EOI Reptile Expo 2010 SE Qld

[Mangles]

I think the first step has to be a meeting with the EPA to work out what exactly can and cannot be done. This has already been done by Slimebo and others for their Expo, but as anybody has dealt with the EPA knows different people from the EPA interpret the rules differently.

From there you can formulate a plan to attract sponsors, which would be vital to get this up and running and work out who can display what etc. Until we know the EPA guidelines it will be very difficult to arrange anything.

I went down to the Melbourne Expo last year and saw what a well run expo is like, and what a great time can be had, and I am considering going up to Gladstone for the Qld Expo. From attending these events we should be able to get a few ideas of what else can be done.

I would be quite willing to be involved in establishing this expo.

 

[Kersten]

Spot on Mangles, as I mentioned before our objectives for the Gladstone Expo are quite different and because of that there are perhaps ways around the issues presented by the legislation which we never investigated.

I can say though, that the offer by Scales and Tails is one that you should be able to take up. We were told that magazines subscriptions could be sold due to the value they hold in regards to promoting awareness of native species.

 

[aliveandkicking]

Hey Jonno.

Just a question about insurance and safety issues. Whats your safety rating? I might be completly wrong but I feel you are being a little condescending toward "small time operators".

 

[PimmsPythons]

I think the first step has to be a meeting with the EPA to work out what exactly can and cannot be done. This has already been done by Slimebo and others for their Expo, but as anybody has dealt with the EPA knows different people from the EPA interpret the rules differently.

From there you can formulate a plan to attract sponsors, which would be vital to get this up and running and work out who can display what etc. Until we know the EPA guidelines it will be very difficult to arrange anything.

I went down to the Melbourne Expo last year and saw what a well run expo is like, and what a great time can be had, and I am considering going up to Gladstone for the Qld Expo. From attending these events we should be able to get a few ideas of what else can be done.

I would be quite willing to be involved in establishing this expo.

gday mangles
we went through Rockhampton and Brisbane EPA and the rules are black and white.no loopholes,believe me we tried.we just count ourselves lucky that they allowed us to hand out buisness cards because they are quite in their right to not allow it.as i said i have all the guidelines right here in my folder.
preparing and running a expo is a big job,cost alot of upfront money,plenty of headaches and sleepless nights and no profit. idealy you should get the local herp club down your way on board as you'll need plenty of help to run a expo of that size and a herp club will have a better chance in making changes to the legislation.
cheers
simon

 

[Jonno from ERD]

Hey Jonno.

Just a question about insurance and safety issues. Whats your safety rating? I might be completly wrong but I feel you are being a little condescending toward "small time operators".

G'day mate,

I've never made any attempt to hide or cover up the two bites I have received from venomous snakes. In fact both have been posted about on this site when they happened. The first one was during one of our first displays, when I was bagging a Mulga Snake into a pillowcase style bag. I had done this hundreds, if not thousands of times with all manner of venomous snakes, but only recently started doing it in front of a crowd. As I was twisting the bag off, I looked up to answer a question from an audience member (I remember very distinctly that she was asking about Keelbacks) and the snake bit me quite quickly on the tip of the thumb. I dropped the bag, immediately informed my then business partner who applied First Aid straight away. We couldn't leave the display with all the animals etc, so an ambulance was called and arrived about twenty minutes later. I was taken to hospital where I consulted with Bryan Fry and Bill Nimo, who both recommended I stay in overnight, "just in case". The bite was very minor with symptoms including pain, swelling, nausea and headaches. I left hospital the next day, returning 4 times over the next two days to have my CK levels monitored. I did not receive any antivenom. We now utilise hoop bags for all of our venomous snakes during shows.

My second bite happened during our first Venomous Snake Husbandry Course. Several members of APS were in attendence and can verify that what happened was a one-in-a-million scenario. I was demonstrating the difficulties of properly head restraining Death Adders, and had the snake "reverse gripped" while my assistant was restraining the body of the snake. The Adder started to thrash around, which my assistant controlled, but once it stopped, let the snake go...as soon as I noticed that the snake was free, I pulled both hands back and was scratched with the lower teeth on the webbing between my thumb and finger on the right hand. Again, First Aid was applied immediately and my then girlfriend drove me to QE2 hospital "just in case" where I discharged myself 4 hours later after consultation with Bill Nimo.

