• You liked BFD7 now you should join this forum and of course become a club member to see what CCA is all about.
  • Thank you to everyone who registered and showed up for the BIG Fish Deal #7.

Apology

Jay

CCA Members
I am sorry if I offended anyone about my comments about parking for the BFD. I was just trying to make the event better for everyone. I want to see this event be successful for both the club and the vendors at the Marketplace. The reason I mentioned parking is I heard some grumbling about the fee from some of the people in my area who live in more rural areas. They thought the fee was going to be $15. Keep in mind, you draw people from all over, not just from the city and suburban areas that are used to parking fees. I think the potential $15 fee last year blindsided some people and kept them away. I did not want to see that happen to your club again in 2019.
Please forgive me and order fish again. I have not had any orders from the CCA since early Summer. I am afraid my comments trying to help have hurt me.
CAS is getting more rare types of African Cichlids which are being imported and added to my wholesaler's and my line up. Please do not pass them up.

Jay
 

DiscusnAfricans

Past President
No worries Jay, I didn't take offense, was trying to engage the issue and create healthy conversation/debate.

If it was a concern for you, it was a concern for other people, so it is/was worth discussing. Its just not an easy/simple fix.

We understand that its a hurdle for some people and can be a deterrent, but we're trying to make the best of everything. The people in 'rural' areas who aren't used to parking fees also probably don't have convenient access to fish stores/clubs/events. Having an event in a city/urban/suburban area has a lot of perks; including access to restaurants, public transportation, and nearby stuff for family members to do, or provide outside entertainment from the event.

For instance, I've been at several events where there were no food options within walking distance of the hotel. So your options are the hotel bar/restaurant, or get in your car and drive somewhere, likely in an area you're not familiar with. I loved being able to walk to restaurants when we were in Gaithersburg and Rockville.

We're going to do our best to advertise parking rates on the new website so everyone is aware. Part of the reason we're building a new website is because the old website wasn't as 'user-friendly' to develop and edit content. We'll be able to provide better details about everything for this event. Every year, especially when a new location is involved, there are new lessons to be learned. We try to improve the experience each year, but there will always be unforeseen challenges, or issues without a clear resolution.

That being said, this year will have parking fees for the hotel lot, and it'll be more expensive than the $5 rate at Rockville. We'll post details once we have final information available, should be very soon. Our plan for the new website is to provide more information about alternative parking locations with cheaper rates, or no fees. It will be up to people to determine where they want to park based on what they want to pay, or not pay.

We'll look into options for vendors regarding parking and unloading, we realize its not practical for vendors to park any distance from the hotel. We're hoping there can be a loading/unloading zone where people can stage before parking their vehicle, but we don't know what might be available yet. The other thing to remember is that there are a few major vendors, and many private/personal vendors all competing for the same space and carts. The best bet will be to scout out the location prior to the event, so you have a gameplan on the day of and you're not figuring it out on the fly. Arriving early also makes things much easier. I know thats not easy for some people, especially out of towners, but its still the best option, otherwise its all hypothetical.

I hope, and don't think your comments would affect sales, I think it might be more situational. Summertime is busy for a lot of people, its also the easiest time to mail order fish to/from cold weather areas. We appreciate your support, and your offer to bring fish to meetings when available. You've been a great longtime sponsor of the club, so we try and support your business as much as possible. I think I'll be placing an order today, some very tempting stuff on your site.
 

Wet Sleeves

CCA Members
Staff member
J Jay I saw an OB Eyebiter that I was potentially interested in. Im not sure if you have him currently or if it was a special order deal. Ill head to the website to check. I know you've been a long time supporter and sponsor of the club so Ive been meaning to order some stuff, Just been super busy working and trying to make space in the fish room.
 

Leffler817

CCA Members
Paying for parking sucks no matter where you go or how much it is. I too understand the concerns and we try to work with it as best we can.
 
Top