth it in my opinion. I'd rather the volunteers be focused on other matters to keep the conference running smoothly.

[Sascha D.]

I don't remember who brought the cupcakes, but they were awesome!

[Isaac]

Yeah, I see no reason for setting up or worrying about a frag coat check type of setup. Trust me folks, they'll be fine in your cooler for 6 hrs. They get shipped overnight in much less favorable conditions and are still fine.

The extra work and liability involved with a coral check is just not worth it in my opinion. I'd rather the volunteers be focused on other matters to keep the conference running smoothly.

You know... zen-reef had a huge tank standing on its side.. just to show off a tank.... I bet he'd be willing to fill it with water and we drop a heater/powerhead in it just to float numbered bags in it. Show off vendor products while utilizing it for a frag-check? sharpie a ticket number on the bag, person writes name/number on one ticket, we give them the other half... this way we have a name w/ the number, and they have the ticket to pick it up. $3 donation for frag-check? supplies the option, and funds the scholarship too. liability... "by signing this you accept this is a best effort process, please come by and check on your frag anytime you wish?"...i dunno. its voluntary, unofficial, etc.

[mFrame]

I don't remember who brought the cupcakes, but they were awesome!

Baked By Anna.

[mFrame]

Exhibitors and attendees feel free, the staff and I will back off a bit on commenting so as to not direct the feedback. There are quite a few points that I'll try to summarize and address on say, Wednesday, to give everyone else time to post.

If there was a vendor, food truck, photo booth guy, or other that you would like to thank for coming out, please do so! For smaller events such as this it helps them to know that their attendance was appreciated:

• Austin Aqua-Dome - https://www.facebook.com/Austin-Aqua-dome-210434788968816
• River City Aquatics - https://www.facebook.com/rivercityaquatics
• Just Reef - https://www.facebook.com/just.reef.austin
• Austin Photo Booth Guy - https://www.facebook.com/austinsphotoboothguy
• Fish Gallery Austin - https://www.facebook.com/FishGalleryAustin
• Baked By Anna - https://www.facebook.com/BakedByAnna
• Shugabees - https://www.facebook.com/Shugabees-Texas-BBQ-133071870097360
• Garbos Lobster Truck - https://www.facebook.com/Garbos-Lobster-Truck-ATX-401685346586386
• Uncle Louie G's Italian Ice - https://www.facebook.com/UncleLouieGAustinTX
• Painted Horse Pavilion - https://www.facebook.com/Painted-Horse-Pavilion-155882194466554
• Fishy Stuff - https://www.facebook...ges/Fishy-Stuff

[+FluxCapacitor]

Donation for frag check is an even better idea! It raises money for the club and allows people to buy what they want early without having to worry about whether it will still be there later. I do understand the side of it that they can last in a cooler for hours but I can say I'd be personally concerned if I paid for a high dollar frag.... i'd be getting antsy and wanting to head home to get it in the water asap.

I can vouch that the bounce house was a hit and as for it running the kids out of energy I'm not sure that was a "thing". I'm not sure if kids just have endless energy or if it was cupcake fueled energy. Either way that thing was getting it's money's worth for sure.

[mFrame]

Alright, I've made my notes and will try to consolidate topics and address them. I don't have all the answers, but many of the things mentioned have been tried in prior years that you may not have attended.

Nametags

Excellent idea, we need to do this. The ARC premium membership card does act as a nametag, but many of us don't carry them at all times and non-premium members do not have them. It would definitely be easier to just have nametag stickers available.

Bounce House, Photo Booth, Food trucks

I think these all worked great, our goal is to make this family friendly and the feedback all seems to indicate this worked.

Shorter/Longer event

Torn on this one. Our exhibitors, especially those from out of town, can take hours to set up. We have to make sure the event lasts long enough and that they get enough exposure to justify them coming to town and setting up. We don't have enough traffic to justify an event spanning two days, so we have instead pushed to do it all in one day. I do think we could shorten the event to say 6 hours to concentrate on different things at different times though, more on that below.

