Scott wrote:
When we say we , as ome of us sometimes do, AGA should be doing more, what more? What other demand(s) needs to be filled by the AGA? And as Karen points out, who will do the more? Imo, this is the form of a real idea, such and such specific persons should do such and such specific tasks to accomplish this or that particular thing. The very general stuff, AGA should help clubs (how? who knows?), AGA should change it's mission (to what end? who knows?), isn't really productive. Show me something for which there is a demand not being met in the community and someone in AGA to do some specific tasks to meet that demand by using AGA resources, that's something real we can deal with. When AGA approaches things that way, it usually does very well -- the convention, TAG, bookstore and DVDs are great examples.
I’ll tell you somewhere that there is a demand and a core group of workers who have consistently, over MANY years now (more than the convention has been in existence) put in a tremendous amount of effort. That is the NEC convention. You could say that “AGA” does a lot for the convention already. But that really means that Karen, Scott and David do a lot for the NEC convention, and the only back-up is supplies of TAG and brochures. NEC does a LOT for AGA in return. They give us a large meeting room for two hours, free of cost. They give us Vendor room space, free of cost, and they carefully coordinate with me to make sure that the plant speaker they bring in (at large cost to them, and free of cost to AGA) is a well-known, top quality speaker. This is a tremendous amount of exposure for AGA… You may be seeing a pattern here.<g> There are over 20 local clubs involved with NEC, ranging along the entire northeast seaboard (and a little inland, since there are Pennsylvania clubs as well<g>)
NEC has always brought in a plant speaker. That speaker typically speaks during the main part conference schedule. Then, because I usually know them personally and can work it out, they typically give a second talk at the AGA meeting. This year, NEC is having a “planted tank theme”. The “big name” speaker will be Ole Pedersen. But he will already be giving two talks during the main conference schedule, so I hesitate to ask him to do a third. I have also been asked to do an updated version of my Thailand talk for the banquet. (I will have been to Thailand again at that point, so there will be a lot of new material included) There will be a plants-only auction on Friday night as well. I don’t think there has ever been a conference, outside of AGA with so much to offer planted tank enthusiasts.
The problem is our AGA meeting on Friday afternoon. Usually, I either have the “main” plant speaker do something, or I put together a talk. Sometimes David or Kim Bryan has done something. I suppose I COULD try to put together a second talk for Friday afternoon, but, honestly, I’d rather not. Could AGA pay for a speaker for that slot? If so, who should we ask? Ole is speaking on: The algal-free planted aquarium - is it really possible? and CO2 fertilization of planted tanks! Why is it sometimes necessary?
Karen
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