Supreme Cat Show - Support YOUR Show

Highlights :

You are here: Home

Cat Shows

GCCF Cat Show News

Supreme Cat Show - Support YOUR Show

Written by Administrator

Wednesday, 01 October 2008

GCCF Delegates received the proposed agenda of the October Council Meeting this week.

Item 14 reads as follows:

a) Supreme Show report

b) The National Cat Club proposes that:
In view of the losses incurred by the Supreme show in 2007 and the anticipated loss for the 2008 Supreme Show that this Council should now decide on whether there should be a Supreme Show in 2009.

The National Cat Club further proposes that this decision should be undertaken by way of a paper vote not a show of hands (which is not an exact record of the vote).

c) The National Cat Club proposes that:
In an attempt to minimise and/or prevent any future losses for the Supreme Show that:

a) The Supreme Show Committee should be made up of members elected annually by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy. Candidates for the Supreme Show Committee will be elected from the Council delegates and will be required to provide a 50 word document stating why they should be considered for the post and including any relevant experience. These documents will be issued with the appropriate Council meeting agenda to ensure that delegates have the time to study the candidates and seek their club's views prior to the meeting. Candidates shall be nominated by constituent clubs in the usual way and voting will be by a paper ballot. If two or more candidates receive the same number of votes a further round of voting shall take place.

b) The Supreme Show shall be subject to the same rules as all other GCCF shows in that it must apply to the GCCF for a show date and venue.

c) The Supreme Show shall be subject to the same rules regarding profit and loss as all other GCCF Clubs in that if the show sustains a significant loss a license to stage the show the following year will not be granted by the GCCF.

d) The Supreme Show Committee will be required to produce a Projected Profit and Loss Account for approval by the GCCF and shall be required to research and obtain value for money in the matter of venues and services and to actively canvas and obtain sponsorship partners.

e) The Supreme Show Committee meetings shall be properly recorded, with the minutes of each meeting being made available to Council in the same manner in which all other GCCF committee meetings are made available.

b) 2009/2010 Show Dates

Basically the proposal appears to be a cover all - if the proposal does not succeed in removing The Supreme Cat Show then at least it may be able to control it.

Internet Chat Lists and mail groups - including the GCCF's own Yahoo Group - are rife with speculation of the situation, outrage, horror and anger in abundance, Supreme Die Hard exhibitors and lovers of The Supreme are set to write to their delegates to beg them to not let this proposal to go through - the message is clear - the exhibitors WANT The Supreme!

The reality behind the knee jerk fear at losing this great institution is that The Supreme cannot continue as it is - a group of hard working volunteers put forward their own time to work tirelessly on this great show, this work starts immediately after the last show has dismantled the last stands and the last committee member has left the NEC for the day, more often than not, among these people are Ketill Game, Supreme Show Hall Manager and Jackie Beeson, GCCF Office Manager.

The Supreme needs support all year round - it needs help - it needs exhibitors - it needs visitors and it needs Trade Stands.

It is not only the council you need to lobby if you want this once great Flagship show to grow and rise again as a show the whole Cat Fancy World is envious of.

The message is clear - if you want The Supreme Cat Show - then you need to fight for it and not when the going gets tough - you need to support this show ALL year round.

For now you need to write to your clubs and tell them you want the show to continue - dont leave it until tomorrow - Tomorrow may be too late!

Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it if you would like to comment on this story.

Comments Received

29/10/08 -

It would be a great shame if The Supreme was finished and instead of trying to gainsay it The National should be going all out to save and support it. If they think they can do better than the present committee then they should step up to the plate. I recognise the National is one of the longest running clubs but if they feel the Supreme impacts on their show why not move their show date.

Having said all that I do think perhaps The Supreme does need a rethink. With the loss of support from Whiskas a few years back there has been a bit of a decline in both exhibitors/traders and visitors alike. Hiring the three halls cannot really make it financially viable especially with the drop off in attendance. I do feel it would benefit from a venue that may allow the prices of entry fees (both exhibitors and visitors) to be a little cheaper equally so with the parking. I know some of the traders have dropped off because of the price of the stall space - presently quite exorbitant.

Could The Supreme not return to Bingley Hall initially for a year or two?

It is a great institution and long may it continue.

~~~~~~~

01/10/08 - The Supreme is the flagship show of the GCCF – it is the show that is likened to Crufts. The GCCF should have it’s own show and I think it should remain in it’s current format. It is the only show to offer the UK Grand title. I have shown at the Supreme every year since I started showing my cats and apart from 2006 when there was a hall change and several other large events on the same day I have always enjoyed the show. The recent questionnaire indicates that exhibitors want a Supreme show so it should stay.

For the National Cat club to lobby for these changes is outrageous and I do wonder if there are ulterior motives.

~~~~~~~

04/10/08 - I have to say that I find it totally outrageous that any Cat Club, however old or prestigious, should think they had the right to shut down the Fancy's OWN show! In this economic climate it's highly debatable that ANY club is going to make a profit from a show, so does that mean that every show should be forced to cancel?

And if each and every club were to lose their ability to showcase their breed; how long would it be exactly does anyone think, before a considerable drop in the interest of ANY breed of cat???

The Supreme is just that - THE SUPREME!!! There are currently 146 different cat clubs (both breed and all breed) listed on the affiliation pages of the GCCF's own website. Even for small clubs which are only able to return 1 member to council each year that's 145 clubs who each have a say and vote in this matter. Historically the National Cat Club has only 4 votes - so why are we letting such a small percentage of people dictate to us whether or not we can have the GCCF's Flagship show?

And while the National is saying it should be considered as the top show because it's the 'National' let's also not forget that the 'National' is just a name? It doesn't actually mean exactly National anymore, just national - like any other all breed club which draws it's members from a variety of cat owners across the country. It could just have easily been called the "Mayfair" or "Elephant & Castle" cat club if it's founders had thought that to be a better name!

So please, let us keep and support our SUPREME cat show - because it is that - the Supreme - where the best of the best are shown, where you have to qualify, where they have bigger pens and ringside judging, face painting for kids, competitions and lots of stalls.... It's a day out for the family and a way for EVERYONE across the UK to celebrate the wonder which is the CAT!!!!

~~~~~~~

09/11/08 - We need to keep the supreme but advertise more and make it more public aware. We need to keep the cost down for exhibitors and public. Need more food companies on board and new foods for people to buy at the show.

~~~~~~

Comments

Add New