Official BRS MACNA thread

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Well if it's any comfort some of us didn't win anything either like me :) I'd even packed my bags for Fiji.... dangit. Group buy to fiji anyone?
 
pisces5296 said:
At first me and my husband thought that we shouldnt go because we wouldnt fit in

Huh? Fit in? With US? We even let Marvin and Gustavo come ;) Everyone fits into BRS ... for the most part.

Glad you had a good time.

Dave
 
reefsmurf said:
Well if it's any comfort some of us didn't win anything either like me :) I'd even packed my bags for Fiji.... dangit. Group buy to fiji anyone?


Yes, group buy to Fiji! I bet we could get a group discount.
 
My thoughts...

I've read the threads on Reef Central, I've attended the conference, and I've had time to consider my words. If I get any response, it matters not.

Ron, watching and participating in the thread before MACNA occured, I was very concerned with the planning. My fears were apparently justified. The biggest problem was the private emails and private phone calls. You requested at least two times in that thread that we should call or PM you with our questions, which I declined. Why? Frankly when it is handled one-on-one, there are no witnesses. No-one to judge truth versus fiction; no-one to act as a sounding board. That is why I asked for you to reply in the thread, and why I would post the replies publicly if received privately. It allowed others to be 'in the loop'.

Perhaps allowing the public access to such discussions would be problematic at times, but I've found that honest discussion tends to avoid many problems. As I posted in that other thread, I didn't take the time to study the MACNA site properly, and mistakenly assumed it would be like other MACNAs but on a grander scale. That concept was very exciting to me.

However your posts were very discouraging, and the thread was closed. And even removed.

So I decided to observe the conference and try to make the most of things. I knew going in that I'd miss 2/3's of the speakers due to the scheduling issues. I didn't know that the club's president threw himself on the proverbial sword, trying to make a public statement for others to note. I watched you for 4 days, and what I saw was a man with few friends. On the other hand, Emily was all smiles and very polite to me throughout the function, and I made the time to thank her for her hard work before I left Sunday.

Banning a speaker for whatever reason was a bad move, politically. The backlash that has resulted will not be forgotten - and this is surely not what you wanted to be remembered for. At one point you stood not four feet away from me at the Deltec booth and I continued to bite my tongue. Why? Because I was hoping I'd be able to reason with you, but wasn't sure what would be the right approach. I heard your comments about Anthony's actions Saturday night, as well as the vendor of that booth. I even listend to Rob Tess for a few minutes after you'd moved on. You've got a loyal friend in Rob, btw. He and I talked for a few minutes...

Bottom line, I refuse to bash BRS. MACNA was fun for me, as it should be. I got to see many cool booths, a few new products, and listen to excellent talks. I missed some vital ones due to the concurrent talks (which I hated and hope will never be repeated with any MACNA in the future), and enjoyed having these experts to talk with after hours and between sessions.

Greg did a great workshop, and I'm going to emulate it for our own club in the next few weeks. Joe, Moe, and others were very nice and I was very happy to meet them and just hang out. They were very personable, and I wish we weren't so far apart geographically.

Some poor decisions were made, regretfully. I hope drama like this will be avoided in the future. I'm thinking a committee should be appointed for each MACNA to avoid the reigns being held by one man.

This event is for the HOBBYIST, not the industry. The people buying airfare, rooming, food, workshops, livestock and the conference ticket are using money from their own earnings. My goal in attending is to learn more, so I can continue to help others online or in my local club. My site is designed to help others, and I've got around 20,000 to 30,000 posts & emails spread across the internet as I endeavor to be useful to others interested in this hobby. Speakers are the most important part of the conference, because that is what will last a lifetime. The products displayed are of interest to me, but aren't the priority.

Thank you for making sure MACNA occured. I hope the club doesn't continue to fracture in the weeks to come. Joe, now it is time for damage control.

I hope the New England Aquarium is able to regain their accredidation via the monies the BRS is donating.

I look forward to MACNA XVII and seeing you all then. I'm a huge supporter of MACNA, and if you did not attend, you made a huge mistake. Make plans now and save up your money because it is for the hobbyist, after all.

Happy reefing.
 
Marc,

If you are looking for a response from Ron I suggest you contact him directly.

Moe....time to unstick?
 
Time to close.
Folks, if you want to debate and discuss MACNA, please take it elsewhere.
Thanks.
 
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