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written by Marie Miley-Russell
copyright 2007
For a number of years I have
regularly attended bird shows and fairs throughout the Midwest. Some of
these shows are much more successful than others and the reason is usually
that the prevailing attitude of the host club is contagious. If host club
members are burned out, overworked, and unhappy the mood of the show is
seriously compromised. Successful shows are held by clubs peopled with
people who are dedicated to the work and who are happy to be where they are.
Clubs which focus on ensuring that both participants and spectators are
enjoying themselves are much more likely to host a successful show. Hosting
a good show is a great deal of work and there is little point to bothering
with a show if it will end up being unproductive and poorly attended.
Here is a short list of ways to
make your show successful:
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Coordinate dates with other
shows in the region (at the least) and nationally. If multiple shows are
held on the same weekend the pool of both exhibitors and judges is
diminished for ALL of the shows.
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Pick a date that does not
conflict with major holidays such as Thanksgiving or Christmas. The closer
one gets to Christmas, the more chancy the weather becomes - a major
snowstorm can seriously impact the number of entries your show has. If you
live in the northern part of the country, do remember to take the
potential for bad weather into consideration.
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Ensure that people serving on
the show committee are interested in the work of the committee and have
the time necessary to fulfill the duties of the positions to which they
are assigned.
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Advertise, advertise,
advertise. No one will come to the show if no one knows about it. I have
been told by a few long-term members that "everyone who is likely to
attend knows about the show already". Not so! And those who are on the
fence about attending may need a little encouragement to come. Make your
show front-of-mind by advertising.
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Pay careful attention to
location and facilities. Make sure that the facility is large enough to
accommodate all exhibitors, vendors, and visitors. (No one enjoys being
crammed into a space packed with tables, birds, and hordes of people for
an entire day and I do not believe that the birds enjoy it, either.) Make
sure that there is plenty of FREE, convenient parking; good climate
control (ALL THROUGH THE FACILITY); easy access for loading and unloading;
and access to food and lodging.
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Hire the best judges your club
can afford. Hire different judges each year and try to have several years
between repeating judges to ensure that exhibitors attending are able to
experience a variety of judging styles. While certain judges may be
popular and attract exhibitors, a novel judge will also attract exhibitors
who have not shown under him before.
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Ensure that your show will be
sanctioned by the national American Singers Club, Inc. You must be
sanctioned in order for exhibitors to acquire show points and to hire an
accredited American Singer judge. The national ASC currently provides
rosettes and medallions to the top three birds in a sanctioned show.
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Value your exhibitors. This
would seem to go without saying, but at some shows I have attended the
host club members apparently forgot that the exhibitors are what make the
event a show. These folks have spent their money and their time traveling
to your show - show them that they are appreciated by being friendly to
them and making their time in the show hall as pleasant as possible.
A simple "thank you for coming- we are so happy you could make it" can
make all the difference!
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Provide hospitality to
exhibitors and offer them an opportunity to socialize with each other.
Offering some sort of food the night of benching ensures that exhibitors
will not drop their birds off and disappear, but instead are more likely
to stay and socialize. Food will encourage people to stay in the show
hall- if they must leave the premises for it your show will not be as
successful as it would be with food (believe it or not). The food does not
need to be fancy- good, simple, reasonably-priced food works great.
-
Provide awards beyond the set
of rosettes and medallions the ASC provides. While novices tend to love
their awards, often long-time breeders have more rosettes, plaques, and
trophies than they know what to do with and these items end up gathering
dust on a shelf somewhere after a while. A little creativity can result in
achievement recognition that winners can use for many years- a nice photo
frame with a photo of an exhibitor and his winning bird is very nice and
appreciated by fanciers, for example.
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