# Microcosm 2015



## skylsdale (Sep 16, 2007)

We have officially secured a venue and dates for MC2015: the event will be taking place *September 11-12, 2015, in Lynnwood, WA,* just north of Seattle! 










The show will once again be at the Embassy Suites Seattle – North in Lynnwood, which is located just off the I-5 corridor and an easy drive from SeaTac Airport. Except for field trips on Friday morning/afternoon, everything will be taking place at the hotel. Speaking of which: between now and the event, the hotel will be undergoing a $10 million renovation, so it will definitely be a nice place to spend the weekend! Free breakfast buffet, free drinks at the Manager's Happy Hour, free parking and WiFi and official suites to stay in – this location is a wonderful place to hang out with fellow hobbyists. 

More details will be posted as they come together: to stay up-to-date as they are posted, be sure to follow the MICROCOSM Facebook Page.


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## skylsdale (Sep 16, 2007)

An online link is now available for people to book their rooms at the Embassy Suites Seattle - North under the special event rate: Hotel Reservations — Tree Walkers International

The event is not less than a year away, and as many of you know, it's not too early by any means to begin making travel plans to attend the event!


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## aratatatatus (Sep 17, 2014)

Sweet!! One that I can possibly attend!!


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## ZenMonkey (Sep 17, 2013)

Oh wow, I would love to go to this and Seattle's not far from L.A. Not sure whether I can handle it healthwise but I might push it just to get to go to ONE amphibian-based conference/show. (Nothing seems to happen in SoCal that isn't private invites only, or at least I'm not seeing them.)


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## skylsdale (Sep 16, 2007)

For those who attended MC2014, here is the recent recipient of a grant that was funded from the event, which will go toward the purchase of 100 hectares of cloud forest in Mindo, Ecuador: 2014 TWI Grant Recipient


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## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

ZenMonkey said:


> Oh wow, I would love to go to this and Seattle's not far from L.A. Not sure whether I can handle it healthwise but I might push it just to get to go to ONE amphibian-based conference/show. (Nothing seems to happen in SoCal that isn't private invites only, or at least I'm not seeing them.)


Not to derail, but we did have microcosm AND frogday in the southern/central CA area earlier this year, and there is an open-invitation SCADS meeting happening in two weeks. Check out the 'West' section of the 'regional events' forum if you have any interest.


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## ZenMonkey (Sep 17, 2013)

Thanks Dane. SCADS is the group I've not had success with so far. I admit by now I'm a little intimidated/demotivated. As for those other meetings, I may not have been reading this forum as reliably earlier in the year, because I'm surprised at myself that I missed a nearby Frog Day! 

I'll definitely subscribe to the regional board via Tapatalk at this point.


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## Handfishinghillbilly (Apr 4, 2013)

Is there a vendor list yet or is it to early?


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## FroggyKnight (Mar 14, 2013)

Handfishinghillbilly said:


> Is there a vendor list yet or is it to early?


Yup, the vender list is up. There aren't many people on it yet, but it should be updated regularly. 

This is going to be an AWESOME event!!

John


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## skylsdale (Sep 16, 2007)

I just received word today from the hotel that rooms in the event block are beginning to fill up – if you are planning to attend, be sure not to wait too long to book your room: Hotel & Venue — Tree Walkers International

MC2015 is just 5 months away!


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## skylsdale (Sep 16, 2007)

Had a great time this weekend at the Seattle Metro Reptile Expo promoting MC2015 and announcing the return of the event to the Pacific Northwest – it hasn't been held in Seattle since 2010 and people are excited it's coming back!


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## skylsdale (Sep 16, 2007)

For those unfamiliar with the event, here is some info on the themes that drive it: About â€” Tree Walkers International


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## kate801 (Jul 7, 2011)

Love that display Ron!


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## skylsdale (Sep 16, 2007)

We must make the unfortunate announcement that MICROCOSM 2015, which was slated to take place Sept. 11-12, will be cancelled this year.

With a lack of financial commitment from potential sponsors and vendors, we do not have the critical mass of involvement needed to move forward.

The ultimate purpose of MICROCOSM is to raise funds for TWI’s conservation grant program. With a percentage of up-front costs already paid out and more looming on the horizon, we find ourselves facing the very real possibility that putting on the event could drain money away from conservation grants rather than contribute toward them. We see no other viable option than to pull the plug and count our losses, such as they are.

Unfortunately, this will significantly impact the amount of funding available for 2015 grants. If you would like to help support amphibian conservation and contribute to the ACPF in lieu of MICROCOSM, donations of any amount can be made via the TWI website: DONATE â€” Tree Walkers International

We will keep you posted as we assess the possible viability of a future event.


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## Spaff (Jan 8, 2011)

This is depressing


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

That's a bummer. This is kind of a disgrace I guess for the potential sponsors who did not step up.


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## srrrio (May 12, 2007)

Totally sad.
I just erased a long rant, and just now which I wish I would have saved for the thunderdome....maybe another day. Lets just say $10 dollar dart frogs -whoo hoo 

I will send a donation in lieu of going.


