Hey "House Guys"--so glad you're making it down. It was nice to meet you at the MR frag swap last fall. Bringing any livestock to NERAC? I'll be set up with the vendors too (at the Reading Trees booth) so I'll see you there--
Ah yes, the old "he said she said" about the club business. Every club has its controversy, and at least one unsatisfied member. I was concerned too about club finances, so rather than quit and complain about it, I joined the board so I could do something to change it. I read the financials--and yes, NERAC does serve to bring people and funds into the club, but we did have speakers--Fernando Nostrapour on parasitic flatworms, a system design-and-build talk by a member, a how-to demonstration on how to build a tank by Anthony Calfo...and that was just in the last three months! Next meeting we have a talk by someone who build a geothermal chiller--what a cool idea, and it takes almost no power to run. And no club money was diverted, aliens didn't take it away and have a trip to Fiji, it's all there still. That money is going to pay for this year's NERAC speakers, plus a list in the coming months of people we are trying to book. IF you have suggestions of speakers you'd like to see, let's start a new thread, and I can bring the suggestions to the board. I'm always happy to hear about a new speaker idea.
As for this year's speakers being old and boring, not all of us have the means or opportunity to travel to the big conferences. If I went to MACNAs and IMACS, I would have seen these speakers before too, but most of the club and the Northeast folks don't get to go to distant conferences, so to see even 6 speakers in a weekend is a great opportunity. And not only that, but the speakers don't always give the same talk year after year. For example, last year Mr. Calfo talked about the buisiness of coral farming, and this year is doing a hands-on workshop on how to take great pictures with your own camera. For me (and likely a lot of hobby people), I am not so jaded and experienced that I don't think I can learn anything new.
(Now I'll get really sales-y

) Plus what does NERAC have that the big conferences don't? Atlantis Aquarium. You can listen to the lectures and then go see the systems that were described in "behind the scenes" tours. And a banquet with stellar food, served right in front of the reef tanks, AND a live blues band.
Sounds like a good time to me...