Details, Details, Details

I am writing this article to relate to readers the untapped resources that might be available to their clubs. The recent Palm Beach County Dog Fanciers Association shows on March 22 and 23 have proven what can be done when a group of people think outside the box and utilize resources that they may not have tapped before.

I am a member of the PBCDFA, and am very happy to be one. Successful shows need club members who are willing to help and someone to guide their efforts in new and creative ways. At this year’s spring shows, our club had a new show chairman, Blake Hansen. He introduced many new opportunities that were both income producing and, more importantly, created new and positive experiences for many attendees. Blake’s right hand in developing our new format was Kent MacFarlane.

Here are some examples of the new opportunities we presented to our attendees, and some of the protocols used to introduce them …

Designated committees: Specify who is in charge and let them handle it.

Create a panel of judges who enjoy people, and treat said judges in the same manner.

Work with area specialty clubs to develop additional concurrent-specialty shows.

We created more vendor participation by having booths which were of general interest but not necessarily dog related.

Marketing posters for the shows were done professionally and in color along with media announcements.

Developed corporate sponsors for the shows.

Gifts for exhibitors – Gift bags were filled with donations from several vendors.

A thoughtful thank-you to our exhibitors during the groups with charcuterie, cash bar, etc. Keep a personal touch with your exhibitors.

Unique activities like dock diving, Best Dressed in Show, best pink and green competition (the club’s colors). All club members wore pink or green jackets, and table decorations featured our colors as well.

Pee-Wee competition – Always a crowd pleaser and may leave a thought in the minds of some parents that their kid might like to do this. The future of our sport rests in the hands of the youth of today.

Grooming competition – This was new and extremely well received.

Seminars – We offered a seminar explaining how a dog show works. We hope to add others covering topics such as handling, judging and breed specific.

Parking convenience – We have ample parking at this event, and this year offered premium van spots.

Offered other AKC title events such as dock diving, Trick Dog and CGC.

First impression – All our members were reminded that you only get one chance to make a first impression. The day was filled with warm greetings to every attendee.

We are preparing to make our new and more comprehensive dog show even better next year and have made a punch list to help with constant improvement. Our new events allowed us to have increased entries. We feel that this is just the beginning as we fine-tune our new events and, potentially, add others as well.