Went to the Midwest Marine Confrence yesterday

[Seano Hermano]

No thanks to Google Maps, and VZ navigator on my Droid, I got to MMC around 2:00. It was supposed to end at 4:00.

Here, is a floor plan of the event. I never found where the speakers were located...
MMC Exhibitor Information

General admission was $3; maybe that should have been the first heads up about how "cool" the event was going to be.

For general admission tickets, the event began at 12:30. There were  about 30 vendors. Most were selling coral, some were just business reps.

I recognized some of the vendors names, hough, I wish I had gotten to meet up with some of the members from our forum. I know a couple Michigan reefers (from my other forum) said they were going, but I didn't see them. Anyway, here are the pictures.

Polyp World


Barking Shark


One of the reps showing off the new Fluval Edge aquarium.


Here is just some of the awesome artwork/photography drawn and painted by Karen and Ret Talbot.


Mike Zalewski (aka, Wilco1 on Michigan Reefers forum) had a snazzy frag tank to show off his corals.

Now with white balance set correctly for the corals.

I really like this tank. I think it would make a cool tide-pool aquarium.


Pacific East Aquaculture







The Blue Glow, with their AI Sols.


I don't know who this was, but I thought they had a pretty cool display.


Paul's Corals (in case you couldn't tell.


Aquascaping contest = lame. I saw the 2 tanks from the 2nd heat...I think I could have done better. One of the two was a rock wall. I don't recall who won.



At least, I got freebies? My dad went with me, so we got two of everything.

Lots o' food for the fishies I don't have.


The cool shirts that Live Aquaria gave away. It's too bad they are XL...too small for Dad and too big for me.


It was an ok experience, for being at a swap. I guess I expected much more, it being an aquarium conference. I was not aware of how much smaller this is compared to Baymac, or the like.

[HUNGER]

great info man 

[Seano Hermano]

Thanks.

[HUNGER]

would you go to it again?

[discus513]

Your picture where you mentioned you didnt know who it was but they had a cool setup, it is Paul's corals too, they had those setups at the Cincyreef swap a couple weeks ago.

[itsalifestyle]

wow looks like a good time wish I could of made it what didnt you like about the event what would of made it better

[Seano Hermano]

Thanks, discus. I really liked that one.

would you go to it again?

Possibly...read below.

wow looks like a good time wish I could of made it what didnt you like about the event what would of made it better

This seemed like just a frag swap. I mean, cool if I have a reef tank.

But I had no idea how big this 'conference' was going to be. But it was less than I had expected. I was expecting something similar to the attendance that Ree-A-Palooza, or even Baymac [Bay Area (California) marine aquarium conference] gets. While those have a denser population of reefers in California, the MMC is supposed to be for the whole mid-west. I figured it would be a large event with new product releases, or at least some sales of newer equipment/lighting. I could have spent $80 for the hotel and $25 for a full access pass, which would include Friday evening dinner and early admission (9:00am) to the main event. I'm glad I didn't.

This was pretty much just a frag swap. With about 30 vendors (26 to be exact), ReefBrite and Dirk's were the only vendors selling equipment. That was just like biocube tanks(display) and reefbrite strips, coralife simmers, and koralia powerheads (no new wave maker). Nothing special.

I spoke with someone in my other forum and apparently the event was originally supposed to be 3 days with 10 speakers, but was shorted to just 1 day, with 4 speakers...said there would have been more vendors too, but I don't know where else they would have gone, in that small room.

Would I go again? Only if they doubled the amount of vendors, run the event for several days, and have more variety(what i did see in coral was basically the same stuff you can get at your LFS)...it will be about twice the drive for me next year, as I will be in college.

[Seano Hermano]

Here is a walk-through done by the person I spoke to.

[HUNGER]

thats good to know

[buk]

you do realize where you live right? this hobby is barely alive in this part of the country. if you want something like reef-a-palooza you're going to need to go to the west coast or macna. but i can garauntee you won't be getting in there for the measaly $3 you spent to just get into the swap.
it actually was a pretty great time. some friends and i got the full passes and they were definitely well worth it. mike degruy's presentation was especially entertaining. and just getting to have one on one convo's with ret tailbot and steven pro and having them answer all my questions was well worth the price of admition alone.

bottom line. if you go late and pay for, what was advertised as, a swap only ticket, you get just a swap. if you go early and buy or win a conference ticket you get a conference. with various contests, speakers, and just all around more access. it was a very organized very well produced event that this part of the country is lucky to have. but on the other hand if anyone thinks they can do better i urge them to try. i'd love to see something like this again.

[Seano Hermano]

you do realize where you live right? this hobby is barely alive in this part of the country. if you want something like reef-a-palooza you're going to need to go to the west coast or macna. but i can garauntee you won't be getting in there for the measaly $3 you spent to just get into the swap.
it actually was a pretty great time. some friends and i got the full passes and they were definitely well worth it. mike degruy's presentation was especially entertaining. and just getting to have one on one convo's with ret tailbot and steven pro and having them answer all my questions was well worth the price of admition alone.

bottom line. if you go late and pay for, what was advertised as, a swap only ticket, you get just a swap. if you go early and buy or win a conference ticket you get a conference. with various contests, speakers, and just all around more access. it was a very organized very well produced event that this part of the country is lucky to have. but on the other hand if anyone thinks they can do better i urge them to try. i'd love to see something like this again.

I didn't mean to offend anyone...I was simply stating what I thought of my experience at the event. For that reason, I don't think what I said was in any way offensive, though you seem to take it as that. I was sharing my thoughts because people were interested in the event and what I had to say. If you are going to get upset, I would like to further explain my concerns.

I realize where I live...the Midwest. Unsure of how large the event would be, I assumed it would draw in quite a few people, as I thought it was a major thing for reefers in our area of the country.

I was frustrated a bit by the time I got there, because where the event was located, didn't say "Crankbrook Institute of Science". It said "Crankbrook." I was able to find the event after speaking with the Radisson Hotel clerk. There was a sign on the actual building within the campus, but not one which could be seen from the street. I had no way of knowing where it was actually at....a sign along the street simply saying, "Midwest Marine Conference," would have been very helpful.

The address  (Cranbrook Institute of Science 39221 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303) did not come up with the proper result in Google Maps.

I clearly said at the beginning of my post that that the low admission price gave me a hint of how the event was going to be.

I am sure I would have enjoyed the event had I gotten there earlier than I did and had I gotten to listen to some of the speakers.

Also notice, I said I would consider possibly returning next year...I didn't say it was horrible.

[HUNGER]

i didnt think you were being offecive

[Seano Hermano]

Thanks, Hunger. I only addressed that because he seemed to have taken it as such.

[HUNGER]

i under stand

[buk]

sorry if i seemed offended. that wasn't the case it did seem to me like you were trash talking the conference though. sorry if i misread anything. i was just getting a bit tired of reading that on a few different forums. seemed like everyone that expected the world out of the event chose not to participate in anything but the swap. no hard feelings.

[HUNGER]

realy why would people say stuff like that theres no reason to