Club Idea Pool

[reewik]

Club Idea Pool

It is time to strike up some ideas. We all really enjoy the meetings but as we all know there are some club members that have not been able to attend some of the meetings. What other things can we do as a club? I would love to hear some suggestions. Here are I few I will offer:

1) Frag trades and or sales are a lot of fun. I know there has been talk about this subject.
2) Out of town tank care. Has anyone actually done this?
3) Plan a trip to the Atlanta Aquarium in the fall.
4) Maybe plan day trip to an aquarium that most of us have not had a chance to attend?
5) Get a speaker (Julian Sprung type) to come to our meeting to talk about things.
6) Come up with some topics so we can continue to educate each other about the hobby.

I am just throwing a few ideas out there. I am sure many of you folks that have some ideas you can throw in the hat… if not, that is fine too. I just enjoy being able to visit with fellow addicts (reefers), and view others setups. I like to see how others maintain their animals. Lets face it we all do it differently and it is pretty interesting to see how the animals respond to the different environments we introduce them to. We also get an opportunity to borrow ideas that other have used that may enhance the husbandry of our own systems.

Anyways you all get the point. Ideas is the name of the game, post them if you have them please.

[SRT80]

Last time I have been to the Tn Aquarium was when I was like 13. So I havent been in over 10 years and would like to go. But, not many of my friends are into fish so they dont care about going. That was mainly the reason I joined this club....to meet new people. But, I havent been able to make a meeting yet.

Steve

[fischcrazy]

the out of town thing sounds cool. last year i was out of town for a week, and my neighbor managed to kill 2 clowns, 4 damsels, a goat fish, a pygmy angel, and a goby.

the same trip i took is next week, and now i have a reef, a fo, and freshwater. pray for my fish

[Angela Short]

This sounds cool! How about everyone plan on comming over my house to work on a closed loop and hooking up my skimmer before Saturday? :) Good idea to spearhead Eric!

[danieljames]

I'm totally in for a "big name" speaker. I know one of them (calfo), if i'm not mistaken, comes to speak to clubs free of charge....we just pay airfare and shack him/her up in a decent hotel. Nashville isn't the biggest town, but does have some potential (for "after the meeting" adventures. Trying to think like a big name here). I would be more than willing to shell out the cash to bring one in... ie: Sprung, Borneman, Calfo, (insert yours here), etc.

I'd be more than in for say $100 to "chew the fat" with an aquarist of that rep (and get me a book or two signed). Money well spent imo.

[c_stowers]

I think bringing in a big name speaker is an excellent idea as well. I just wonder if we have the money to support such a thing? How are the club finances looking?

[reewik]

The finances actually look fine. I will get together with the other officers to see what we can work out on this. I know that has been the plan from the beginning and I am sure it is well within the budget to do so. I can probably arrange to allow the Zoo to host the meeting for us.

[danieljames]

Wouldn't a more personal setting be better eric? Like someones home?

[Angela Short]

With a big name speaker the host better have a dusey of a house! The turnout will be better than the free coral for those in attendance at the critters meet! Now that was a packed meet!

[reewik]

I tend to agree with Angela. I don't know that anyone in the club has a home that will serve as a great location for a talk. The Zoo has large areas where we can hold an actual lecture about something. It also has other rooms we can use to have it catered or something like that. It would have to be a huge home with pleanty of chairs and tables. people will probably want to even take notes and pictures. Lots of stuff could go on.

[loyalty]

the zoo would be cool..i've yet to visit the Nash zoo

[danieljames]

True. You got a point. Trying to keep it as "personal" as possible would be good. But those names do draw plenty of aquarists for sure.

[fishdoc11]

FWIW when Calfo goes to different towns sometimes he likes to look at several tanks while he is there. At least that is the impression I get from reading post's in his forum and others. If I'm not mistaken a few people kind of follow him around to different people's houses and then to the meeting where most of the attendees are.
Chris

[foggy54]

I think if we're going to host a frag swap here , the speaker should be tied to that . Perhaps this fall say Oct. that would help draw folks from alittle further away. Charge a nominal fee for non members for the lecture but allow free entrance to the swap. Have a frag auction where a % would go to club at the beginning before trades begin . Anyway that sounds like fun, person with a coral could take a chance on the auction and see what it brings and after that winds down start the swapping. But a speaker at that time would be money better spent in my opinion. Keep the ideas flowing............

[danieljames]

Originally posted by reewik
The finances actually look fine.

I'm very excited by this. I would be more than happy to contribute more cash than my membership agreement. I hope this is a serious consideration for the club.

[c_stowers]

One of the club officers should contact some of these speakers and see what it cost to get them to come. I am sure these guys have pretty tight schedules and need to have events scheduled far in advance. I think its a great idea and I hope it happens.

