I probably should have announced this BEFORE actually getting to the conference so that I might have had a chance to meet a reader or two, but, as they say, hindsight is 20/15, right?

It's Friday, and the AZA National Conference in Atlanta, GA has been in full swing since Wednesday. I, however, just arrived last night, and thus today is my first, and only, full day here. The Conference is jointly hosted this year by the Georgia Aquarium and Zoo Atlanta.

What makes this conference special is the fact that it is all about getting things done and sharing knowledge. Unlike many other professional conferences, whose main draw is a large exhibit hall unveiling new technologies and new products, the AZA Conference is 3 full days filled with concurrent sessions about topics ranging from (picking randomly from the conference program...) "Zoo Elephants: Towards a Sustainable Population with Excellent Welfare" to "The More We Work Together: Successful Departmental Collaboration within Zoos and Aquariums" and "Aquariums, Social Media, and New Initiatives to Engage People with Climate Change." Additionally, the Conference serves as a meeting place for the very active committees present within the AZA, with multiple days dedicated to these closed door sessions.

I will be documenting the sessions I attend, so keep alert! And if any of you attended a session that I didn't cover and would like to share your thoughts, please let me know.