MACNA 2011 Trip Report

[poidog81]

Wow. That's all I can say is Wow. MACNA 2011 was amazing. It wasn't that crowded this year and good corals were to be had all the way until the end of the show. It was great to see and talk to all the different vendors, really get to know their product, and but a face with a name for those you've talked to in product support. I didn't take a bunch of pictures at the show because we were too busy having fun, but I've included what I did take.

Brett from Tanked! was there all weekend and he was actually a really nice, and cool guy. He stayed at the Marriott with us and was always kept bumping into each other. He said that season 2 is signed up and next season they have forced the producers to show more of the "behind the scene" that were cut from the first. The biggest question that kept coming up was "how can you use hose water!" He said the show doesn't show you the huge RO/DI and salt mixing truck that they have!

I saw the next 3 ORA releases. I could have chosen then when I won the ORA raffle, but passed. One was some sort of LPS (I forgot what it was), Second was a pink gorgonian, Third was a neon green acro. It was described as having the exact same growth patter as the Red Planet, but had a lime green base and neon green tips.

OMG lets talk about swag. Just in the swag alone you made it out on top. Most venders gave you the t-shirt of the knick-naky stuff, but if you actually stopped to talk to them for a while they gave you practically anything that wasn't bolted down. Here's what I made away with just in swag:

- 2x Marineland Reef-Capible 18" LED fixture, 2011 MACNA edition
- Marineland Maxi-Jet 1200 pro
- Marineland Maxi-Jet 600 pro
- 2x Marineland blue LED waterproof strips (free swag at the dinner)
- Tropic Marin Salt
- 3x bags of frag plugs
- AccliMate acclimater
- Chemi-pure
- 2x Kent purple up
- 20 different t-shirts
- 12+ towels
- box of blow pop (I know random)
- acrylic beer mug
- 3x Instant ocean flake food
- 5x Instant ocean gel food
- 4x Instant ocean additives
- 6x ecotech coral glue
- 2x matted marine photographs
- assorted fish foods
- assorted nick-naks
- reusable bags

Now onto the raffles.... Besides the big, main raffle, booths were doing their own. I had 100 raffle tickets and this is what I won
- Tierra del Fuego mini colony from Oculus Aquatics (valued at $1500)
- AI Nano LED (valued at $350)
- 2x ORA frags, one from ORA one from Marinegeek . com. I picked ORA Joe the Coral and the ORA Stoli (valued at $60 each)

Here is what I bought. The prices were great compared to the vendors on-line sites. Also, they were slashing prices on Sunday:
- ORA Hawkins
- 12 heads of Malibu beach acan from Cherry Corals
- Palmers Blue Milli
- Snowcone Prostrata

I am already planning on how we can make 2012 MACNA in Dallas!

Show floor

Banquet Dinner (which was good)

Speaker. Was so boring! (can you tell?)

LED goodies!

Cherry Corals

Brett from Tanked! doing the raffle at marinegeek

Ipad raffle (we were so close - in the top 15 finalists!)

Jason Fox won the iPad (there should be a rule against that!)

 

[poidog81]

Acclimating Sunday night

Swag

 

[SkullV]

Man you made out like a bandit! Now sell all the crap you aren't going to use and get some nice coral!

 

[bryman]

Wow, that's quite a haul. If I had known all this free stuff could be had, I might have been able to rationalize the expense of going

Thanks for the pics and info. I am hoping to go next year.

 

[ChicagoReefOne]

So Marineland is literally giving away those LEDs now? Anyone know if they actually work? (not to derail)

Eric you skipped the most important, let's see those frags!!

 

[BADGUS]

Aww man that's sweet,congrats.Glad you had fun,hah i see the guy from ATM(tanked).

 

[Dino]

That looks flat out awesome.

 

[gig]

how crap! swagarific!! so how did the corals do? did you get them on sunday and travel back the same day?

 

[nvdiz]

Must have been fun

Congrats on all the stuff!

 

[ClemSnide]

Jeebus!

 

[Tank2379]

WOW!!!... What a great time you had. Next year it's in Dallas, TX thinking about making that trip

 

[britestar101]

did you win any of that at the booth raffles?

