Running Competitions - Why do we do this to ourselves!?!

[Elf On A Shelf]

Honestly? Why do we put ourselves through the stress of organising events!?!

This is the 2nd year of my Shetland Show. Entries close in 4 days and at the moment I don't have enough entries to make it viable. I know a flurry will come in at the last minute, some will come in just after and it will all be OK. But in the run up to it it certainly doesn't feel OK! I wont take entries on the day as its a "Championship" show so it makes it feel a bit more special and there will be a printed catalogue. Once again my rosette supplier has gone MIA.

I was tearing my hair out last year. The rosettes arrived 2 days before the show and it's not a small number of rosettes I needed to sort out into the right boxes and bags. I gave them a deadline of 1st September this time so I didn't have that stress and worry but now they aren't responding to messages or emails. Gah!

I'm not sure where the show will be held next year as the show centre it has been at for last year, this year and was booked in for 2020 (cancelled obvs) have given my weekend date away to another show next year without consulting me. That's just bad manners.

So next year I will be on the hunt for a new venue and probably a new rosette supplier ?

And then my brain says "hey! Why don't we do a 2 day show next year and have day 1 as Shetlands and day 2 as Racehorses and revive that show" Thanks brain! Now I will be thinking about that! But I can put that aside until after this current show.

Really - why do we do this to ourselves!?

 

[Chiffy]

Good luck! Glad I am past the age of organising now. We used to organise a BE event, my god it took months of planning and you would still be recruiting helpers right till the last minute or trying to find leylandii to dress fences etc.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

I’ve organised a triathlon (just once!) and annual aquathlon. People entering after the closing date drove me mad. Loads of people just seem to wait till the date has passed then suddenly decide to enter! They were pool based so we had to allocate waves. No tech like timing mats possible within our budget so had to make up the timing sheets for the various timekeepers. But people would turn up on the day and say ‘ can’t we just do it I’ve seen there are gaps in the waves’ (for a different age group doing a different distance). We tried to fit people in right up to race day but still people got cross with us for not doing more. Good fun generally though.

 

[TinseLeneHorse]

I was on a riding club committee for many years. We ran a dressage league, show jumping and an annual showing show. I also organised our yard 'fun show' (now there's an oxymoron ?) on several occasions and did a wee dressage league for the liveries for a couple of years.

I don't miss the constant struggle to get judges and helpers. Also the vast majority of competitors haven't the slightest idea how much work goes into running a show. They think it all just happens ?

Hope the Shetland show goes well!

 

[Bernster]

I think it’s ruddy marvellous what show organisers do so have a large virtual pat on the back!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I think it’s ruddy marvellous what show organisers do so have a large virtual pat on the back!

It certainly makes you appreciate them a lot more when you have done it yourself. And I am only doing a single breed show not trying to arrange a big county agricultural show! I take my hat off to that lot!