Author Topic: 2016 Frag Swap (Read 8635 times)

Wall_Tank · « **on:** October 24, 2015, 19:55:02 »

Gary has volunteered to be the 2016 Frag Swap Chair.

If you would like to help with the planning or help with the frag swap, let us know.

Keith92 · « **Reply #1 on:** October 24, 2015, 20:53:26 »

Thanks for taking the lead on this Gary. Let me know what I can do to help

AJ · « **Reply #2 on:** October 24, 2015, 22:14:32 »

Danielle and I are always ready to help.

CoralBeauties · « **Reply #3 on:** January 10, 2016, 11:44:28 »

Has any date been set for this years swap yet?
thanks
Jeff

AJ · « **Reply #4 on:** January 10, 2016, 11:51:26 »

Not yet, we are still working out some details. We will post as soon as we can.

Kenn · « **Reply #5 on:** January 10, 2016, 13:14:26 »

Frag Swap Happy Dance !

Gary · « **Reply #6 on:** January 11, 2016, 00:16:04 »

The venue from the past few years in under construction and not contracting. We are in the process of developing a list of facilities that may meet our requirements. We are still open to other facilities and suggests are welcome! We are looking closely at 12 March, but not firm.
Just fyi,
Thanks,
Gary

JayMc · « **Reply #7 on:** January 11, 2016, 19:53:05 »

looking forward to this!

AJ · « **Reply #8 on:** January 11, 2016, 20:10:25 »

What are everyone's thoughts on having the swap a bit later, say May?

CoralBeauties · « **Reply #9 on:** January 11, 2016, 20:16:47 »

If the current venue that we have been using in the past is available in may I think we should go for it. I think if we start switching venues we get in trouble with attendance. The union hall, other then parking, is a great place with plenty of room.
Jeff

soldiers4christ50 · « **Reply #10 on:** January 11, 2016, 21:06:02 »

I agree if the same venue is available then wait for it.

Kenn · « **Reply #11 on:** January 11, 2016, 21:15:56 »

My only concern is that if we have it later it might drop attendance due to the fact that a lot of people use their income tax refund and take advantage of good pricing at the swap

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soldiers4christ50 · « **Reply #12 on:** January 11, 2016, 21:18:37 »

That is true too 👍🏻

merlin3 · « **Reply #13 on:** January 11, 2016, 22:29:59 »

I believe earlier is better as the weather gets better people are focusing on more outdoor things. There are other venue options that are close to the original that are available and suggested.

AJ · « **Reply #14 on:** January 11, 2016, 22:44:27 »

Did Gary talk to you and Erin about our ideas from Sundays meeting?

The Zoanthid Garden · « **Reply #15 on:** January 12, 2016, 14:54:24 »

Quote from: Kenn on January 10, 2016, 13:14:26

Frag Swap Happy Dance !

Hi Everyone.

I have never been to the Ohio Reef Frag Swap but have only heard great things about it from many different Reefers.

I hope to attend and be a Vendor this Year.

The thing is is I am in Michigan and there are a lot of different Michigan Frag Swaps.

Unfortunatly, they seem to often end up on the same weekends as the Ohio Swaps so I have to go to the Michigan Swaps because they are closer (I would love to go to all of them).

For instance this Year LEAR is 2-20 but Lansing is 2-21

So now I have to Skip LEAR (I went last year and was amazed at how awesome it was) (But last year Lansing and LEAR were a week apart so I attended both).

I also had to Skip C-Sea this Year too because the Centerline, MI show was the next day.

Luckily, I did get to go to CORA which was awesome.

Is there anyway to not have any swaps the same weekend as the Michigan Swaps and Vice Versa so us Michiganders can attend the Ohio Swaps and Vice Versa?

If that is possible here is a list of all the Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois Frag Swaps this year.

2-13-16 Bowling Green, OH
2-21-16 Lansing, MI
3-19-16 Indianapolis, IN
4-10-16 Ann Arbor, MI
4-30-16 Chicago, IL
5-07-16 Sturgis, MI #1 of 2
9-10-16 Bloomington, IL
10-1-16 Chicago, IL

There are others but they have not been announced yet (I have added last years dates to give you an idea of when they will be this year since Frag Swaps are usually held the same time year after year).

Dayton, OH - was 3-21-15 last year
Flint, MI - was - 8-16-15 last year
Portage, IN - was 9-20-15 last year
Columbus, OH - was 9-26-15 last year
Cleveland, OH - was 10-10-15 last year
Center Line, MI - was 10-11-15 last year
Sturgis, MI - was 10-18-15 last year

Also, here is a Link to all the Frag Swaps in the United States if anybody is interested (It is not complete since many have not been announced yet).

http://www.reef2reef.com/threads/2016-frag-swaps-and-shows.218597/page-3

Any consideration would be greatly appreciated as I and many other Reefers from Michigan would love to attend all the Ohio Swaps.

