Save the Date
September 29 - October 2, 2022
The AGA is proud to announce that its convention is back for 2022, and will be hosted by the Chicago Aquatic Plant Society. The convention will be held in Schaumburg, IL.
Registration for all convention activities is done through the AGA online store here.
Hotel rooms are registered through Hyatt's website, or call 847-233-1234 and use code G-MBRO.
Event Calendar
Sept 29
Morning
Field trip: Shedd Aquarium
Afternoon
Registration
Evening
Hospitality Suite
Sept 30
All Day
Vendor Room and Registration
Morning
Speaker - Dr. Michael Kane
Afternoon
Workshop - Oase and Aqualife Iconic Nano tank workshop
Workshop - UNS Wabi-kusa workshop
Speaker - Gary Lange (Bonus talk)
Micro-talks - Quick 10-minute presentations from hobbyists and vendors
Evening
CAPS Opening Ceremony Social - Happy hour drinks and hors d'oeuvres
George Farmer - Live Aquascaping demo
Oct 1
All Day
Vendor Room and Registration
Speakers
André Longarço - Aquascaping
Nick Kinser - Paludariums (Including a live demonstration sponsored by ZooMed)
Alex Wenchel - Aquatic photography and videography
Johnathon Butkus - Saltwater macroalgae planted aquascapes
Gary Lange - Banquet speaker - Rainbowfish and plants + Bonus Friday talk
Evening
Banquet - Guest speaker Gary Lange
Oct 2
All Day
Plant Auction 9 - 5
Oase and Aqualife Iconic Nano Aquascaping Workshop
The Nano Aquascaping Workshop is back back back again! Rocks, wood and plants will be provided and you get to keep the aquarium! In the interest of maintaining this event as a workshop, as opposed to a contest, we are giving sign-up preference to those people who have never participated before. If you have participated before, and want to do so again, we will put you on a wait list. Please indicate that you want to participate on the questionnaire after you register.
Convention registration is required for this workshop.
Price REDUCED: $ SOLD OUT
Important Note! Unless special arrangement is made in advance, all nano and Wabi Kusa aquascapes must be left on display until Saturday night. The aquascapes created in the workshop are part of the convention atmosphere. The workshops remain a very desired function of the convention. If you are unable to leave your creation on display through the convention, we will be happy to refund your money and give another participant the opportunity. Thank you.
UNS Wabi-Kusa Workshop
You will learn how to create the substrate ball, how to plant the Wabi-Kusa balls, and how to maintain these small gardens over time. You will be provided all materials to create your own substrate balls and a sub-nano aquarium to maintain your Wabi-Kusa. So, if you have always wanted to try your hand at this style of Nature Aquarium, try this fun workshop!
Convention registration is required for this workshop.
Price REDUCED: $50.00
Shedd Aquarium Field Trip
Spend an afternoon at Chicago’s world renown Shedd Aquarium where you will get to see some beautiful exhibits featuring animals from around the world as well as the local Great Lakes habitats. Featuring both saltwater and freshwater biotopes, the exhibits range from the sunny Philippines to the Amazon flooded forests and everything in between. And when you’re done checking out the exhibits, check out some of the gardens surrounding the Shedd with plants from the region’s dunes, prairies, and seasonal wetlands. After you’ve explored the aquarium, if you crave a bite to eat, visit one of the many local eateries, which Chicago is famous for, or grab something from a number of dining options and relax on the terrace and enjoy the Chicago skyline. The cost of the field trip will cover entry to the Shedd Aquarium as well as transportation to and from the hotel.
Price: $60.00, includes transportation and admission to the Shedd Aquarium.
Banquet
Join us for our Saturday night banquet featuring food created by an award winning culinary team lead by a Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts trained chef. With a good mix of entrees and fresh ingredients from local purveyors, there is sure to be something for the most discerning palate.
The dinner will consist of a starter salad and to accompany a choice of entrees, with the Chef’s selection of starch and vegetable accompaniment, and warm rolls with butter, iced tea, and coffee served with dessert. In addition to the a variety of protein choices, a good variety of vegetarian and vegan dishes will be available for our attendees.
Starter: Hyatt Garden Salad – cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, croutons, and parmesan cheese, served with ranch and balsamic dressing
Entrees:
Grilled flank steak with Madeira sauce served with seasonal squash and roasted potatoes
Chicken Breast with a basil pesto cream served with pan seared tomatoes and fresh mozzarella
Pan seared salmon with roasted red pepper cream sauce and sweet corn relish
Spinach risotto served with slow simmered ratatouille
Vegetarian Rigatoni Bolognese or penne alla vodka
Vegan tofu stir fry with steamed rice or roasted red pepper pasta
Desserts:
Cheesecake with white chocolate cream, and chocolate sauce
Crème Brûlée, vanilla bean flavored
There is sure to be something to satisfy everyone, and our banquet speaker following dinner will be the highlight of the evening!
SOLD OUT
Registration and Hotel
Registration is open!
You can also book your hotel room here online. If you prefer to make your hotel reservation by phone, please call 847-233-1234 and use code G-MBRO so that the convention gets the credit for the room nights.
Basic registration ($60 for AGA/CAPS members, $80 for non-members; non-member registration includes a 1-year AGA membership) provides admission for one person to all talks (except the banquet), admission as a spectator to the nano workshop and Wabi-Kusa workshop, admission to the vendor room, and waived seller fee for the Sunday auction. Spouses wishing to attend the talks must have a separate registration. Spouses or guests who just want to attend the banquet or field trip do not need to register(only one membership per household required), only pay for the banquet or field trip.
In addition, all convention registrants will have online access to the convention presentations as soon as they are edited ($15 value), so can skip those couple of talks without worrying you are missing out on everything.
Convention and hotel registration will be available starting June 1st, 8:00 AM PDT.
There is no complimentary airport shuttle. The hotel recommends American Taxi for transportation to and from the Airport (847) 253-4411.