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## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

hydrophyte said:


> That's a bummer. This is kind of a disgrace I guess for the potential sponsors who did not step up.


Edit: Like Sally, I am deleting my rant directed at that comment, as it doesn't assist TWI in any way. I would love to see the members of DB "step up" to help Treewalkers make up for the loss of donations due to the event cancellation.


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## skylsdale (Sep 16, 2007)

I'm completely fine with your comments, Dane: those are exactly the factors we have to deal with...compounded with the ways the hobby has changed since these types of events first emerged (i.e. when you HAD to attend just to see what was out there). The internet both helped birth the hobby (a la Frognet) and has, in many ways, killed it. Why pay to attend an event and all the costs and logistics you just mentioned - and risk losing money - when you could just post some frogs online and then and ship them out a few days later with the buyer covering the costs? Minimal costs are involved, with next-to-no risk of losing anything on a frog that doesn't sell, period.

Of course, many realize that there is much more to these types of events than just the frogs you walk away with, but I think many assume it to only be a face-to-face "classifieds" in a gym or hotel. 

That being said, organizers (myself included) have to keep in mind the financial realities of putting the show on and the projected money that will come in. On top of that, you want vendors to be successful as well. We had to take a good hard look at the next 90 days from here to the event, and I just couldn't keep moving forward, largely because of the hit the grant funding could take if we kept having to bankroll everything without a guarantee of more funds coming in via table sales, etc. So no, it's not a good feeling to cancel. However, like Dane said, I would rather cancel and regroup and perhaps re-format things for the future than put on a show that is not only lackluster for vendors, but also hurts the very cause it was created to help (raise money for amphibian conservation grants).

Personally, as an organizer, I never _expect_ specific vendors and/or sponsors to support the event: I am always appreciative of and ecstatic over the people who are willing to invest more of their hard-earned cash to participate and support the cause. That is not lost on me whatsoever. But I can only work with things as they happen...and this time around, they just didn't happen. And there are a myriad of reasons why they aren't happening when you take a look at the hobby at large and what is happening within it, trends in frogs sales and prices, overhead and profits, etc. 

I'm not upset or bitter: it just is what it happens to be.


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## dmartin72 (Oct 27, 2004)

It's really sad to lose face-to-face time with some of the old timers that would attend something like this and who no longer participate via an online presence.


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## Manuran (Aug 28, 2007)

So sad! Sorry that it went in this direction. I wonder if people were made aware of the situation, more wouldn't have stepped forward sooner. This was going to be my first show in 13 years, and I was really looking forward to seeing everyone. I was going to get a table too! So sad to hear that this is the reality. Sorry that all of your hard work was wasted.


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## zerelli (Sep 14, 2009)

EDIT: I went to the Tree Walker site, wow Microcosm sounds amazing. When will there be on on this side of the country?

I am coming to this hobby from a background that has been involved with other animal related organizations. One, the ACA (American Cichlid Association), seems to be a close match to TWI. By that, I mean that the org is one devoted to education and conservation. I do not think the ACA is necessarily spending as much of its focus on the fund raising, but there are a couple of funds they do promote and distribute. I make this comparison because I was recently considering why reptile shows/expos are so different from the fish related ones. I have not had the pleasure of attending NARBC or one of the other major ones but ALL of the ones I have been able to attend were just glorified swap meets charging at the door. I would LOVE to be able to go to an event and hear lectures on the flora and fauna that are part of this hobby. It seems like there are plenty of possible speakers too. The other organization I thought about was the ANDRC (American Netherlands Dwarf Rabbit Club), I still attend their national shows. The reason I thought of the rabbit clubs is that when they call it a show, there are actual competitions happening and judging against a standard. How much fun would it be to have a show where there was a competition, a swap meet, and some lectures and workshops? I don't know what happened at Microcosm and I am heading to the TWI page to see about joining; but I would love to see some reptile/amphibian shows with the features I mentioned.


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## skylsdale (Sep 16, 2007)

Zerelli, MICROCOSM is all of those features you mentioned: we tried to bring the best of all the events and conferences we had attended (from various hobbies) into one big exhibition...minus the judging/show competitions since we want to celebrate wild-type animals rather than selectively bred specimens.

However, even though we have been putting it on for several years now, we still have a hard time getting people from other hobbies (including fish-related ones) to wrap their minds around it. That it isn't _just_ a 'herp show' or 'frog show' or 'fish show' really seems to confuse people...even if they engage in all those different hobbies at home. Also, fish societies do structure their shows (and subsequently, hobby cultures) a bit differently: many fish societies have members donate plants and fish, which are then auctioned off with most of the proceeds going to the society and a small percentage to the actual hobbyist. An event like MICROCOSM that invites hobbyists to come and sell their flora and fauna for their own profit is often seen as competition, since those individual sales are lost funds for the club. That being said, SCAPE in Southern California was very onboard with our event and had a table with display tanks and fish/plants donated by members, the sales of which went to the club. They also held an aquascaping workshop during the day. So it worked out really well...but that was also after a couple years of inviting them. Now you have to apply that to the orchid hobby, the gesnariad folks, the Zoogoneticus and Sphaerodactylus breeders, etc...and it really does become a lot of work trying to get so many different entities on board to build a compelling vendor list. And the reality is, it's a win-win for everyone because it promotes overlap and introduces you to a potential audience that otherwise wouldn't have known about you.