Common Space for Exhibitors and Speakers

In prior years we had separate rooms for the exhibitors and speakers. That created two problems: 1) people would not stop shopping to go listen so the speaker room was mostly empty; 2) many of our sponsors and exhibitors want to hear the speakers. So last year and this year we went to the combined space. This year was MUCH better in regard to noise, but we still had sales going on during the presentations so we've got to continue to tweak it. It's hard to tell exhibitors who paid to be there to stop selling, and often even if they wanted to the customers were persistent and continued shopping.

I'm currently leaning toward splitting the conference into different time periods for the conference and frag swap versus separate rooms. I've hesitated to do this because t's really hard to ask people to show up for 3 hours of presentations, it feels too much like school to most people. However, I think it's much more likely that if the speakers were grouped into morning or afternoon that those wanting to hear them all could come for 3-4 hrs, listen, do a quick tour of the frags and then leave.

Prize Drawings

The prize drawings were never intended to be "the reason" you come out, they're actually intended to reward those who stay through the event. The first prize drawing of the day was to get you there, the middle one was to get you back after lunch, the last was to keep you there. If we did all the drawings at once then some people would show up just for the drawings and leave after. That's why you see a mix of large and small prizes for each drawing, and why we have advertised ahead of time when each prize is being drawn for. This was even more important when we were downtown at hotels as people would leave for lunch and not make it back for the next session.

I realize not everyone can stay all day, so we attempted to help you target when you want to be there by posting the itinerary. That said, if we change to have the speakers in the morning, prize drawing at noon, and frag swap in afternoon, we might be able to make it all flow easier.

Exhibitor/Sponsor policies

We can't make anyone do anything, but we can offer advice to our exhibitors such as organizing frags by price or telling them what we know people want. I actually like the idea of having a few C4 polls ahead of time checking interest. I'm thinking we would add it to the RSVP form. We could have questions where you rank what you're shopping for (SPS, LPS, Clams, Fish, etc.) and what your anticipated event budget is. I know that everyone selling would love to have that info so they could target what they bring.

Frag Auctions

At the least we need an auction tag that could fit around the base of frags to be auctioned. I don't like the idea of pooling auction frags into one tank for multiple reasons: someone has to bring and maintain it during the show; mixing and matching un-dipped frags is a bad idea, and it potentially reduces traffic to the exhibitors and seeing what else they have. I do think that when the frags are auctioned that we should take them to the stage and have a good system where people can see, hear, and bid during the auction. Despite it being the first time we did live auctions at C4, between it and the silent auctions we raised $1k for the scholarship fund, so I was very pleased.

Frag Holding Tank for your purchases

I just don't see this happening. Our volunteers were already stretched thin, and the potential for confusion and or intentional stealing is just too great. I think we're better served by having the event split so that you hear the speakers, then shop, then take your purchases home. As Ty mentioned, bringing your own handheld cooler (or larger!) should be sufficient.

Member Perks

I do like the idea of rewarding ARC members and providing the ability for non-members to "buy" early admittance to the frag room.

Location/Parking

As just about everyone knows, Austin is getting crowded. One of the main reasons we had the event in August was to avoid ACL, SXSW, UT football, spring weddings, and all the other things that drive up the cost of venues and make them unavailable to us. Our venues have cost $1000-1500 each year for the last four years. In the hotels we've used, that means we've been cramped into tiny spaces and treated like lesser customers (tucked into out of the way corners, ignored when we complain of noise, etc.). So this year we had decided to go to the east Metro Park in Austin. As the temps climbed though, the idea of having tanks and people in an un-airconditioned pavilion seemed like a really bad one. The Painted Horse, while definitely some distance out, provided the perfect amount of space, parking, and attraction to draw even more attendees from San Antonio at the right price.

I hear you though, I would love to have it within the Austin City Limits. If you know of any venues that can accommodate us, don't mind water slopping onto the floor, and are available at reasonable rates (at least 3k sq ft for $1000 or less for the day), then PLEASE LET US KNOW.

