Hello everyone this is my first attempt at writing a blurb such as this so hopefully it goes well. I am going to attempt to keep this page up to date with any new changes.
The 2010 FOTAS convention will be hosted by the Oklahoma Aquarium Association on September 3rd, 4th and 5th. Those of you who aren't firmiliar with FOTAS, this is the Federation of Texas Aquarium Societies which was founded many, many years ago and comprised of, well Texas clubs. Several years ago, they were kind enough to include the OKAA as part of FOTAS and this will be our first chance to host the convention and hopefully set us up to do many more in the future. You can find the entire history at
www.FOTASWEBSITE.com
We will be hosting the convention at the Best Western Saddleback Inn located at 4300 SW 3rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73108 and you can reach the hotel at 1-800-228-3903 This is in the general area of the intersection of I-40 and Meridian Avenue which is directly North of the airport and located within walking distance of numerous eateries and a trolly stop is located in front of the hotel for those wishing to travel to Bricktown, the OKC memorial or other nearby attractions.
The exact schedule has not been completed at this time but Friday afternoon will begin with entries being placed into the show as well as rental tanks that will be available to those coming from out of town. There will also be a speaker Friday evening and generally a group or several groups will venture out for a casual "meet & greet" dinner. Saturday will be packed full of speakers, the show will be in full swing and a banquet will be held in conjunction with the show awards ceremony, a small auction to raise money for the Braz Walker Fund as well as the newly formed Dr. Keith Arnold Patron Award and a speaker. Sunday will be a huge auction in which you can find more types of fish than you can dream of as well as hardgoods, plants and other creatures for your aquariums.
We will be calling all clubs in the surrounding areas even beyond the normal FOTAS clubs to ensure this will not be an event that will be forgotten. At this point, we have secured speakers including Spencer Jack, Mark Denaro, Michi Tobler, David Stewart and will be adding more as they are confirmed. For the latest information, be sure and keep track of this story as well as watch the forum. For last minute information, you can email me at
snakeskinnerkyle@gmail.com or call me at 405-263-4769 at home or cell at 405-818-2826 and I will try and answer your questions or guide you to the convention hotel if needed.
We purposely put this event on Labor Day weekend to give those people traveling an extra day to make it back home and get their newly aquired fish into tanks (if you're like me, you always buy more fish than you have tanks for and will need to setup new tanks). I look forward to seeing a lot of old faces and a lot of new ones as well so make sure and put this on your calendar!
Kyle Osterholt
Update 8-14-10.....
We're getting closer... There should be a registration page very soon and a complete speaker lineup as well. We just finished viewing the entire hotel facility and I am very impressed. This is BY FAR the nicest Best Western I've ever seen, no exaggeration. There is a great pool, fitness area, restaurant and a bar on site. There is also an ATM machine in the lobby so anyone coming to the auction can get cash on site if needed. The rooms were absolutely perfectly clean, odor free and the a/c was working great! Even the landscaping is kept in perfect shape. You can definitely tell the property owner takes pride in this facility, unlike a lot of other places I've been. The address to the hotel is listed above. It is basically on the corner of SW 3rd street and Vermont Avenue. Nearly everyone will get to the hotel from I-40 (unless you're really close by this location and in that case, you already know where it is probably). I-40 runs East and West through Oklahoma City, if you're coming in from the North or South, just take whatever highway you're traveling on and make your way to I-40. You will exit off on Meridian Avenue and travel North. Meridian is on the West end of town and is one of the major streets in town. If you happen to be flying in, Meridian Avenue actually runs right into the airport so either take your rental straight North on Meridian and past I-40 or call the hotel and they will pick you up. When you exit I-40 onto Meridian, travel North. The first street is SW 3rd. There is a Howard Johnson on the South side of SW 3rd and an empty parking lot to the North and a McDonalds just past that. Take SW3rd to the East and you'll go about a block and a half distance and the hotel is right on your South Side, can't miss it. If you happen to be coming from the North through town (not on the interstate) or maybe you've left the hotel to go sight-seeing or shopping, Reno Avenue is the next Major street to the North of the hotel and I-40. Just East of Meridian Avenue, Vermont Street turns South between "Trapper's" and "Night Trips" and goes one block South and intersects with SW 3rd so you can enter from that direction as well. If for some reason you can't get a room at the Best Western Saddleback Inn (I highly recommend you do try), or you happen to have a free night somewhere, Meridian Avenue and nearby areas are littered with hotels of every chain so you can find what you want really close. There are also TONS of eateries within a short drive or even walking distance. There is a trolley stop right out front of the hotel that goes many places, including Bricktown and the Oklahoma City Memorial and Museum. I believe there is an entire list of stops on the Saddleback Inn's website.
The hotel does not allow any outside food or drink into the conference area so please abide by these rules. there are vending machines, a bar and a restaurant on site. To get to the Conference area, if you enter into the hotel on the West entrance, you will travel down past the main entrance, business office and then the next building has a big sign that says "Conference Center". This is the building we will be in. The entrance is around on the East side of the building. You can park in this area and then walk around the South end of the Conference Center and enter on the East. If you're staying at the hotel, the Conference Center shares a large pathway with the swimming pool so find the pool and go West! For the auction day, there is a double set of doors on the West side of the building that we will have unlocked to unload all the boxes of fish through instead of having to haul them around. These will be locked Friday and Saturday because the lectures will be in this room...
More details to come!!!.....................................
Update 8-17-10
Pricing> We are working on an online registration but here's a list of prices.
FOTAS event registration: $25 per person, 17 and under free. This will gain you access to see all the speakers we have lined out for the event.
Banquet: $25 per person. Not only a meal but you will get to hear Mark Denaro speak as well as participate in our mini fund raising auctions with some really cool items.
Show: $3 per fish. The show tanks are 6 gallon kritter-keepers. If you need a larger tank, we can accomodate up to a 10 gallon tank on our stands or you are welcome to bring your own tank and stand. we can supply water and air. Be sure and let us know if you are planning to do this.
Rental tanks: $10. We will have a limited number of 20 gallon rental tanks. We will allow people to sell from these tanks if they wish.
Bidder cards will be free
Seller's will incur an 80/20+1 split (first dollar goes to the club, then 80/20 split for the remainder)
There is more information on our forum under "meetings". I will be posting show classes and other rules as well.... Kyle
Here's a couple pictures of where the Conference Center entrance is. This first photo is viewed from the walkway on the West side of the Swimming Pool. This photo is taken facing South as if you walked out of the lobby through the restaurant. The fence on the Left is the swimming pool and the door on the right is into the Conference Center. The second photo is from the parking lot. As you can see, the buidling is clearly marked. The doors on this side of the building are locked so you will go around the South End and come into the doors shown in the earlier photo. If you need assistance unloading anything, come inside and I'm sure someone will help. If you get there early enough on Friday, we may have the double doors on the right unlocked to unload. The double doors will be unlocked on Sunday during the auction for people to unload heavy loads.
Update 8-18-10
I just made my reservations for my room.. They have us listed under Oklahoma Aquarium Association when you go to make yours.. cya there, KYle
FOTAS 2010 flyer.pdf
Sections
