During the 2010 Labor Day weekend, I was fortunate to get to attend the Marine Aquarium Conference of North America (MACNA) at the Marriott World Center in Orlando, Florida. The Orlando Reef Caretakers Association (ORCA) did a more than admirable job of hosting the three-day affair. In terms of attendance, this MACNA was one of the better-attended conferences of late. There were also lots of families with younger children attending as well. Of course, whenever we can pull today’s youth away from their video gaming, texting and TV-watching ways and introduce them to another facet of the hobby we hold so dear, well, this certainly bodes well for the hobby’s future.
And while you personally may not have attended this amazing event, you can still do so vicariously by perusing this extended MACNA slide show. I selected slides that would give the complete MACNA experience, from plane flights to receptions to livestock to speakers to the facilities and other amenities.
Next summer, if you’re looking for a fun activity for yourself and some of your aquarist friends, or for you and your family, by all means consider attending MACNA 2011, which will take place in Des Moines, Iowa, with the Greater Iowa Reef Society (GIRS) hosting. MACNA 2011 will be held September 9 to 11, at HyVee Hall in the beautiful city of Des Moines, Iowa. For more information on MACNA 2011, visit macna2011.com.
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