Contrary to what has been puported lately by Ray Hoser, I have never been bitten by a Colletts Snake, and have never been "rushed to hospital" for snake bite (motorbike crashes are a different story though ). I have no hesitation in talking about the two minor bites I have received, not because I'm proud of them, but because people can learn from them. The Adder bite was not something that would occur to most elapid handlers as they wouldn't be in a situation where they would need to do what I was doing with the snake. A lot of people try and use my bites to drag me down, but at the end of the day, if you are human, and work with enough snakes long enough, you will be bitten. It's all well and good to own a couple of dozen elapids and do the odd call-out and talk it up from your armchair, but when you have handled literally hundreds of elapids day in, day out for a number of years, a couple of minor bites isn't too bad of a track record.

 

[Kersten]

I think we might have gotten a little OT here with talk of bites and supposed armchair experts. I'd hate for the focus of the thread to shift from the message the people interested in organising this expo are trying to get out there.

Speaking of which, how are the brainstorming sessions coming on? It's must be heartening for you guys to see so early in the piece that there's some real interest out there in this event!

 

[coz666]

i think if we are going to come up with a great expo we need to keep the personal opinions about others out of it.
because this is a first.
everyone knows everything and everyone knows nothing. if we learn together, we can make this great.
and who knows, we might even get it to happen.
so whos up for a poll on figureing out what month to have it first. i have put one up so go and vote

 

[Ozzie Python]

My opinion only, but i feel there should be smaller events held throughout different locations of SE Qld, my suggestion areas to include North Brisbane/Logan, Gold Coast/Beaudesrt, Ipswich/Redbank just to guage how much interest there is.

It has been evident over time that when something is organised, very few if any turn up despite the many who say they will.

By seeing the numbers from different areas turn up you can then work out the most successful location for the "big show". One catch would be you need to advertise dates for each location and have them all organised so people don't travel out of their way to go to one show (or the first) and not the others. I am sure there would be ther issues to address. Just my thoughts, pick them to pieces if you wish.

 

[The Reptile Outlet]

Just out of interest, we have plans to attend quite a few Expos over the coming months, eg: Victorian Expo, SOFAR in Newcastle, McArthur in Sydney, Gladstone Expo, Australian Wild Expo in Castle Hill. By attending each of these and also by chatting with the co-ordinators from each, and listening to their advice, I'm sure we will be able to pick up some very valuable insights into the successful running of a reptile expo.

As Troy has already mentioned, we would definitely be interested in helping out as much as we can through the magazine, as well as on a personal level.

If I could make a suggestion; I feel that the first thing to do would be to call a meeting of interested parties who feel that they have something to contribute, form a working committe as a base, and go from there. Then you have a starting point and can work out the rest from there as a team. I know that Jason from Fish & Reptiles (Coz 666) has already done a huge amount of background work on this as he and I were discussing the feasibility of it all just a few months ago. The fact that there would be ongoing expenses all the way through needs to be thought about too. Again, this would probably need to be discussed at the initial meeting. Maybe a club called "Qld Reptile Awareness Group" or something like that (I'm sure someone could come up with a great name) could be formed.

Just my two cents worth.

Cheers
Joy

 

[Wild~Touch]

If any of us are lucky enough to attend other expos it would pay to have the FACTS & FIGURES ON PAPER so that we could bring it to our brainstorming session.
I have already been contacted by 3 people that have had vast experience in running big events, in saying that all input is well and truly appreciated
Cheers
Sandee

 

[Wild~Touch]

Coz
This will not be the first reptile expo in Qld. ,some of you may remember prior to reptiles being made available for sale in pet shops, there was a reptile expo held at RNA
Can anyone recall this event ?? I can.
Cheers
Sandee

 

[eipper]

Sandee,

I reckon Nature 4 You could come to the party with something as well.

