The aquarium conference season, if there ever was one, has got to be in full swing at this point. The vast assortment of trade shows, both big and small, seem to be centering around the next few weekends, and the big one right out of the gate is Florida’s version of Reef A Palooza. A decade long standing staple of the California-based aquarium scene, RAP has been a huge success because of its massive indoor marketplace and low admission prices. And for the first time ever, the show’s organizers are sending it to the East Coast.
Taking place this weekend in Orlando, April 26th through the 27th, the show will feature all of the same things that have made the original RAP such a success. Admission will be $15 per day at the door, with free admission for seniors 60 and over, and children 12 years and younger. The doors open at 11am on both days, with the show coming to a close at 6pm on Saturday and 4pm on Sunday.
As with most shows, dozens of vendors will fill the space with all sorts of goodies and an all-star cast of guest speakers will tickle those temporal lobes with all sorts of reef keeping info. That list of speakers includes (in no particular order) Mike Paletta, Julian Sprung, Tony Vargas, Jake Adams, and Justin Zimmerman.
Wrapping it up, if the draw of a reef conference wasn’t enough to get you to sunny south Florida, the show is being held at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, which just so happens to be at the entrance to Universal Studios in Orlando. So, why not make it a weekend, or heck even a week, full of excitement?
Unfortunately, we won’t be at this particular show, but we’ve already started to gather up product announcement from vendors who will debut new stuff. So stay tuned for those.