The Zoanthid Garden · « **Reply #16 on:** January 12, 2016, 14:58:27 »

Quote from: Gary on January 11, 2016, 00:16:04

The venue from the past few years in under construction and not contracting. We are in the process of developing a list of facilities that may meet our requirements. We are still open to other facilities and suggests are welcome! We are looking closely at 12 March, but not firm.
Just fyi,
Thanks,
Gary

March 12 would be perfect

The Zoanthid Garden · « **Reply #17 on:** January 12, 2016, 15:05:20 »

Quote from: jjoos99 on January 11, 2016, 20:16:47

If the current venue that we have been using in the past is available in may I think we should go for it. I think if we start switching venues we get in trouble with attendance. The union hall, other then parking, is a great place with plenty of room.
Jeff

Switching Venue (In my opinion) would be the lesser of 2 problems.

People tend to go outside and do family oriented activities in warmer months.

That is why most Frag Swaps are held in Colder Months since people stay indoors and look at their tanks more and therefore spend more time and money on them.

In Warmer months people spend less time doing aquarium stuff.

If you do not believe me go to your LFS and ask how business is in the Summer.

They do much more business in the Winter for the same reasons that Frag Swaps are in the Winter.

Also, Frag Swaps are always held the same time every year so people don't forget.

If people are used to a Swap being the same month year after year and you change it they may forget about it.

Changing the Venue would be much better than changing the time of year for those reasons.

The Zoanthid Garden · « **Reply #18 on:** January 12, 2016, 15:08:34 »

Quote from: Kenn on January 11, 2016, 21:15:56

My only concern is that if we have it later it might drop attendance due to the fact that a lot of people use their income tax refund and take advantage of good pricing at the swap

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An excellent point.

Either way as long as it does not fall the same weekend as any Michigan Swaps I as well as my friend Marc will come as Vendors.

The more Vendors you have the higher attendance will be as well since it is a bigger incentive for people to go because there will be more Corals to choose from.

So adding 2 additional Vendors will definetly help attendance.

AJ · « **Reply #19 on:** January 12, 2016, 15:28:18 »

I completely understand.

Being a potential seller, what would you consider adequate notice of a frag swap? A month? Two months?

The Zoanthid Garden · « **Reply #20 on:** January 12, 2016, 16:25:35 »

Quote from: a6walter1 on January 12, 2016, 15:28:18

I completely understand.

Being a potential seller, what would you consider adequate notice of a frag swap? A month? Two months?

That is tough to say (Depends on Seller).

Frags take time to heal.

You can't chop them up the night before a swap and sell them as they will probably die.

I like to have everything fragged a minimum 30 days before the swap to ensure they are healthy and happy and ready for the new persons tank.

For me during Swap Season Probably 2 Weeks is enough notice so I can take time off Work.

But I go to so many Swaps that I start Fragging in December so I am Ready to go to them all.

Alot of Vendors do not travel outside of their home state to go to swaps so they may need more notice than me.

There are 2 Swap Seasons a Year (February/March and September/October).

There are alot of Swaps concentrated during those 4 months (At least in the Midwest) so that is why I call them Swap Seasons. The other 8 Months or so out of the year is down time and growout time.

So if you did one in say July I would need much more time.

So really it depends on what time of the year (For me anyways).

March is not a problem at all.

Most Swaps are at least announced a few months before they happen.

There are some Swaps that are already announced for October in 10 Months.

Topekoms · « **Reply #21 on:** January 14, 2016, 07:02:57 »

Not to pressure anyone but a date would be helpful so I can request it off. I personally don't have an issue with another venue. I JUST NEED TO KNOW WHEN!!!!!!!

The Zoanthid Garden · « **Reply #22 on:** January 29, 2016, 01:16:27 »

Any Updates on a Possible Date?

Topekoms · « **Reply #23 on:** January 30, 2016, 11:58:54 »

So we are at the end of Jan here and no dates yet? Are we not doing it this year? I am willing to help out but I need to know when we are doing this so I can request time off.

budman · « **Reply #24 on:** February 02, 2016, 20:22:36 »

Is there going to be a swap this year as the longer you wait to announce the harder it is going to be to get good vendors

Keith92 · « **Reply #25 on:** February 02, 2016, 21:21:00 »

We have had some difficulty finding a location. The self imposed deadline is Wednesday for a spring swap. If a suitable location is not found then the swap will be in the fall.

Kenn · « **Reply #26 on:** February 02, 2016, 21:37:43 »

Quote from: Keith92 on February 02, 2016, 21:21:00

We have had some difficulty finding a location. The self imposed deadline is Wednesday for a spring swap. If a suitable location is not found then the swap will be in the fall.

I truly appreciate the difficulties.

I would suggest just setting aside thoughts of a last minute spring swap and start concentrating on doing a killer well thought out fall swap.