Cheers,
Scott

 

[redbellybite]

" if you are human, and work with enough snakes long enough, you will be bitten. It's all well and good to own a couple of dozen elapids and do the odd call-out and talk it up from your armchair, but when you have handled literally hundreds of elapids day in, day out for a number of years, a couple of minor bites isn't too bad of a track record.... "Jonno why do you put the us "casual snake catchers "and elapid keepers of a small quantity ,down ? we may not in the likes deal with the amount of vens that you deal with ,this is true ,we may not be as up on the scientific ga ga ,as you are ,we certainly dont get the creditation that comes with doing this ,as quiet often if you go against the majority your up for a flaming ,we do make mistakes as we are human ,but you know it only takes one ven ,one time ,regardless of how long or how many, and i think you having a stab at the likes of" us" is wrong ..you dont like it ,but you have said that a few times about casual snake catchersand elapid keepers...all jokes aside ,which i dont mind par taking in when it is a joke.As far as anyone commenting on you getting bit ,half the sniggers(which means ha ha not the N word so dont freak anyone) come from python keepers ,that would crap themselves if a ven got in 4 feet of them, you dont have to justify and explain ,you know what happened as it was you who copped the bite,but in saying so dont tar us with the same brush ..getting bitten comes with the territory when working with reptiles ,but working with vens isnt a kodak moment that we post on aps with" show us the blood pics" ..its a serious situation that I hope I am never in ,and wouldnt wish it on anyone ...nor make jokes about it unless that person was up for the joke themselves.getting bitten doesnt always mean your incompetant,nor does it mean your not experienced it sometimes just means "sht happens' .and i voted for the expo in june july nice and cool ...

 

[Jonno from ERD]

G'day redbellybite,

You seem to have misinterpreted what I was saying I wasn't at all detracting from people who maintain small collection of elapids or do a bit of casual snake catching - nearly all of my herp mates outside of APS fit under one of two of those categories. What I was saying is that there's some people out there with some sort of inferiority complex who feel it's necessary to try and drag someone down because of their bites. I'd be all for that if I was bitten trying to hand feed an Inland Taipan in front of my nieces and nephews, but my two bites have been from silly, easy to make mistakes, not blatant disregard for safety. I was suggesting that if they were to walk a mile in my shoes they would most probably have a dozen bites up their sleeves by now. Even the best get bitten...

 

[scorps]

Even the best get bitten...

Especially by those annoying coastal carpets aye Jonno

 

[Jonno from ERD]

There's a reason I mess with elapids mate, those pythons are just too damn sneaky...

 

[mungus]

Just out of interest, we have plans to attend quite a few Expos over the coming months, eg: Victorian Expo, SOFAR in Newcastle, McArthur in Sydney, Gladstone Expo, Australian Wild Expo in Castle Hill. By attending each of these and also by chatting with the co-ordinators from each, and listening to their advice, I'm sure we will be able to pick up some very valuable insights into the successful running of a reptile expo.

As Troy has already mentioned, we would definitely be interested in helping out as much as we can through the magazine, as well as on a personal level.

If I could make a suggestion; I feel that the first thing to do would be to call a meeting of interested parties who feel that they have something to contribute, form a working committe as a base, and go from there. Then you have a starting point and can work out the rest from there as a team. I know that Jason from Fish & Reptiles (Coz 666) has already done a huge amount of background work on this as he and I were discussing the feasibility of it all just a few months ago. The fact that there would be ongoing expenses all the way through needs to be thought about too. Again, this would probably need to be discussed at the initial meeting. Maybe a club called "Qld Reptile Awareness Group" or something like that (I'm sure someone could come up with a great name) could be formed.

Just my two cents worth.

Cheers
Joy

Whats the date for the SOFAR in Newcastle ??

 

[The Reptile Outlet]

Sunday, 15th March

Cheers

 

[redbellybite]

G'day redbellybite,

You seem to have misinterpreted what I was saying I wasn't at all detracting from people who maintain small collection of elapids or do a bit of casual snake catching - nearly all of my herp mates outside of APS fit under one of two of those categories. What I was saying is that there's some people out there with some sort of inferiority complex who feel it's necessary to try and drag someone down because of their bites. I'd be all for that if I was bitten trying to hand feed an Inland Taipan in front of my nieces and nephews, but my two bites have been from silly, easy to make mistakes, not blatant disregard for safety. I was suggesting that if they were to walk a mile in my shoes they would most probably have a dozen bites up their sleeves by now. Even the best get bitten...

thats the problem with the write ups ,you cant see the expressions on the peoples faces to see how they were comming across....if i have misread then i take back what I said ,it just came across that way ,and most snake catchers and ven keepers do know the risks,like you said its more the ones that have nothing to do with vens that make the stupid comments ..........

 

[solar 17]

Qld. Expo 2010

May l suggest l think we have strayed a tad off topic here...let us cane toads pull together with the possibility of a expo 2010....solar 17 [Baden]