Our 2008 Coral Conference and Frag Swap welcomed 600 guests, traders, vendors, and expert speakers for the eagerly anticipated 3-day event. We're happy to share some highlights: FRAG SWAP The sight of 70 sleek black Aquapods from Current USA lined up as far as the eye can see, each stocked with colorful corals glowing under glitter lines, filled the trader hall with hundreds of excited hobbyists. The new swivel lights made an impressive sight above each frag tank. Trading was open on both Saturday & Sunday, so deals were made all weekend long and most traders made out well over the weekend. AUCTIONS This year's auctions were a great success, and we saw some amazing deals happen! Silent auction bidders had to think hard to determine their top bid with our new blind bidding, and some people came away with some real bargains! The Live auctions went a little higher, but winning bidders always came away with a deal on some super pieces for their aquarium. We are pleased to announce a portion of the proceeds from our Silent and Live Auction sales will be donated to the MASNA Scholarship Fund in the amount of $2,000. FACILITY TOURS We open the doors to our Aquaculture Coral & Marine Life Facility only once a year, and tours filled up fast! Guided tours by expert staff walked people through the kind of filtration, lighting, and special care it takes to maintain a 20,000 gallon reef system across eight independent systems. The lucky winner of our Pre-Registration Giveaway, Aaron Fisher from Eau Claire, WI, enjoyed his personal tour of the Aquaculture Coral & Marine Life Facility with his family and a few choice friends. They were able to take their pick of items in the Facility with a generous discount! Warehouse and Call Center tours were also elbow to elbow, giving visitors a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the daily operations behind the nation's leading pet supplier. SPEAKER SESSIONS Eight expert speakers presented on topics covering the ins-and-outs of keeping reef aquariums, from setup and stocking to coral propagation and testing, including an overview of the chain of custody and environmental impact in the industry, and an introduction to coral pests and means of control. In his only speaking appearance of the year, crowd favorite Scott W. Michael kept the crowd laughing during his presentation after the Banquet Dinner Saturday night. His look through the years of reefkeeping was truly memorable! Christopher Buerner - Sat 9:30-10:30 Topic: Chain of custody, sustainability, and environmental impact. Ike Eigenbrode - Sun 10:30-11:30 Topic: Energy efficient aquatics Dr. Timothy A. Hovanec - Sun 9:30-10:30 Topic: Increasing the precision and accuracy of your test kits Gary Jones - Fri 3-4 Topic: Acclimation techniques and fish disease Dr. Sanjay Joshi - Sat 10:30-11:30 Topic: Simple approaches to reef keeping Kevin Kohen - Fri 1:30-2:30 Topic: Coral pests and means of control Scott Michael - Sat Banquet Topic: Marine aquarium keeping: Then & now Julian Sprung - Sat 2-3 Topic: Stocking small (nano) reef aquaria FRIDAY NIGHT RECEPTION Thanks to Bowtie Inc., publishers of Aquarium Fish International, Freshwater And Marine Aquarium, and numerous other hobbyists publications, our Friday night reception was a huge hit with attendees! The tables overflowed with free pizza, hobbyists, vendors and speakers, all gathered around to get to know one another. Many reef clubs also used this opportunity to meet with each other. In addition, MASNA held it's own "Meet & Greet" with reef club members across the hall with great success. RAFFLES Two lucky aquarists went home with Grand Prize aquarium setups worth over $5,000 each, in addition to a 3rd winner walking away with a $2,000 aquarium setup! Dozens of other great raffle prizes were given away to other lucky winners! KID'S AREA What better way to get kids excited about the hobby than an aquatic petting zoo? Kids got to handle live starfish, snails, and other critters, in addition to playing educational games for treats and prizes, making this year's event even more family friendly. Two special sessions on how to start your first freshwater aquarium were held, and many attendees walked away winners of their very own first aquarium! EMAIL US any comments about this year's event at FragSwap@LiveAquaria.com. We welcome any suggestions and feedback to help make our next event even more successful.