Abstract
This year's theme was "The Magic of Birds," as AF A's 36th annual convention commenced in St. Petersburg, Fla., Aug. 4- 7. In so many ways, this was really a magical convention, complete with wizards, magicians and treasures of all kinds. The vendor exhibit hall offered an exciting array of new products and equipment to put magic into your breeding program. There were bird toys, jewels, artwork, limited edition collectibles, and specialty items available.
Many specialty dubs were represented in the hall, as were our long time supporters and vendors. Speaker presentations were exciting and thought-provoking, with amazing images, and a first breeding award. We haven't seen many of these in recent years and it's always wonderful to learn about first time breeding successes.
Old and new friends kept the vendor hall buzzing with conversation and camaraderie day and night. This is one of the few conventions where we were within short walking distance of a great variety of restaurants with terrific food, interesting shops, a pharmacy and even a really good grocery store. This was appreciated by all those who were handfeeding babies or those folks just looking for alternative, healthy food or snacks.
If you wanted to go to the pier, there was an old fashioned trolley to ride. The pier and shops were pretty great, and then a group of us had dinner on the top floor restaurant. The spectacular view from our tables was magnificent and it was like being on a cruise ship. The red fruit Sangria was refreshing and the food was terrific.
There were plenty of other good, local restaurants to visit and the hospitality in St. Petersburg was amazing. This was one of the best conventions AFA has ever had. We are so grateful for the friendship and support of our sponsors.
Each year our convention sponsors donate merchandise, funds, the cost of tour buses, refreshments and gifts and prizes. Please show them your appreciation by using their products and recommending them to others. Some of our sponsors are individuals, dubs or businesses, and you can show your appreciation for their generosity by making a purchase at the AF A online store or by becoming a sponsor at next year's convention yours el£
2010 Convention Sponsors
Event Volunteer appreciation night Registration bags
Tour bus to zoo
Tropical Splendor magic show Coffee break
Coffee break
Passport Challenge
Sponsored By Bird Talk Magazine
Rolf C. Hagen (USA) Corp/HARi Orange County Bird Breeders Imperial Bird Club
Nancy Speed
Rolf C. Hagen (USA) Corp/HARi Kaytee/Super Pet
Board of Directors Meeting
The August board meetings are a little different than the regular board meetings held during the rest of the year. Since the August meeting takes place at the convention hotel, there are always delegates, AF A members and other interested parties that attend. This year was no different in that respect, and it was great to see so much interest in the business of AF A.
The board meeting was called to order at 8 a.m, on Tues-
day, Aug. 3. There's always a full agenda, and some of the most important items to be discussed involve the budget and the convention activities. Brent Andrus, AF A's CFO distributed the financial reports to the board for review. Mark Moore, AF A publications chairman, presented the convention program and unveiled the convention artwork for 2010. Mark previewed
the new merchandise for sale at the AFA vendor tables in the exhibit hall. He also announced that the Watchbird is caught up -yay, Mark! The board meeting was recessed, to reconvene on Sunday, Aug. 9.
Convention Registration Opens
Carol Woodson was a marvel to watch as she handled
the demanding job of registration. She made it look easy and greeted everyone with a smile and an enthusiastic welcome from beginning to end. Thank you to ZuPreem for donating the badge holders this year-they were perfect! Carol made sure that everyone got a badge ribbon proclaiming their status: 1st-Tirners, Speakers, BOD, etc. The rest of the attendees got to choose from an assortment of multicolored badge ribbons. Some folks strung ribbons together creating whole paragraphs! Favorites were: No Whining, Trouble Maker, Plays Well With Others, Rock Star, My Ribbon Is Better Than Yours, Party Animal, Somebody, Nobody, and my personal favorite-Royalty! This was such a hit that Carol promised the ribbons will be available for next year, with a whole new set of phrases.