Macnaxx

SShindell

New member
Ok, time for another MACNA XX update before the price goes up at the end of the month!!! Check out our website at www.macnaxx.com for more information (the website is also going through a transformation by the end of the month). Let us know if we can do anything else to make your stay in Atlanta enjoyable!


As you know, we have record numbers of attendees and exhibitors this year, and a huge number of incredible speakers!!


We are also trying a few new things to entice you â€"œ including a Children’s Program involving local venues within walking distance of the hotel for those of you that want to appease your family (ages 5-12) to justify the massive amounts of money you pay for raffles and other goodies. The Children’s Program is being offered at cost, and can be pre-registered on our website starting later this week.


Also, UPS will have a booth in the trade show to allow easy shipment of all your animals and equipment (or your family if they object to your purchases!)


You may have heard about the tornado that went through downtown Atlanta a few months ago, damaging the Westin Hotel (but missing the Georgia Aquarium). There was damage to many windows, which are in the process of being replaced, but there was no structural damage and it is basically business as usual. Friday they gave us another 20 rooms, and they will go fast, so if you want to be at the conference hotel, you had better hurry! We also have contracted at other hotels next door at the same low rate, so there will be plenty of room.


You may have also heard the exciting news that the Georgia Aquarium is now expanding to include another 1.3 million gallons â€"œ making the total 9.5 million gallons. That is the good news. The bad news is that this new section will not be ready for this year’s MACNA. The general exhibits at the Georgia Aquarium will not be affected by the construction at the time of MACNA (other than possibly the outdoor sea lion exhibit).


The following is the schedule (subject to change). The workshops are limited to a small number of pre-registrants to allow more of an intimate atmosphere. There is a nominal charge to ensure that the workshops are filled. The proceeds will be donated to a non-profit charity of the speaker’s choosing. You should be able to sign up for workshops by the end of this week.

MACNA XX â€"œ Conference Schedule
Friday â€"œ September 5, 2008
09:00 am MASNA Board Meeting
11:00 am MASNA Member Preview of Trade Show
11:00 am Raffles Begin
12:00 pm Tradeshow Opens
12:00 pm Welcome
12:00 pm Dr. Hugo Freudenthal: The Role of Zooxanthellae
01:00 pm Children’s Program: Children’s Museum ($27.50)
01:15 pm James Fatherree: The Latest Advances in Aquarium Lighting
02:15 pm Dr. Bruce Carlson: Status of Reefs in the Wild
02:15 pm Workshop: Jake Adams: MacGyver Aquarium Techniques
03:15 pm Scott Fellman: Authentic Biotope Presentation for the Aquarium
04:15 pm Eric Borneman: Conservation and Coral Nutrition on the Reef
04:15 pm Workshop: Dr. Al Dove: Test Kits and What do they really mean?
05:15 pm Matthew Wittenrich: Fish Breeding Techniques
06:15 pm Steven Pro: “I touched it â€"œ NOW WHAT?” Reef Toxins
06:15 pm Workshop: Bob Fenner/Marj Awai: Photography
07:00 pm Silent Auction Begins
07:00 pm Children’s Program: Young Chef’s Academy ($32.50)
07:30 pm Cocktail Party: Speaker: Koji Wada: Japanese Aquariums

Saturday â€"œ September 6, 2008
07:30 am SaltwaterU Teen Program â€"œ Teen Presentation for 2008 trip
08:00 am Children’s Program: New World of Coke ($27.50)
08:00 am Dr. Sylvia Earle: Sustainable Seas: Recognizing Finite Resources
08:00 am Trade Show Opens
09:15 am Ray Davis: Whale Shark Research
09:15 am Workshop: Jake Adams/Tim Woolston: DIY Filtration/Plumbing
10:15 am Cathy Sakas: NOAA Resources for Educators
10:15 am Jim Walters: New and Unusual Fish for Nano Reef Aquariums
11:15 am Larry Jackson: Reef Travel Destinations
11:15 am Workshop: Anthony Calfo: Coral Propagation
01:00 pm Children’s Program: CNN Center ($27.50)
01:00 pm Dr. Nancy Knowlton: TBA
01:00 pm Tom Wyatt: Advanced Aquarium Chemistry
02:00 pm Dr. Rob Toonen: What can deep coral reefs tell us about coral bleaching, reef resilience and reef aquaria?
02:00 pm Workshop: Kelly Jedlicki: Fish Necropsy
03:00 pm Bob Fenner: TBA
03:00 pm Christine Williams: Keeping Fishes Healthy and Treating Diseases
04:00 pm Scott Fellman: Marine Plants and Algaes
04:00 pm Workshop: Julian Sprung: How to grow your own food
05:00 pm Special Behind the Scene Tours of the Georgia Aquarium
07:00 pm Children’s program: Pajama Party with Pizza/Movie ($24.50)
07:15 pm Banquet in the Georgia Aquarium by Wolfgang Puck
Speaker: Joanne Ruxton â€"œ Behind the Scenes as an Underwater
Wildlife Producer for the BBC

Sunday â€"œ September 7, 2008
08:00 am Children’s Program: Georgia Aquarium ($32.50)
08:00 am Dr. Alex Brylske: Uses of the Reef in Medicine and Industry
08:00 am Trade Show Opens
09:15 am Charles Delbeek: Coral Diseases and Pests
09:15 am Workshop: Anthony Calfo/Phillip Root: Large Aquaculture Techniques
10:15 am Dr. Kim Cobb: Records of Climate Change through Coral
10:15 am Kim Hall: The Tropical Diver Exhibit at the Georgia Aquarium
11:15 am Michael Cottman: Researching a Sunken Slave Ship: The Wreck of the Henrietta Marie
11:15 am Workshop: (Panel) How to prepare, bid for & plan a MACNA
01:00 pm (Panel) The Future of the Reef-Keeping Hobby
02:00 pm Grand Finale Raffle Drawing
 
Discounted registrations?

Discounted registrations?

Question...are any registration discounts available for MASNA members and/or reef club members? I don't see anything on the MACNA XX pages.
 
This year is going to be huge - we have about 600 people pre-registered 98 days from the event!

Tomorrow is the last day for registering at $129! Save $30 to spend on raffle tickets to Fiji!!!
 
I've been to several past MACNA's and I have to say this is the most excited I've been since my first! Thanks for all your hard work, thus far!

James
 
What was up with the behind the scenes Georgia aquarium tours? How many spots did you have to begin with that it sold out in less than 3 hours?
 
Those were VERY limited (about 100) because that is all that the aquarium could accommodate.

You can get regular behind the scene tours at other times at 10% off for MACNA participants. The button should be on the website now - or at least shortly.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12932680#post12932680 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SShindell
Those were VERY limited (about 100) because that is all that the aquarium could accommodate.

You can get regular behind the scene tours at other times at 10% off for MACNA participants. The button should be on the website now - or at least shortly.

So what was so special about the one that sold out? Just the time right before the banquet?
 
Only 150 slots left for the Saturday night banquet. Be sure you get your full conference tickets soon before it is sold out!
 
Fiji raffle

Fiji raffle

For the Fiji raffle, do we need to purchase raffle tickets and solve the mystery correctly?
 
just to understand this a bit more, am I correct in understanding that the banquet ticket allows access to the aquarium from 5pm to 7pm , and does this mean that banquet guests can view the aquarium exhibits during this time?
 
thanks for the reply, I was about to purchase tickets to the aquarium, that should be posted on the macnaxx site so that attendees of the banquet won't purchase separate tickets.
 
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