ABS Learning Seminars in association with the 9th US National Bonsai Exhibition, Rochester, NY, USA, September 12-13, 2025

[Sansokuu]

And Young Choe’s workshop is right during vendor setup. Sigh

 

[Vincent Tanner]

Sooooooooooooo who is attending and wants a BNut button?? I put your username on it so fellow bnuts can say hi. (Suggested donation $1)

I still have mine from 2023!

 

[Vincent Tanner]

I am the ABS volunteer working at Bjorn’s BYOT workshop. Anyone signed up? Come say hi!

 

[Sansokuu]

Silly bonsai, shirts are for humans. Come see us in the upper left corner at the US Nationals venue! Limited supply of cool shirts.

 

[Rallymachine]

Anyone know if there’s anyway to still get a Saturday only or weekend pass? Can only make it Saturday but waited too long to get a ticket

 

[Jrmcmich]

Anyone know if there’s anyway to still get a Saturday only or weekend pass? Can only make it Saturday but waited too long to get a ticket

Been sold out for few weeks so think only Sunday is available

 

[Sansokuu]

Anyone know if there’s anyway to still get a Saturday only or weekend pass? Can only make it Saturday but waited too long to get a ticket

I’ll ask our driver, i got two passes that I gave to him, mayne he can sell you one?

 

[ForrestW]

Super excited as its Nationals week! Come say Hi-- I will wear my B-nut pin. I am in the corner next to First Branch Bonsai "Robert Wallace, with Wallace Woods Pottery"-- misspelled my name on the sheet...
See y'all this weekend

 

[RJG2]

Sooo close now!

This will be my first convention, so question - what types of payments do vendors generally accept? Should I bring lots of cash?

See you all there - I'll be looking for people with @Sansokuu's pins!

 

[markyscott]

Sooo close now!

This will be my first convention, so question - what types of payments do vendors generally accept? Should I bring lots of cash?

See you all there - I'll be looking for people with @Sansokuu's pins!

Great choice for your first show. Vendors always appreciate cash, but most are well equipped to accept credit cards.

- S

 

[RJG2]

Great choice for your first show. Vendors always appreciate cash, but most are well equipped to accept credit cards.

- S

Thanks Scott; here I come!

 

[Sansokuu]

Most if not all vendors take card, though frequently vendors charge a surcharge for ccards (3-4%) and whatnot, so for those who care, cash will lend you some savings.

 

[markyscott]

What a weekend!! Great trees and great fellowship! I feel so fortunate to be part of a wonderful community of interesting and talented people. Having the Learning Seminars during the US National Exhibition was tons of work and fun as well as a nerve-racking experiment in how well it would work with the exhibition and how interested folks would be in attending a parallel event. I think it went great, but I also saw some things that might be improved in the future. I’d love to hear feedback (either positive or negative) - feel free to PM me with your thoughts. Did you like it? Would you be interested in seeing it happen again? Would you like to see any change to the format? I’d love to hear.

As you ponder those questions, here are a few photographs I took during the event:

 

[Sansokuu]

What a weekend!! Great trees and great fellowship! I feel so fortunate to be part of a wonderful community of interesting and talented people. Having the Learning Seminars during the US National Exhibition was tons of work and fun as well as a nerve-racking experiment in how well it would work with the exhibition and how interested folks would be in attending a parallel event. I think it went great, but I also saw some things that might be improved in the future. I’d love to hear feedback (either positive or negative) - feel free to PM me with your thoughts. Did you like it? Would you be interested in seeing it happen again? Would you like to see any change to the format? I’d love to hear.

As you ponder those questions, here are a few photographs I took during the event:

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Concurrent events are great, but not so much when opening hours to the vendors is at the same time as workshops/seminars people don’t want to miss. So it was great ABS was happening on Friday, not so much on early Saturday. A lot of people were agonizing missing getting in on the shopping or missing someone they really wanted to see.

In that vein it would have been nice to have had the pot competition stay out during the banquet so people could look.

And the biggest complaint I heard was not holding them at the same venue.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Truly incredibly awesome!

So sorry to see there was a conflict, but looks like an incredible time for all participants.

Wish I could have been able to make it, regretfully life intervenes sometimes.

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[OrenjiIroNoNeko]

What a weekend!! Great trees and great fellowship! I feel so fortunate to be part of a wonderful community of interesting and talented people. Having the Learning Seminars during the US National Exhibition was tons of work and fun as well as a nerve-racking experiment in how well it would work with the exhibition and how interested folks would be in attending a parallel event. I think it went great, but I also saw some things that might be improved in the future. I’d love to hear feedback (either positive or negative) - feel free to PM me with your thoughts. Did you like it? Would you be interested in seeing it happen again? Would you like to see any change to the format? I’d love to hear.

I enjoyed going. The seminars I attended and the workshop with @MACH5 were both great. I would go again if offered in the future. I thought having them together worked well.

The only real struggle was deciding and balancing what I had time for. (And reducing my shopping budget a little)

 

[yashu]

Sooooooooooooo who is attending and wants a BNut button?? I put your username on it so fellow bnuts can say hi. (Suggested donation $1)

I wish I had seen this before the event! Oh well

 

[markyscott]

Concurrent events are great, but not so much when opening hours to the vendors is at the same time as workshops/seminars people don’t want to miss. So it was great ABS was happening on Friday, not so much on early Saturday. A lot of people were agonizing missing getting in on the shopping or missing someone they really wanted to see.

And the biggest complaint I heard was not holding them at the same venue.

Thank you for your feedback Sansokuu - one of the strong desires of the organizers of the exhibition was for ABS to offer a second venue to relieve some of the attendance pressure in East Rochester. As you well know, their event has grown very popular, resulting in long lines of folks waiting once Total Sports Experience reaches capacity. It would be great to have them together, but I think it may mean a different venue with a larger capacity.

In that vein it would have been nice to have had the pot competition stay out during the banquet so people could look.

We were disappointed about having to take down the pot exhibition on Saturday - that was a ton of work and it deserved to have been seen. We were told that space was needed for cocktail service as it has been in the past, but it ended up not being used at all. We could have kept it up through Sunday ! That’s one of the things we need to chat about for sure - there was a communication breakdown somewhere along the line.

- S

 

[darzuo]

Did anyone from any of the workshops bring home anything they'd like to share? I wanted to go but couldn't make scheduling work, but curious as to the type of material they brought for the different workshops. I saw @WEI s Colorado Blue Spruce and am feeling very jealous

 

[OrenjiIroNoNeko]

Did anyone from any of the workshops bring home anything they'd like to share? I wanted to go but couldn't make scheduling work, but curious as to the type of material they brought for the different workshops. I saw @WEI s Colorado Blue Spruce and am feeling very jealous

Twisted Juniper workshop with @MACH5