A sigh of relief… For a moment.
As the gates came to a close on our first Show of the year – the brand-new Spring Countryside Show we let out a massive sigh of relief. Since the autumn, we’d worked on bringing together this new event which came with many worries for us. Is there enough attractions? Is the gate price correct? Would anyone actually turn up? Would it be a financial success? Or, as our groundsman Micky liked to joke – would it snow?!
No snow, a huge turnout and it seems the idea we brainstormed over far too many ‘All About the Glaze’ donuts in September was a success. Reading e-mails and responses online left us positive for the future, spending recent days following the show talking ideas for 2023 with the Office Team, Volunteers and those providing feedback on the Show.
Post-show days are spent clearing up – safe to say the Office and Storage was a bit of a mess and a lot of caffeine was required to get motivated. We now move onto reviewing how the show went, doing a lot of workings out to visitor numbers and revising budgets.
A big difference to normal is that as the gates shut on the Spring Countryside Show, we still have another Show to come… It wasn’t until we looked up on the wall to where we have our countdown clocks and realised in just 110 days gates would open onto the big one, the 2022 Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show.
This time of year is when we kick start the Marketing for the Show, get schedules to print, finalise sponsors and allocate trade stands. Bonnie got to work on chasing the final Judges for the Livestock Classes, James got to work on putting together schedules and Lou got to work on adding the very large pile of Trade Stand Forms to our database.
The Competition Schedules take a lot of work from several individuals. Starting in the autumn with post Show Committee Meetings where the Committees that run the sections on the day discuss what worked and what did not, which classes will return the following year along with entry prices.
It then takes the Office time to invite Judges, pull together schedules, make the rules, discuss with sponsors what each class will provide the best brand awareness and bring the schedules to life. Then comes proof reading, a lot of proof reading, then more proof reading – by the Office Team and Section Leaders.
In the Equine Schedule, we have 4 different sections run by 5 different people, all of which make the Equine Element of the Show happen, all of which proof read their areas. So, whether 10pm at night or 9am in the morning, we have to stop watching TikToks and focus!
Of course – as always it’s not until the printed copy comes back that you realise the most fatal error we all missed…
At time of writing, I (James) am allocating Sponsors to Classes while producing Sponsor Contracts and sourcing logos for the Schedule with first drafts shortly to go to section leaders and the hope of hitting the print button by the end of next week.
Bonnie, my right-hand woman and shepherdess meanwhile is busy lambing but still focused on the Show. She’s often seen ringing round Judges that haven’t replied from the depths of a Dorset field!
And as we produce these schedules, we already have entries for the Horticulture Section of the Show and Art Schedules whizzing of the printer – it’s all go for the 2022 Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show!
Thanks for reading – James, Bonnie & Lou (our small team made up of a Full Time person, Part Time & very part time). Now where are those donuts?!