[Anthony Calfo]

let me strongly suggest too for support with considerations like this (and many other benefits) that y'all join MASNA (the society for aquarium societies, so-to-speak). Find them at masna.org

they have so much information and so many kind souls that help new and old clubs alike get info on club business/success/growth (how to incorporate, sharing sample by-laws, advice on running or improving frag swaps, raffles, etc).

But if nothing else... you get the benefit of tapping into the club database and...

the speaker database.

There you will find a very long list of speakers, their airports to fly out of, speaking fees if any, lecture topics, etc.

You will find that most hobby speakers are happy to visit merely for the cost of airfare and a place to sleep.

Dana Riddle asks for a cheeseburger too I think :p Great guy/speaker BTW

Don't be shy to use that club database too to contact other clubs for various advice. Most everyone is information-generous :)

kindly, Anthony

[EvilMel]

Holy Crap! Calfo!

I think having your speaker come at the time that you hold the frag swap in nashville is a great idea. It would more likely draw alot more people, as you say.

[fishdoc11]

If I'm not mistaken we are allready a member of MASNA. Or at least we were at one point and hopefully that was renewed:)

[just dave]

Originally posted by fishdoc11
If I'm not mistaken we are allready a member of MASNA. Or at least we were at one point and hopefully that was renewed:)


So it would seem. (http://www.masna.org/members/clubs.php)

[fishdoc11]

OK, good!
thanks for the verification Dave:)

[gflat65]

I think our membership lapsed, but I will get on that:).

[rcmike]

Great ideas guys. I like the idea of a speaker. I have been reading books and magazine articles by lots of experts but have yet to meet any of them. I would gladly throw in a cheeseburger also. :) Thanks for the input Anthony. It is nice to see you stopping by. Or as Mel put it. Holy Crap! Calfo!

[just dave]

Originally posted by gflat65
I think our membership lapsed, but I will get on that:).

If it did you still seem to be in some grace period because they still link your website. They do not link the ETRC anymore.

[EvilMel]

Actually they do. Our website is just down.

[rsteagall]

Does the website currently have free hosting? If not, how much per month is the hosting?

[Anthony Calfo]

all good, my friends :)

It (MASNA) really is a great and under-used service... tap those databses... it's what they are there for.

Hope to see y'all soon.

kindly,

Anthony

[rsteagall]

As far as ideas...

oystercrete and/or agracrete seems pretty interesting and I'd like to give it a try someday. I'll probably try to do this when and if I get a nano cube. I think it would be cool to have one piece of this just dropped in the tank with that perfect shape.

[fishdoc11]

Thanks Anthony:)

[waynesworld]

hay when we start planning on having a speaker down let me know I may have some time share points with fairfield that we can get the room with.

[just dave]

Clubs usually lack two things,participation and funds.
I'd do whatever would increase each the most initially.
The club in west TN. will be starting soon and we'll be facing the same things.

[Anthony Calfo]

just dave... very good points! It is surprisingly lost on many new clubs how critical it is to "make money"

Mind you/y'all ;)... its not (ever) about making a profit. Indeed, most all hobby clubs are non-profit and "in it" for the love of the hobby, sharing info/frags with each other, etc.

But it takes real money to run a club... to seed raffles, sponsor workshops, speakers, sometimes pay for bigger meeting rooms, subsidize road trips to regional sites of interest... and various other things to keep the club vigorous and active.

if you take no other piece of advice from me, please know and believe that if your club is anything like the majority of hobby clubs out there: you will live or die by the success of your raffle/auction each month. I promise you that. The monthly raffle/auction is what gets people coming (much more than the speakers... if you have any doubt, do the raffle first then watch how many people find excuses to leave early before the speaker :p).

And besides making money to support the club and keeping people interested and participating in the club... the monthly raffle/auction almost certainly serves some part of your likely mission statement for the club. Among benefits, the animals shared are given extended/improved lives in other better homes (overgrown corals, unwanted fishes/inverts, etc)... and each animal traded displaces the demand for a wild caught one instead, etc.

For the industry (including and especially your LFS)... the active club and raffle/auction keeps those additional hobbyists active (buying) if they are successful.

A savvy local retailer will embrace a hobby club for the benefit that it is. Any lost sales to livestock trading are more profitably displaced by salt, food, tank sales, etc for the expanding hobbyist market in the area.

Hmmm... I guess I got off on a bit of a tangent here :p

OK... I love hobby clubs. I've been this way since a teen ager. Active in my local, then regional clubs... co-founded my local club, helped others through the years, etc.

I really just want to see you and all succeed. Please don't hesitate to ask for help every step along the way. Its a shame to see some clubs struggle to reinvent the wheel :p

kindly,

Anthony (off to Tonga in hours... hey! Maybe I can help start a hobby club there? Heehee...)

[reewik]

Thanks for all the interest Anthony. You are one that we have interst in getting to come and talk to us. I agree with many of the statements you have made and appreciate you taking your time to help us out. If you are interested just shoot me a PM.

[rsteagall]

Eric, I have sent you a pm about web hosting and what the club is paying.

-Ryan