Frag Swap

[Djbetterly]

So I picked up some nice stuff at the frag swap this year, but in general I would say I was quite disappointed with the vendor turn out. I went with a couple friends and we all had hopes of buying some dry goods, but lone behold virtually no dry goods existed this year. Previous years that I have gone, the vendor turnout was substantially better.

I'm sure there are challenges that we are all unaware of in setting up the swap, so I don't want to bash anyone too harshly. I just felt the need to express my disappointment and hope others share their opinion as well.

Hopefully I haven't offended anyone.

 

[mrdobie]

ditto
ther was a lot of people that I talk to who had the same thoughts.

 

[NL146]

This is not because I won a couple of items, but I enjoyed the swap . Sadly I didn't make the early presentation but the second one was good IMO. I was able to trade for/buy a couple of nice frags. I was also able to talk to a couple of old pals (nice to see Kathy). I agree that the turnout (vendor and members/guests) was not what we're used to but was prepared for that when I saw the vendor list. I was hoping to stock up on some dry goods. While that was disappointing I was glad that we were able to meet again after the break. Jason Fox was the clear leader in my book as far as acros were concerned. (Thanks for the Pearlberry JF!). Kudos to all involved. I'm definitely looking forward to an improved next swap.

 

[Master Shake]

few less vendors than usual but there usually isnt much dry goods at the mr swap

 

[bklynreef]

The Pratt Swap kicks every time with huge crows and vendors. Can't beat Brooklyn for all around convenience.

 

[Josh]

Let me explain a little bit.

There is a HUGE NATIONAL EVENT this same weekend in Chicago, so all of the manufacturers that usually do demos and show off their products were there. There isn't really anything we can about this. But to be honest, a couple of vendors drove right past Chicago to be at our event which really says a lot about the NYC crowd.

We lost a couple of good drygoods vendors in the past year and that is unfortunate. Either some vendors will take on supplying drygoods at the swap or we will have to do some group buys to make everything good again.

Also we really pushed our donors for drygoods and they certainly delivered but this is not enough for our community.

So all things considered this was a really good swap. Sorry if you did not get everything you needed but in reality we had a bunch of vendors who have local brick and mortar stores and you can stock up with them.

Thanks so much for attending the swap and giving us this useful feedback.

 

[Djbetterly]

Josh thank you for reaching out, it's good to know people are listening. To me that's the most important part. I do appreciate everyone's hard work, but at the same time I think it's important to give feedback.

 

[Jlavine]

Though it was a smaller swap in terms of attendance an vendors, it was a great time. Good speaker and nice to see the local guys in one place (and the ones that paid to come from far away). Thank you to all that put this event together.


Still recovering from carrying about 50# of salt home.

 

[NL146]

...Still recovering from carrying about 50# of salt home.

Lol! That was supposed to be mine. I got the other one.

 

[marrone]

As Josh already post, we do like feedback, both good and bad. Also, locations to have these events are very hard to come by, we need to be able to get in the day/night before to setup and have the event the next day. So, if anyone knows of a place please lets us know.

 

[Djbetterly]

I'm not usually one to ask about costs, but does Pace charge a hefty price for the space?

 

[oh207]

I had a great time and great buys too. And I'm not just saying that because of all the things I won.
It was also great to see so many local stores present.

 

[Djbetterly]

@oh207 are you the guy who wan like 4 mystery bags?

 

[Josh]

I'm not usually one to ask about costs, but does Pace charge a hefty price for the space?

Its not so much about the cost as it is the relationship we have with the school. We've been doing it there for about 8 years now, all thanks to Jim Curry who works there. Without him we wouldn't have the swap in this location. We get the university rate (this is considered a school event) as well as good support from the local staff.

Doing it in a 3rd party venue is really hard so this space has always been relatively easy.

 

[oh207]

@oh207 are you the guy who wan like 4 mystery bags?

Yes, that was me.

 

[ourcoralreef]

I enjoyed the swap some pros and some cons
i actually liked that it wasn't jam packed with people (i never get to buy the corals i want where there are tons of people)
the vendors was a little of a let down some had good prices and some were priced as if i would walk into there stores and some just had no clue what they were selling
i dont really care for dry goods so that wasint a let down for me
i wanted to see more coral and there were anly a handfull of coral vendors but most of the local guys were there, the kind of guys i would go into there stores because they made a nice impression on me or i have been to there store and they treat me right
i got 2 frags for free and bought some nice corals all in all its not like i was going to do anything better today anyway so it was a nice day for me
Not stepping on anyone's toes just my two cents

 

[ourcoralreef]

Yes, that was me.

Im so curious what was in them

 

[prattreef]

Great seeing everyone today. We do appreciate your feedback. To add to what has already been said, I think the swap is more than just the vendors though they are obviously a HUGE part of the event. For me, the educational and community building parts of the swap are equally important, and we had 2 great speakers today- both very well attended with engaged audiences. The frag demos were also really excellent and people were interested in learning something, not simply getting free frags. Kudos to Mike Slamajama for an excellent job on your return to the MR community.

I also noticed a lot of young hobbyists, not just kids tagging along, and that is always great to see. But without a doubt, the highlight for me was to see Kathy again, looking so strong and terrific. I can't imagine anyone who has been around MR for any length of time didn't feel the same.

A word about Pratt: We love doing events there, and I love hosting them, but the venue was unavailable last spring and is under construction for this entire year, so it is just not possible. The sad truth is that once the space re-opens it might no longer be approriate for our events. We'll just have to see. Pace has been good to us, but any other feasible venues will be entertained.

 

[greenstreet.1]

Had a great time thank you MR

 

[Slamajamajama]

Great seeing everyone today. We do appreciate your feedback. To add to what has already been said, I think the swap is more than just the vendors though they are obviously a HUGE part of the event. For me, the educational and community building parts of the swap are equally important, and we had 2 great speakers today- both very well attended with engaged audiences. The frag demos were also really excellent and people were interested in learning something, not simply getting free frags. Kudos to Mike Slamajama for an excellent job on your return to the MR community.

I also noticed a lot of young hobbyists, not just kids tagging along, and that is always great to see. But without a doubt, the highlight for me was to see Kathy again, looking so strong and terrific. I can't imagine anyone who has been around MR for any length of time didn't feel the same.

A word about Pratt: We love doing events there, and I love hosting them, but the venue was unavailable last spring and is under construction for this entire year, so it is just not possible. The sad truth is that once the space re-opens it might no longer be approriate for our events. We'll just have to see. Pace has been good to us, but any other feasible venues will be entertained.

Thank you Randy it was fun. I was nervous that I was out of the loop for awhile. It was nice to see so many at the demos, many with questions that I hope I addressed. I'm hoping we could incorporate a fragging "workshop" , more hands on for the next swap.

Seeing Kathy for me, made my swap, such a special friend, she looked amazing.

One last note, the persons behind organizing the raffle were just amazing. They all worked together effortlessly to put together one of the most difficult parts of the swap, the raffle. They made my job so easy, so if no one has thanked them for a stellar job, I thank you!