NADA activities

[Tkuilderd]

Hi everyone,
I would like to propose some changes to the NADA.
I feel the club is not active enough in the hobby. A show every 2 years is not enough.
The club needs to be represented at functions outside of the show. Smaller shows, bigger fish shows and that sort of thing.
Education coming from the National group is sorely lacking as the board members seem to be inactive. I do understand that there are issues that arise but this seems to have been an ongoing issue.

I have a few ideas for memberships and ideas for shows that will help the NADA in the future. I have spoken to Pat about them but i feel a committee needs to be set up to host functions for the NADA to raise money for shows and gain members.

Tammy Kuilderd

[yogi]

You are correct NADA does need something to get it kick started again. Has this been posted anywhere else about forming a committee?

[Hicgup]

A kickstart would be great! Anybody have a defibrillator handy? A show every two years? If I’m not mistaken I attended the last show in N.J. In 2018. Heck a show every two years means there should have been two shows since then. I am sure the Coronavirus had something to do with it (why not it changed just about everything else for better or worse ). I don’t know who sits on the board, but maybe we need to reach out to some people to see if anything is in the works.

[Willie]

From its original intent to its current mission, NADA has changed dramatically. The format has stayed the same and doesn't really fit the current mission. The original intent was to 'promote' discus keeping. We wanted to have our own website with new articles on how to raise discus, a forum for discussion, a classified ads section, etc. NADA today is all about organizing a discus show every other year. But to organize a show, you need someone who wants to organize a show. How a board contributes to that objective is not clear to me. The last show fell through basically because the person designated to organize the show didn't come through and the board couldn't do anything to make it happen.

I say this not to take shots, but as someone who has organized several successful local fish shows. Our last show, in March of 2022, attracted ~2,000 attendees over an 8-hour period. The Minnesota Aquarium Society has a Board of Directors, but the planning and work is done by a Show Planning Team. As President, my job is to keep the Board of Directors away so the Show Planning Team can do their work without micro-management.

My philosophy is simple, "if you can't help, then you don't get a voice". Not necessarily widely appealing, but it's worked so far.

[Hicgup]

Thanks Willie! Yes it is A TON OF WORK, to plan and organize a show. And yes, if often comes down to one or two superhumans who put in a lot of long days. I do think that right now the world, including the discus world is primed for another show. NADA 2024?

[Second Hand Pat]

Guys, I was the secretary of NADA and I have given up. I was running the raffles and even buying fish for the raffles. Everyone wants a show but no one wants to do the show. It felt dishonest to run raffles without any real plans to have a show. The 2018 show overrun it's budget (I think) and I am unsure of there is still a debt with anyone. Jerry would know I think. We do have a BOD but no one is active and there is a website which is still online.
Pat

[LizStreithorst]

It's sad. I remember back to the early days when Carol and Dottie were founding members. I went to too GOOD shows. One in Dallas, the other in Atlanta.

[Second Hand Pat]

That's where I meet you Liz, I went to the 2012, 2014, and 2018 show. You and Dottie would travel together. I never meet Carol.
Pat

[Hicgup]

Pat, thanks for the info. It is a shame the 2018 show didn’t generate an excess of funds. I know I bought tickets when there were raffles. It would be great if some of the vendors could donate more fish and supplies for raffles, but I understand profit margins and spreadsheets and realize not every vendor is able to donate. But it feels like if if several big vendors donated a couple of fish or nice supplies it would help the bottom line.
It comes down to exactly what you said, a lot of people want a show, but very few are willing to give so much time and effort to put one on.
Pat thanks for the work in the past, I have many good memories of the 2018 show, as well as a couple more good Discus books in my fish library.

[LizStreithorst]

That's where I meet you Liz, I went to the 2012, 2014, and 2018 show. You and Dottie would travel together. I never meet Carol.
Pat

I remember, Pat. Dottie was all raring to go to Los Vegas but there was the pandemic and after that, nothing has happened. Last I heard from Dottie was that she was moving to Florida to be close to her kids. She had a thing, that like my thing, was degenerative. She had always attended the NADA show since she was a founding member, even though she wasn't invited to sit at the up front table with the "big" people. I always found that to be a shame.

[Willie]

I would consider organizing a show (not a commitment, just a consideration), but I don't want to deal with a board.

[LizStreithorst]

lol I don't blame you, Willie. Too many chefs can make a mess of a good meal.

[Kirbs]

I went to the show in Chicago! I'm a good helper!