| More show cancellations confirmed
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Issue: 24/07/2020
BUBA cancels December indoor show
THE UTILITY breed championship show BUBA, due to be held in Stafford in December, has been cancelled, joining a long lost of both open ands champ shows making the decision to look to next year before holding events.
Looking towards the end of the year, the Ladies Kennel Association are still negotiating with the NEC in Birmingham with regard to holding their show in December.
Mrs Gillian Marley, the Secretary of the LKA, told OUR DOGS, 'We are still negotiating with the NEC. A decision has not been made about whether the show will go ahead. The committee will have to meet and no decision has been made.'
This week the NEC confirmed that the NHS Nightingale currently occupying the venue is being decommissioned and will reopen for events on 1 October.
In a letter to its clients, the Birmingham venue noted that the field hospital has been in hibernation since May and did not receive a single patient.
However, the venue says it will continue to support the NHS with the creation of a small non-Covid standby facility until March 2021, and add that won't affect the re-opening for event business.
'As I'm sure you will have seen, the Government has announced that conferences and exhibitions will be permitted in England from 1st October 2020,' the letter read.
'After an immensely challenging period, this is the news we've all been waiting for and I believe it's the first step for our industry on the path towards recovery. Clearly there will be challenges ahead and we are certainly not out of the woods just yet, but the fact that we can all start to plan with a clear go live date is great news.
'It means the NEC will be open for business on 1 October and we couldn't be more excited at the prospect of once again being able to look after you and your events.
'[Regarding] the announcement from the Government regarding the future of the Nightingale Hospital facilities. As said previously, the Nightingale facility at the NEC went into hibernation in May without having received a single patient and I'm pleased to say the decommissioning of this facility is now well underway. We expect to continue our support of the NHS with the creation of a small non-Covid standby facility until March 2021 at the NEC but it won't affect our re-opening for event business on 1 October.
We know there's work to be done to rebuild customer confidence in live events and we'll be doing everything we possibly can to help you stage successful and safe events. The message from me is that the NEC is open for business from 1 October, so let's work together and get back to doing what our industry does best – staging great live events.'
Going ahead
Two shows that are planning to go ahead this year, Bournemouth and Blackpool, have both issued statements about their outdoor shows.
A statement by Michaela Hall on the Blackpool Championship Show Dog Discussion Group is reprinted here in full: 'With these dark times in the world the Committee of Blackpool Championship show decided to apply to The Kennel Club for the dates of 25th - 27th September 2020 to hopefully hold our show. As we wanted to try and put the mojo back into the world of dogs and hopefully give us all something to focus on and look forward to. Hopefully more shows will follow.
'This has not been easy, as most of you know this takes a lot of planning and hard work to reschedule a championship show. We have contacted judges, trade stands, Stewards, suppliers and food vendors to see if they are happy to participate in our 2020 show. Whilst most of the judges have confirmed they are willing to join us, some have not been able to due to prior events or appointment's and most trade stands and food vendors are looking forward to joining us.
'We do respect and totally understand that some people are not happy to possibly put their selves or elderly family member at risk and we totally understand, but we look forward to seeing you back with us in 2021.
'We are still mindful of the situation in the world so we will be putting in place temperature taking on arrival, plenty of hand sanitizer dispensers around the show ground and constant cleaning and sanitising of toilets.
'As we have a 12 acre show site there is plenty of room for small pop-up tents gazebo's no larger than 6ft x 6ft and you must bring your own chairs so there will be no cross contamination, so plenty of room for social distancing on site.
'Entry will open on Fosse Data Website on Monday 10th August for three weeks only, there will be no printed schedules available as this is not cost effective and there are no shows to distribute them. 'If you don't have access to a computer don't worry you can use any entry form and you can call 01254-853526 for class numbers and any other information required.
'We have received 10,273 visits in an eighteen day period on our website, as we only receive between 50/60 visits a month normally, we are quite took back by the enormity of these amount of visits.
'We now have a big ask of our fellow societies, exhibitors and friends to make all this possible to happen we need your help on the days of the show, we all need to pull together as 'The World of Pedigree dogs' needs to work as a team to pull us forward into the future, if you can help this would be gratefully received you can make contact with the secretary by email:- secretary@blackpooldogshow.com
'Please rather than ask questions on Facebook or other media site PLEASE visit our website where you will be kept fully informed of what is happening.'
Questions
There is some disquiet from some exhibitors about the insistence on the maximum size of a gazebo or tent being two metres by two metres. They will not allow any gazebo larger than this and places will be operated on a first come first served basis.
Questions have also been asked about whether there will be benching at the show. OUR DOGS called the secretary Steve Hall but had not had a reply at the time of going to press.
Sally Duffin, Secretary of Bournemouth, has issued a statement which again is reprinted as follows: 'As we all enter the new normal and come to accept it, the world of dog showing folk need something to look forward to with our fur babies. We all miss the dog shows, where we see our friends and have their company and the total enjoyment we all get from a day at a dog show.
'So, we at Bournemouth Canine Association decided not to cancel our show when all around us were, and just suspend till a later date.
