[MACNAXX]

MACNA XX September 5-7, 2008 in Atlanta

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We are excited about this year's MACNA conference. We already have Pre-registered and paid as many as most of the total attendance of the first 15 or so MACNAs, so it should be huge. Combine that with a great hotel, great speakers, cheap flights, and the Georgia Aquarium and we have everything to try to get you guys to have a good time while in Atlanta.

The hotel is great, and the room night of $119 can't be beat, it usually is in the $250-300 range. We were able to negotiate pretty well, but rooms are going fast.

There is a lot to do in Atlanta if people come early or bring significant others - CNN, Olympic Park, the Georgia Aquarium, the Children's museum, the world of Coke, and Hooters (hey, I know my audience) is within a 5 minute walk, and MARTA goes from inside the airport to the hotel for $1.75 - so no cab charges. The same MARTA can take you to the Braves, shopping centers, etc. We are also getting together a kids program (popcorn and movies in the hotel) to allow parents to go to the banquet and speakers. We will offer that at cost.

Oh, and the banquet is food by Wolfgang Puck. No open bar like Pittsburgh, but good food inside a great banquet hall inside the largest aquarium in the world with two windows - one toward the largest indoor aquatic exhibit in the world (over 6 million gallons - the size of a football field) that includes four whale sharks and the other one toward the four beluga whales.


Please use this thread to ask questions and I will try to check in to answer them. You can also check out our website. If your administrator could make this a sticky and put up a banner from our website MACNA XX Atlanta that would help alot.



So who is going and how can I help?

Steve

[e_baer]

IM GOING!

when will the raffles be held? sunday?

[MACNAXX]

Yes, but we are discussing having some of them earlier (eg. silent auctions on Friday, the Fiji trip at the banquet). We don't have anything set yet, but none of us likes to wait around for dozens of drawings, so we are thinking of ways to speed it up.

Steve

[jimw369]

YES!!! I will be there for sure!!!! Of course Im already here!!!

YESYESYESSALT...WATERSALT WATER>>>YESYES!!!!:thumbu p:

Gonna be goodgonnabegood!!!!!!!!ya yayayyayayyayaaaaaa!!!!

GA Aquarium? YES YES I did some work in there when they built it!!!!

[MACNAXX]

So buy your ticket already!!

400 tickets plus 100 more tickets to exhibitors and only a few sold locally. Every year the local people wait until the last minute even though they end up paying more!

BTW - we have already met our quota on the hotel, and while we are negotiating for more rooms, you SHOULD book early (even locals should get a room - it is more fun that way). We based the total room nights needed on the last year's MACNA (the largest so far)....I guess we will be a wee bigger...

Steve

[e_baer]

yeah, that aquarium looks amazing, 6.2 million gallons, and over 10,000 fish!

I was watching dirty jobs, and they showed some of the equipments they have, and there are....i think.... 16 ginormous skimmers!


How many other hotels are in the area, I plan on driving down there with my friend.

[MACNAXX]

You must be talking about Ocean Voyager - 6.33 million gallons, about 50-75,000 fish in an area the size of a football field. I dive it again tomorrow!

The entire Georgia Aquarium is well over 8 million gallons......

[MACNAXX]

The Westin is still your best bet. At $119 a night, you will not be able to beat it.

[e_baer]

hmmm, i think i may have been thinking about ocean voyager. well, my parents have these hotel points and they get free stays at hotels. ill have to look it up and see which ones are in the area.

[MACNAXX]

Macna Update....

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A MACNA teaser - our main banquet speaker....


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Joanne Ruxton

Behind the Scenes as a Underwater Wildlife Producer for the BBC

Joanne studied Zoology at London University and moved to Hong Kong in the 80's. She joined the World Wildlife Fund Hong Kong in 1990 to establish their Marine Conservation Programme; a significant task in a place that had no legislation to protect the coastal waters and where massive development was taking place before the handover to China. After four Marine Protected Areas had been set up, she joined the BBC’s Blue Planet team in 1997. Since that time she has been involved in numerous underwater film projects.

Prior projects include:

Blue Planet
Deep Blue
Death on the Reef
Deep Trouble
Live from the Abyss
Under the Skin - Antarctica
Under the Skin - Penguins
Smart Sharks
Shark Roulette
Shark Coast
Dive to Shark Volcano
Wild Caribbean
Pacific Abyss

[stephaniesquires]

Is there a link for purchasing tickets, getting hotel reservations etc....

[MACNAXX]

MACNA XX Atlanta

[rlcline76]

I'm getting too many questions about this. I need to bump!

[MACNAXX]

This is the last chance to get the $109 price for MACNA 2008! The price for the conference is only $109 for all three days including the banquet and trade show, but will go up to $129 after December 31st, 2007.

Other Confirmed MACNA speakers:
Dr. Bruce Carlson
Dr. Sylvia Earle
Eric Borneman
Anthony Calfo
Dr. Alex Brylske
Christie Williams
Dr. Kimberly Cobb
Michael Cottman
Jake Adams
Dr. Al Dove
Ray Davis
James Fatherree
Cathy Sakas
Larry Jackson
Marj Awai
Jim Walters
Dr. Rob Toonen
Scott Fellman
Robert Fenner
Phillip Root
Stephen Pro
Christine Williams
Matthew Wittenrich
Kelly Jedlicki
Charles Delbeck (will confirm in April due to potential schedule conflicts)

More speakers will be confirmed soon.

Sign up now at MACNA XX Atlanta or pay more after December 31st!

[MACNAXX]

Ok, time for another MACNA XX update before the price goes up at the end of the month!!! Check out our website at MACNA XX Atlanta 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 – 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 – 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 – Conference Schedule
Friday – 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 – 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 – September 6, 2008
07:30 am SaltwaterU Teen Program – 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 – Behind the Scenes as an Underwater
Wildlife Producer for the BBC

Sunday – 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

[MACNAXX]

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!!!