We are proud to announce that the 2010 AGA Aquatic Gardeners Convention will be held the weekend of November 11-14, 2010, at Fort Lauderdale Sheraton near the Fort Lauderdale Airport.
We have an incredible speaker line-up. At this time, we have on-board Claus Christensen who will be doing two presentations (one at the banquet), Ghazanfar Ghori, Dr. Mike Kane from the University of Florida, Karen Randall and Jason Baliban. Talk topics and bios will be added soon -- check back as convention time approaches!
Tour of Florida Aquatic Nurseries Friday morning at 9! The convention is about 15 minutes away from Florida Aquatic Nurseries ("FAN"), and they have graciously arranged for a tour of their facilities on Friday morning. Transportation to FAN is on your own -- please carpool or cab-pool and see the map in the right panel for directions. Accordingly, we've kept the fee super low.
On Friday afternoon, Dr. Mike Kane will lead a workshop on Tissue Culture. There is an extra fee for this workshop; participants will get to keep the cultures they inoculate! Register early if you are planning on attending the workshop, because space is extremely limited.
Friday night will include the third Iron Aquascaper, once again sponsored by Aquarium Design Group. Watch two masters go at it in a head-to-head spontaneous competition using only the aquaria and plants given to them.
Saturday night will feature our banquet and 2010 AGA International Aquascaping Contest awards. for more info on the food selection, click here.
Between talks, chat with fellow hobbyists and speakers. After the evenings' events, kick back and enjoy a snack or beverage in the Hospitality Suite.
Sunday, spend your hard-earned cash on the largest all-aquatic-plant auction in the country. Find some new species, or load up on something you haven't seen in a while. [info for bidders] [info for sellers] One of the side benefits to bringing plants for the auction is the AGA's very generous split policy -- 70/30. If you sell $85 worth of plants at the auction, you've made back your registration cost... if you can resist the temptation to buy something else. :) You do not have to register for the convention to bid!
More information about the speakers and events can be found on the forum.
Hotel info: The room
registration page (separate reservation through Sheraton, not part
of convention registration!) contains details on the hotel location and
nearby attractions. You can also call (800) 325-3535 and ask for reservations in the Aquatic Gardeners' Association block.
Note there is a deadline of October 22 for hotel registration to guarantee the AGA discount rate!
Tentative Convention Schedule - subject to change
|
Thursday |
|
|
|
all events in the Hospitality Suite |
| 6:00-9:00 PM | General Registration |
| 9:00-whenever |
Bagging party |
|
Friday |
|
| 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM |
Tour of FAN starts. Please arrange for transportation. We will have an open forum topic for cab-share and carpooling. |
| 1:00-5:00 PM |
Tissue culture workshop with Dr. Michael Kane General registration / vendor room |
| 7:00-9ish |
Iron Aquascaper Competition sponsored by Aquarium Design Group |
| ? |
Hospitality Suite Open |
|
Saturday |
|
| 8:30 AM - 9:00 PM |
General Registration / Vendor Room |
| 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM AM |
Presentations (order and timing TBD): Claus Christensen, Mike Kane, Ghazanfar Ghori, Jason Baliban, et al. |
| 6:30 - 11 PM |
Banquet |
|
approx. 8:00 |
Aquascaping Contest winners |
|
approx. 9:00 |
Claus Christensen banquet presentation |
|
? |
Hospitality Suite Open |
|
Sunday |
|
|
9:00 AM - ? |
Auction |
Convention is open to AGA Members ONLY, so add
a membership to your cart if you are not already an AGA member! Only
one membership per household required.
Register before October 15th to avoid a $10 late fee!
Hotel: $99 per night, please register through the hotel link. Cutoff date to receive the convention rate is October 22th.
Directions from hotel to FAN (11 miles):
View Larger Map