'The Kennel Club had suggested no shows should take place until October in one of their press releases.
'Bournemouth decided to wait to see how things progressed. Then we applied for the 3rd, 4th and 5th October 2020, and we are very pleased that the Kennel Club granted us a new licence for this date.
'All our suppliers have been contacted to see if they would come and offer their normal excellent services for the show. They have confirmed and are all pleased and ready to come to the show and support us and carry out their trades, all will be Covid 19 compliant. They will include the Marquee Company, Bannerdown, Touch of Class Catering Trailers, with speciality coffee and a lovely choice of food, the renowned catering in the restaurant tent with their lovely breakfast, lunches and Dorset Cream Teas, the trailer bar and the softie ice cream vans. Our wonderful Vet, reliable Paramedics, The Health and Safety officer and this year his team, Birdbrooks & Our Dogs Banners around the show ground, are all delighted to attend, along with the toilet company and the PA. There will be many faithful trade stands that you are all used to seeing as well as some new ones. So plenty for you to browse with social distancing. All stands have plans in place to keep you safe.
'So far this has been a hard task with many hours of discussion on the way forward in working out what is needed to be done to put this show in place, as this will be a first for us in so many ways as it will be for you when attending, Many of the Officers and Committee will have never had to do anything like this before. This is the first show we have had to reschedule and not an easy task and with contacting judges, stewards and helpers. In all aspects some of our faithful friends are having to shield because of themselves and family members, but we have had many people contacting us offering their services to assist us with running the show, for which we are grateful.
'Our judging panel has had some changes in both CC and non cc breeds, as some have appointments that will now clash will our new date, others have various commitments, some had personal appointments and even judges unable to leave there country. To those of you that are unable to come this year, we hope we will have your company soon. The new panel will all judge in the normal way.
'The Show Manager has decided it would be good for you to bring your gazebos no larger than 10 feet x 10 feet, also small pop up tents and you can erect them in designated areas that will be clearly marked out, NOT in the grooming rings or around the ring as you will be as to move, there will be plenty of space, to help with your social distancing and grooming. You will need to bring your own chairs to stop cross contamination. There is plenty of room on our 50 acre show site. We ask you to bring your own masks as some judges may on the day want you to wear them. There will be hand sanitising stations around the show ground. We will supply judges, stewards and helpers with masks, gloves and hand sanitisers.
'Entries are open on Higham's Press website and a schedule can be downloaded there. You can either enter online or by paper. Paper entries close on the 1st September and online entries the 8th September 2020. There will be a limited numbers of schedules available from the Secretary, Mrs S Duffin, Foxholes Cottage, Poole Road, Sturminster Marshall, and Dorset, BH21 3RR. Please send a stamped address envelope if you require one.
'I hope you will find this information helpful. We must ask you our friends, exhibitors and colleagues in the world of dogs in helping us succeed and putting this dog show on and therefore helping the dog world get back on the road to recovery. For the sake of all shows large and small, we ask you to follow the guidelines and practise social distancing at the show. We would like us all to pull together making this show a success and start on the recovery for our dog show world.
'The Officers and Committee at Bournemouth look forward to working with you one and all. If you require any more information or have any questions to ask PLEASE contact the Secretary at secretary@bournemouth-show.org.uk or 01258 857721.
'I thank you for taking the time to read our post and trust you will all have a successful show with us.'
Discover Dogs
Discover Dogs announced that it was forced to cancel. In a statement on their website it said, 'With regret, the Kennel Club must announce the cancellation of this year's Discover Dogs event, planned to take place in London in October.
'This is due to the continued restrictions arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic and current government advice about staging large public gatherings such as indoor exhibitions.
'At present, there is no prospect of these restrictions being lifted in the timescale to organise the event.'
BUBA statement
The British Utility Breeds Association has also decided to cancel this year's show.
In a statement they said, 'The British Utility Breeds Council have considered all the implications of running its Championship Show at Bingley Hall, Stafford on December 5th this year. With the current Government advice against indoor gatherings and Kennel Club recommendations relating to Covid 19 the decision has been reached to cancel the show.
'For so many years the support to the Association from Exhibitors, Judges, Stewards, Traders/Sponsors, Contractors and the Working Team has been superb, the Officers and Council have in mind their health & safety and would not wish to put anyone at risk in these uncertain times.
'We are all saddened to have to do this, in particular as it would have been the first Ch show to be run by our new Secretary Glenn Davies with the support of the new President Mr Len Anness, all we can do is look forward to better times in 2021.'
The SKC had to cancel its August show but they still plan to hold their May show on the 27, 28 and 29 November. They have also announced plans to hold shows in May and October next year.
In the USA, the popular KC of Palm Springs has cancelled its show due to be held from January 7-10, 2021. In a statement it said: 'It is with deep sadness that the Kennel Club of Palm Springs, Inc., (KCPS - Kennel Club of Palm Springs) announce the cancellation of the New Year Classic scheduled for January 7-10, 2021.
'Due to uncertainties of the COVID-19 spread in California, ever changing Centers for Disease Control (CDC) protocols, and last minute governmental closures.'