Speakers/Topics/ Round Table

Austin is a tough crowd in that we have hobbyists of all levels. Some of us totally geeked out on the deep scientific content of our speakers, while others felt it was too complicated. It's the C4 staff's job to find intelligent speakers that can present to everyone, so we'll continue to try to dial this in. Please keep in mind though that bringing in people from other parts of the country is expensive and hard on them to squeeze travel into their lives, so it means everything to us (and them) when you take the time to have a seat and listen to what they're presenting.

That said, I really did miss having the Round Table presentation that we've had in prior years. Having Gary and Jake represent the local fish store and their experiences in the hobby ties the two worlds together, and we'll definitely be bringing that back in future years.

Sponsor Items/Pricing

Ok, just to be blunt, our Sponsors get the short end of the deal at C4. First, they effectively pay for C4 in that their sponsorship fees pay for the venue hall and to bring speakers in. They have local stores that they pay overhead on as well as their employee cost. We ask them to come out on a Saturday, one of their busiest days, to participate, and to bring things to sell. They can bring corals, but it's incredibly hard for them to compete on price with the hobbyist frag swapper who brings corals and would rather sell them for anything than to take them home. So that means our sponsors are left trying to find something you want that they can bring. Last year Gary sold out of the clams he brought, so he brought them again this year. Jake has brought fish and done very well with them. Both have brought equipment, not only to offer you excellent discounts at the show but also just to let you know that they do carry them for when you are looking. We HAVE to support our local fish stores if we want to keep having these events. I think you all get this. To hlep them, though, we need to let them know what we want. We'll work harder to get that information ahead of time to let them know.

We have incredible local fish store sponsors that are willing to attend and fund these events despite the fact that they know it benefits others more than them. In talking to them, they do it because they love the hobby and they love their customers, and they want to continue to support both. I can't thank them enough for this.

Member Potluck

While a good idea, this is probably more suited to our spring frag swap. In an event like C4 there is already so much to manage that having food that can go bad or have to be cleaned up after just adds more complexity. It's also hard to get food trucks to come out when they hear that there will be "free" competition to them. We could cut the food truck and do it ourselves, or invite a scout troop to provide food as a fund raiser, but if we want to keep the food trucks it's probably a deal breaker.

Spring Swap

Ask Dan.

*** And let me just say again, thanks to Dan and Meg H., Brian S., my wife, and the volunteers for all their help. I could not have done this without them! ***

[Dan H]

Thanks Mike! Can't wait for next year or this spring for that matter.

[Sascha D.]

I like the idea of a poll. Can you do that on the website during RSVP? It may be difficult to phrase the questions for the sake of brevity.

Vendor Survey (Optional)

The answers to the following questions are designed to help participating sponsors...etc etc etc

Are you interested in any of the following products (check all that apply)

Large Polyp Awesomeness

Spirit Sticks (Don't drop them or you'll have a year of bad luck!)

Poisonous colored eyeballs with crazy names (Pappa Smurf Hurls a Basketball Through The Rainforest Zoanthids)

Aquarium Maintenance Services

New Aquarium Setups

...

...

...

[mFrame]

I like the idea of a poll. Can you do that on the website during RSVP? It may be difficult to phrase the questions for the sake of brevity.

Vendor Survey (Optional)

The answers to the following questions are designed to help participating sponsors...etc etc etc

Are you interested in any of the following products (check all that apply)

Large Polyp Awesomeness

Spirit Sticks (Don't drop them or you'll have a year of bad luck!)

Poisonous colored eyeballs with crazy names (Pappa Smurf Hurls a Basketball Through The Rainforest Zoanthids)

Aquarium Maintenance Services

New Aquarium Setups

...

...

...

Fish aren't the only clowns in the club, I see.

[Isaac]

actually... what about real clowns and a balloon guy?

[Sissy36]

actually... what about real clowns and a balloon guy?

Face painting! The lady at Gatti land RR is amazing. I can get the info if you like. She knows us pretty well

[emoji12]

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