Keith92 · « **Reply #27 on:** February 04, 2016, 10:02:00 »

We have decided to delay the frag swap until the fall. We want to have a great swap and with limited time we are not certain it could be great. It was not an easy decision because it has been a tradition, but the reality is, a bad swap would be more detrimental to future swaps than not having one at all. If vendors spend time and money to come and then do not make a profit it would be difficult to get them to return in the future.
We appreciate everyone's patience and look forward to putting together a great Ohio Reef swap like we have had in the past.

chevydoc · « **Reply #28 on:** February 04, 2016, 10:30:20 »

I think thats a wise decision.

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soldiers4christ50 · « **Reply #29 on:** February 04, 2016, 10:31:57 »

I think this is a major bummer but if it's not going to be a good swap then it's best to do it that way.

AJ · « **Reply #30 on:** February 04, 2016, 10:46:26 »

I know that we all plan on having the Spring Frag Swap, but there are many other swaps to attend around this time, and if we would have had ours, it may have gotten lost in the mix. I think the idea of a Fall Frag Swap is great! There are not many other swaps in the area at that time.

Kenn · « **Reply #31 on:** February 04, 2016, 14:22:32 »

Glad to hear this is the way we decided to go.

How about mid October? The weather is USUALLY stable that time of year. Well, as stable as you can get in Ohio

Steve · « **Reply #32 on:** February 04, 2016, 18:15:02 »

I am glad we deciced to wait, I DON'T HAVE ANY FRAGS TO SELL! Just future thought, I know Columbus and I believe one of the Northern (Cleveland Area) Clubs does fall.

Topekoms · « **Reply #33 on:** February 04, 2016, 21:44:04 »

OK that's fine but instead of just *fall* can we start by setting a date. CORA does there's in the fall and if we can set a date so they don't conflict. I guess I see no point in waiting until a month or two out just my 2 cents

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Kenn · « **Reply #34 on:** February 04, 2016, 22:02:22 »

October has 5 Saturdays in it this year.

I suggest the 22nd of October based on available scheduled events (other swaps)

The Zoanthid Garden · « **Reply #35 on:** February 05, 2016, 02:35:20 »

Quote from: Topekoms on February 04, 2016, 21:44:04

OK that's fine but instead of just *fall* can we start by setting a date. CORA does there's in the fall and if we can set a date so they don't conflict. I guess I see no point in waiting until a month or two out just my 2 cents

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Yeah in the Fall there is

CORA
C-Sea

Michigan also has a couple Frag Swaps in the Fall Too.

Center Line
Sturgis

Kenn · « **Reply #36 on:** March 01, 2016, 16:46:42 »

Just thought I would ask how this is going

Kenn · « **Reply #37 on:** March 12, 2016, 16:25:37 »

Just thought I would ask how this is going... Again

CoralBeauties · « **Reply #38 on:** March 12, 2016, 23:17:25 »

Ill throw in my 2 cents worth. Our swap has always been in the spring. It has always been the only spring swap in this area of ohio. Most all of the local swaps to this area are in the fall. I think if we do a fall swap we will loose out to the regularly scheduled swaps (cora) that everyone is accustomed to attending. I usually dont cut alot of frags a year, not enough to attend more then one swap within a month or so. I would think others are the same and just dont have enough frags to sell with swaps that close and attendance will be effected. If we do a fall swap we still need to plan on keeping our normal spring schedule. I attribute our success to the timing of the spring swap.
Jeff

aquavista99 · « **Reply #39 on:** May 03, 2016, 00:27:28 »

Hey Jeff, the first Ohio Reef swap was actually held during the Summer when Scott (Verper) was running the club. It was a fun first swap too. Back then, you had CORA (Central Ohio) and Cincyreef hosting separate Fall swaps and Indmas(Indy) and C-SEA (Cleveland) hosting separate Spring Swaps. It was decided back then that moving the Ohio Reef swap to the Spring would be best. Fast forward to now, and the climate has changed dramatically with new clubs forming in the same areas with frag swaps occurring almost every weekend throughout the USA. This year alone, Cincyreef started off with a swap in January, followed by CARE (Cincy); Buckeye Reef (Bowling Green) and LEAR (Cleveland) all in February, followed by Lansing (MI) in February and Indmas (Indy) in March. Of course, you will have other large regional and national swaps going on throughout the year now too.

Th Ohio Reef swap has always been one of my favorite swaps. The downtown location was an awesome venue, but for the limited parking, although nearby parking garages were usually available too for those who don't mind paying for parking.

Quote from: jjoos99 on March 12, 2016, 23:17:25

Ill throw in my 2 cents worth. Our swap has always been in the spring. It has always been the only spring swap in this area of ohio. Most all of the local swaps to this area are in the fall.
Jeff

2024 Ohio Reef Frag Swap

Author Topic: 2016 Frag Swap (Read 8635 times)