RAP Recap – 2017

WWC – please send this to me!

The guys from Worldwide Corals have done it again with the best Reefapalooza Orlando show I have attended. In it’s 4th year in Orlando, this was, in my humble opinion, the best run show we have ever been to and I’ve had the pleasure of attending all four Orlando shows as a vendor.

When we arrived, the Reefapalooza crew greeted us a the back entrance and within about 20 minutes they had the contents of our truck and trailer unloaded and delivered to our 20′ x 10′ booth. Our thanks go out to the RAP staff that helped us get our gear into the convention center and bring water to our booth for our coral and Tahitian Maxima clam display. Well over 4,000 attendees came to the show for this 2 day event and the show seemed much larger that recent MACNA events we have attended. During parts of the day on Saturday it was so busy that I found it difficult to meander through the throng of people looking for that special coral or some new piece of aquarium gear that they needed for an aquarium or two.

As Dane and I were putting the finishing touches on our booth Saturday AM we learned that a line of people stretched around the convention center for hundreds of yards as people were waited to enter the convention center at 11:00 AM. The crowds around our booth were so large, at times it was difficult to even take a bite of food that was provided to us as exhibitors.

Below are a few photos I was able to take at the show. If you didn’t have a chance to go this year, or you haven’t been to Reefapalooza Orlando, then you are missing what might be the best yearly trade show out there. The last series of photos are from the World Wide Corals retail store and coral farm about 1.5 miles up the road from the shop.