 

[badazztealcobra]

So they were just handing out all that stuff ??? Ive been to a few shows and got shirts and food samples and stuff, but NOTHING even close to that...

You sure you just don't have sticky fingers ??? :lmao:

Im glad to hear about the more behind the scenens stuff for season 2. Also glad to hear about the RO/DI truck, that should silence quite a few critics, although if I were doing a FOWLR I might think about using tap myelf...

 

[BigKev23]

They weren't just handing everything out. The marineland LEDs and maxi jets had to be won by watching Facebook and getting to their booth first to say something silly.

Most of the exhibitors were giving away shirts, samples, food, etc...

 

[Reef1589]

you got all that stuff from swag for free? cut me a deal on those 2 led fixtures haha but man this makes me wish i woulda went.

 

[poidog81]

Here are live stock pics. Some pieces stressed more than others due to the show, transport...etc. Sorry for the dark pics.

Bought:
Snowcone Prostrata

Palmer's Blue Milli

ORA Hawkins

Cherry Corals Malibu Beach

Won
ORA Joe the Coral

Tierra del Fuego

ORA Stoli

 

[DaveWF]

All I can say is WOWZERS!

So that little Tierra del Fuego frag is valued at $1500?? Is it mounted on a gold frag plug???

 

[poidog81]

So Marineland is literally giving away those LEDs now? Anyone know if they actually work? (not to derail)

They are a crisp white, I would say 10-12k color temp. They advertise 120 PAR at 12" of depth. So, for a really shallow SPS tank it would work. Otherwise I'd just use them for LPS, softies, fish only, or a good fuge light. They are sleek and thin. Also cool to the touch.

That looks flat out awesome.

It was nothing but awesome!

how crap! swagarific!! so how did the corals do? did you get them on sunday and travel back the same day?

Corals are all good. We got to Des Moines at 11am Saturday and left at 4pm Sunday. All the vendors held your items until end of Sunday.

Some did really well, others stressed more due to changing multiple tanks in 72 hours, multiple transports, being carried around...etc.

did you win any of that at the booth raffles?

I won the ORA stoli at a booth raffle. Everything else was the main raffle.

So they were just handing out all that stuff ??? Ive been to a few shows and got shirts and food samples and stuff, but NOTHING even close to that...

You sure you just don't have sticky fingers ??? :lmao:

Yep, just handing them out. You had to know who to smooze to get the good stuff! haha.

They weren't just handing everything out. The marineland LEDs and maxi jets had to be won by watching Facebook and getting to their booth first to say something silly.

Most of the exhibitors were giving away shirts, samples, food, etc...

Yes, the marineland LEDs you had to watch their facebook page and then run over there and answer a question or do something for them.

The standard was pens, tees, kick-naks, but if you stayed and talked to them they gave you actual product.

Marinegeek had pairs of every type of ORA clowns that they were giving out for free... I passed on the clowns and took the stoli instead. I have no more room for more clowns, otherwise I would have got a pair of snowflakes!

you got all that stuff from swag for free? cut me a deal on those 2 led fixtures haha but man this makes me wish i woulda went.

I was going to use the Marineland LEDs on my fuge, but they are too long for it so I may sell them now. Instead I'll use the AI nano LED and blast my fuge! haha I should turn it into my frag grow out area... Nothing like switching out a $20 CF fixture for a new $350 LED one!

All I can say is WOWZERS!

So that little Tierra del Fuego frag is valued at $1500?? Is it mounted on a gold frag plug???

Frags go for $400. The vendor that donated it to the raffle was offered $1500 at the show for it. He gave me a talk to make sure I could care for it properly too... haha. I was told by the vendor, since he was the importer of the piece, that I now have 25% of the total stock of this coral. :eek2: The rest has gone to well known resellers.

 

[KJAhp098]

That's pretty sweet, Eric. Lemme know when you're ready to frag that TDF.

 

[goby1kenobi]

Wow, you were right behind us at the iPad raffle. That's me with the long hair sitting right in front of you, and my husband next to me (also with long hair).


FYI to others who are thinking that you can easily get this much swag: You don't just have to schmooze to get stuff, you have to schmooze the right people, catch them when they're in the right mood, and say the right things. We didn't fare nearly so well on swag. I had vendors outright ignore me, even when I was trying to find out about their product.