Midwest Marine Conference 2011 [with pics]

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 which had been mentioned before on 3reef. Though, I wish I had gotten to meet up with some of the members from our forum. I know a couple Michigan reefers said they were going, but I didn't see them. Anyway, on with 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. While I was quite unimpressed with the conference, I found some cool stuff in another part of the building.

 

Matt, can you get those two pictures turned upright?

 

Thanks for posting the pics! Looks like a lot fun. I wish there was an event this coming up in the Seattle area.

 

Didn't you go to SeaMAX this year?

 

I really wanted to, but the timing just didn't work out. I was in a Military school over that weekend.

 

Ah, that sucks. Hopefully you'll get to go next year.

 

I will be in Korea actually. Gotta love the Army.

 

Shucks.

 

You missed half of it Also, the economy hit Michigan especially hard and it had to go from a 3 day event with 10 speakers to a 1 day event with 4....

 

Sorry, panfish. I was just going off what I saw. Yours sounds cool. It's too bad the event didn't go all 4 days. Would there have been more vendors if it had?