So in light of that, what has worked best is individual hobbyists who bring a plethora of different animals to the show that otherwise don't fit at 'standard' events...but even then, you're dealing with a subset of each hobby (i.e. smaller circles of people and groups). So the success of this sort of event, we have found, really depends on either (1) a critical mass of individual hobbyists/vendors buying into the idea and voting with their table fees to let us know they want to see it happen, or (2) sponsors financially supporting the event to help fill in the gaps that remain from having more 'niche' hobbies represented (i.e. fewer, but more select, vendors).

This event is also unique in that it's a fundraiser: all proceeds (once costs are covered) go toward TWI's grant program. However, this year there was such a low up-front commitment from vendors and potential sponsors (and by commitment I mean tables actually being paid for, not just a verbal intention), that we were looking at having to pull more from organizational funds than we could in good conscience do, without being guaranteed that we could break even with eventual door sales, vendor table sales, auction, etc. If that were to happen it would defeat the entire purpose of the event, and possibly even negatively impacted our resources for funding future conservation work. That is our primary commitment, and so the decision had to be made to pull the plug on the show...at least for this year. We will be meeting and discussing the viability of future MICROCOSM events, but it may take on different forms in order to adapt with the changing landscape of the hobby(ies) and to best take advantage of those who would like to support/participate in such an event.


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## EricM (Feb 15, 2004)

In my 20 years of frogging the shows have always been the pinnacle day circled on the calendar. It was the only opportunity to meet and just listen to "frog chat" live in the bar at the hotel at IAD where it was an all nighter for the truly hardcore froggers, or the Friday night BBQ at Chuck's house, where everyone just hung out and talked. I don't remember what frogs or plants I got at most of those events, but I do remember most of the conversations and tidbits of knowledge that pushed my experience in the hobby. The very first Microcosm in Seattle at the exact hotel this one was supposed to be at captured a lot of the intimacy of past events. As a vendor I lost my butt at that show, but it was the best time I've had in many years. The field trips, the Friday night talks, the breakfast buffet, the after hours in the bar and late nights in the hotel rooms all filled with frog talk. Not to mention that Todd and Christina opened up their home for a Sunday get together. The vivariums in their home are truly awesome, it is a totally different experience to be able to digest a tank setup from all angles and ask questions to the architect, much more enriching than looking at stunning pictures and posting questions on DB. Spending time with other froggers recharges and inspires the way I keep frogs. I still need to cancel my hotel reservations, not yet, I've got a few more hours of denial to get over.

Eric


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## SMenigoz (Feb 17, 2004)

skylsdale said:


> The internet both helped birth the hobby (a la Frognet) and has, in many ways, killed it. I'm not upset or bitter: it just is what it happens to be.


I feel similarly. As EricM points out, the true value of these shows is not necessarily a strong sales sheet (although "covering my expenses" does help justify the trip) but rather the hallway conversations, the imprompto meetings with a beer...
I consider myself "old school" in that I was in the reptile/amphibian hobby long before the internet; I've seen the steady decline of Microcosm, IAD, FrogDay...and wonder what can be done to restore them. As a vendor, I have committed to attend any show within 10 hours drive; I've gone to Chicago and a few times to New York. I really miss the IAD in Timonium Holiday Inn or the MARS at the fairgrounds, with profits going toward the purchase of rainforest acres. Repticon is a far cry from that, and difficult for me to justify.
Reminds me alot of the mentality at my work-- CHANGE, or get left behind.


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

Sorry everyone.

I never attended one of these but always looked forward to reading the comments after the show. The excitement leading up to the show and listening to everyone afterward was truly inspiring. 
I hope a gathering of this type doesn`t end because of the economy or internet. So many people have disappeared since I joined in 06.
I`m a perfect example of someone who is not a big time breeder or goes after the next flavor of the month frog, but I stick around because I just love these damn frogs and the friends I`ve made here.
Sooo, I`ll sacrifice another unhealthy take out meal and make a donation.
It`s not the end of the world, just a little hiccup.

Oh yea, nice to hear from you Chuck!


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## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

Since it hasn't been mentioned yet on this thread, I would like update to all interested parties that a very different and intriguing concept has been introduced for Microcosm this year in this thread: http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/general-discussion/243026-microcosm-2-0-sept-11-12-seattle-wa.html. I'm really excited to see how this year's event improves awareness and appreciation for the glass box hobby, and the natural world that inspires it. Be aware that space is limited!


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