Isis Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 MACNA is Coming! MACNA is Coming! The Marine Aquarium Conference of North America (MACNA) is the premier marine conference focused on the hobbyist and the industry that serves it. The final planning for MACNA XVIII is well underway and we have an incredible weekend planned for September 22 - 24, 2006 in Houston, Texas. As always, the core hobbyist comes first. We have phenomenal speakers that will inspire attendees of all levels of knowledge. There will also be workshops by leading professionals. There are over 100 booths where vendors will be displaying and selling the lastest in hobby equipment as well as livestock. As always there will be an incredible raffle that will include many items donated by our vendors and sponsors. Just a few of this years raffle items include a show stopping 74" silver and gold Jelliquarium (donated by Midwater Systems) and 2 trips for two to Jamaica (donated by PCL Travel). The MACNA XVIII website has all the details you need including the conference schedule, listing of speakers, raffle prizes, sponsors, vendors, as well as a forum for requesting additional information. In addition, the website has all the information you need to register and secure hotel reservations. While there is plenty of room for those wanting to come to the conference we are quickly running out of space at the Friday night reception and Saturday night banquet. Please make your plans to attend now. www.macnaxviii.com Thank you from your MACNA XVIII Planning Committee and the 2006 host club the Marine Aquarium and Reef Society of Houston. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isis Posted August 6, 2006 Author Share Posted August 6, 2006 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/...ature/index.php http://www.melevsreef.com/why_macna.html http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/macna17/vendors.html These all have pics to enjoy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedude Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 I'll be there, that's another great reason to attend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishtexan Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 Hey, Do you just pay at the door or do you have to order tickets? texx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isis Posted August 19, 2006 Author Share Posted August 19, 2006 Hey,Do you just pay at the door or do you have to order tickets? texx Definitely!We just can't guarantee spots available for the Friday Night event. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isis Posted September 1, 2006 Author Share Posted September 1, 2006 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/MAASTmembership 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isis Posted September 14, 2006 Author Share Posted September 14, 2006 The Friday Night Reception has SOLD OUT!!!! Full Registration tickets with banquet only are now listed at $165 each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isis Posted September 14, 2006 Author Share Posted September 14, 2006 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. I'll be there. Will you? Melev says "Go!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ACampbell Posted September 14, 2006 Share Posted September 14, 2006 Wow what a write up. Just around the corner. Wish I could go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted September 14, 2006 Share Posted September 14, 2006 I'll be there!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishtexan Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 I know its at the Gallaria Mall, but where is it at exactly? texx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 It is in the Westin. The hotel that is in the Galleria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishtexan Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 Ok. So is it in the lobby? Thanks! texx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Rangoon Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 Who else is here besides myself? I've run into a few of my customers, as well as some of our distributors, and I've got a couple of my friends/customers coming up on Sunday. Only thing I want to really know is: I see a lot of corals out here @ vendors booths in the trade show, however... I was really under the assumption that there would be people who've traveled here with home grown corals for trade or for cash. Do people not come and sell their own stuff here? Is it really just vendor-only? If there are folks out there peddling their frags, I need to know when and where, so let me know dontknow.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishtexan Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 Hi everyone! I just got back from MACNA. I got some zoo's, a frogspawn, and one of Eric Bornemans corals. If you are looking for nice SPS I would GO! texx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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