The upcoming MACNA 2013 will mark 25 years of the Marine Aquarium Conference of North America’s yearly conference where reefkeepers from across the world come together to check out the latest equipment, hear great speakers, and spend time with old friends and new.

The Florida Marine Aquarium Society will host MACNA 2013 at the posh Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa from August 30 to September 1, 2013 and it looks like they will spare no expense if the photos of the hotel on their website are any indication of the atmosphere:

The Westin Diplomat Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

MACNA 2013 already has an impressive lineup of speakers tentatively slated to talk at the conference including Tony Vargas, Julian Sprung, Matt Wandell, Craig Bingman, Ph.D., Kevin Kohen (MASNA 2012 Aquarist of the Year), Colin Foord, and others. In addition, the vendor booths are already filling up with vendors like Red Sea, Caribsea, Reef Brite, Two Little Fishies, Ecotech Marine, Marineland, and Seachem signed up for floor space.

MACNA recommends you purchase your tickets soon and reserve your hotel room early to save on the cost. A full conference pass is currently priced at $109.  The full conference pass provides the best “bang for the buck” as it grants the holder full access to the three-day conference including speaker presentations, vendor hall, the Friday reception dinner, and Saturday banquet dinner. The event planners note that tickets are non-refundable but fully transferable in case someone cannot attend.

Keep up-to-date on the happenings with MACNA 2013 by following them on Facebook and Twitter. I am certain that they will have a lot of updates in the coming months. We look forward to seeing you there!