Re: [AGA-mcm] ACA Impressions

[Larry Lampert <l_lampert@yahoo.com>]

I guess my first impression would be "Boy, am I glad
that's over". Just kidding...... well not really ;-)


I would echo everyone's sentiments about the booth I
felt it did exactly what we had envisioned. I am not
sure how we could have improved on it much even in
retrospect. People liked what they saw talked about
plants and the AGA, and bought plants. We even got a
guy from Mexico to join, very cool!


I would like to thank everyone who worked it. Cheryl,
Scott, Ann, Harold, David and any others that I did
not meet.

On a personal level I want to thank Erik for doing
what it is that he does better than anyone else does,
Scott Heiber for doing a lot of work very quietly
behind the scenes. I sure hope I am not the only one
who noticed how much he did. 

And of course Cheryl for coming to the rescue with the
photoshop expertise that I was in desperate need of 3
hours before the banquet presentation!!!! Without your
help I think I may have been toast.

Again, thanks to everyone for helping out. 

Regards,

Larry Lampert

--- Erik Olson <erik@thekrib.com> wrote:

> Kathy and I got back about an hour ago from the big
> 5-day convention down 
> in Dallas.
> 
> I was doing A/V for the convention, so I didn't get
> to spend too much time 
> in the AGA booth once things got started.  But my
> impressions:
> 
> First of all, I think it was a good experience. 
> This is the first time I 
> can remember multiple AGA "normal members" helping
> out manning a booth. 
> Cheryl, Scott and Ann were the mainstays, but Harold
> LaRoux and a couple 
> of others helped out for long stretches.  It was
> great to see these folks 
> answering random plant questions from the
> convention-goers.  This is 
> really one of those "service" areas I think the AGA
> could get into.
> 
> The booth was very generous -- Larry & the TCA folks
> gave us as much space 
> as the ACA registration table that stood opposite
> us.  Cheryl did a really 
> nice trifold gateway black posterboard just for the
> weekend, with 
> "Cichlids [HEART] Planted Aquariums" bannered across
> the top.  The 
> posterboard included lost of example pictures of
> cichlids and plants to 
> back up the statement.  Cheryl also brought a sleep
> machine that we set on 
> "Babbling Brook" the entire time that added an
> interesting atmosphere. 
> Ann brought her spouse's laptop, which I hastily
> copied last year's 
> aquascaping contest photos in a rotating slide show.
>  One table was 
> entirely covered in AGA merchandise: back issues,
> T-Shirts and media. 
> Another table had the plants for sale and the
> freebies.  Between the three 
> of us (me, Cheryl and Scott), we had over 100 copies
> of the beginner 
> brochure.  We also gave out free PAMs (with a
> "Compliments of the AGA" 
> sticker that Cheryl generously printed after the
> first day when I 
> spontaneously said "we should say who's giving them
> out, shouldn't we?").
> 
> Cheryl will no doubt have the numbers -- I beleive
> the final tally was 
> somewhere between $700 and $800 gross, but when most
> of that is split 
> first halfway with the ACA and then halfway again
> with DFWAPC, we probably 
> brought in only enough to pay for the printing of
> the free brochures.  But 
> again, that wasn't really the point.  I consider
> this an exercise in 
> exposure.
> 
> We should probably post something about on the
> website and TAG and to the 
> member list.  Scott has some pictures.
> 
> Oh, also, someone posted an ad for the APC
> Aquascaping Contest on the Guy 
> Jordan board.  I wonder who did that?
> 
> Also, Ray Lucas said something strange about Dave
> Gomberg approaching him 
> regarding his availability for a plant convention in
> San Francisco 
> February 2006 (to which Ray declined).  I think it
> is time for someone 
> (possibly our convention liaison? or maybe the
> president) to call up any 
> of our SFBAAPS reps and find out what the heck is
> going on.
> 
>    - Erik
> 
> -- 
> Erik Olson
> erik at thekrib dot com
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