This all depends on just how big a show you are planning. A show with 225 entries will need a hall that is approximately 10,000 square feet, while a show with a 450 entry will need at least 20,000-25,000 square feet. A Friskies lead show will require at least 30,000 square feet minimum.
You will need to have reasonably wide aisles in your benching area so that exhibitors and gate can easily get up and down the aisles, and also plenty of room around your vendors tables for groups of people.
The following showhall layout plans are not to scale, but are shown here just to give you an idea of where to start.
Remember to check with your city fire department to see what the minimum width should be between the aisles. Many cities have strict fire codes that *must* be adhered to. A recommended minimum width is 10 feet, but obviously wider than that is better especially if you expect to attract a large gate..
You will have to draw out your floor plan with the number of cages for your maximum anticipated entry, plus make allowances for double cage sales. If your entry is limited to 225 cats, you will have to decide ahead of time exactly how many double cages will be available. It is much easier to draw a floor plan with too many cages and take rows away, than to try and add rows to an already crowded floor plan.
Your judging ring must be planned with ample room for it to be run efficiently. Show Rule 15.08 offers a complete description of the requirements to be followed when setting up a judging ring.
At a very minimum, the ring size should be 20 feet wide x 15 feet deep. If using 8 foot long tables, as in the diagram at the side, each table will hold 2 double judging cages. A total of 3 tables will hold the 12 cage openings as required by the show rules. Fourteen or more cages are recommended, if possible.
Cages are best set up in an "L" shape as this requires a minimum amount of walking on the part of the judge. Although allowed in the Show Rules, it is recommended that you do not put your row of cages in one long row. This requires a lot of walking on the part of the judge, and can lead to problems should a cat become hard to handle and need to be returned to it's cage quickly. Cages may also be setup in a "U" shape. Note that in the "L" and "U" shaped rings, all corners must be at a 90 degree angle. Also it is wise to leave some space between the tables in the corners so that cats in one corner cage are not looking directly into the other corner cage. Use some sort of partition between your rings (curtaining works well) so that cats from one ring cannot see cats in another ring.
NOTE: Seating arrangements for the clerk should always be so that they are facing the cages on the opposite side of the ring. It is NOT recommended that clerks be seated with cages behind them. To do so means they have to constantly turn around to see which ribbons the judge has hung, and also makes it very "tight" in that particular area for exhibitors and the judge to get cats in and out of those particular cages.
Always make sure that sufficient room is left between the judges table and the row of cages, so that the judge, clerk, steward, and exhibitors can easily move through this area without bumping into one another constantly. you will also want to make sure that your clerk is seated at the end of the judges table facing the cages, rather than having cages behind them.
Traditionally, tables for vendors can be found around the outside walls of the showhall. How many depends on how many doors, exits, etc. are placed on the outside walls of the hall. Remember , you cannot block fire exits under any circumstances!
If you have a super large showhall, you could have a row of vendors down the middle of the hall with rows of benching cages on either side, similar to this setup for a corporate sponsored show.
Benching the showhall requires a finesse for detail. Chances are that the entry clerk will produce a list of exhibitors with the number of entries they have, whether they want a double/sales cage or grooming space and their benching request. It helps if the person doing the benching is someone who is out and about regularly at shows in the area, and has a general knowledge of which groups of people like to be benched with one another.
Each person who does benching probably has a different "system". Here's a suggestion for a "tried and true" formula:
- Identify each benching row on your chart with a letter or number. .
- Do all of your benching notes in pencil as this makes it much easier to move people around.
- As you bench each person, write their benching row beside their name.
- Identify ring clerks and which ring they are clerking in. Bench them first.
- Identify persons requesting end of row benching, handicapped benching and those who want to be benched near the judging rings. Bench them next.
- It is also wise to bench anyone who has a large number of entries, i.e. 4 or more, in the rows near the judging rings. This will eventually allow for easier flow of cats to the judging rings.
- Identify anyone who is agenting a cat, or who is co-owner of a cat, and bench those people next. Bear in mind that as any of the above people are benched you will also have to bench anyone who has a request to be benched with them.
- Take a good look at who is left on your benching list, and identify groups of people who wish to be benched together. Bench these folks next, remembering that "across the aisle" is as good as "next to" when it comes to filling benching requests.
- Again, take a look at who is left on your list and if there are any benching requests left fill them in on your floor plan.
- From those remaining, bench all with more than one entry or those that have requested a double cage.
- Fill in the single cages with those folks who only have one entry and no double cage request.
- Once everyone is benched, take your exhibitor listing which has the entry numbers on it (or, better still, the labels for the catalogs with the entry numbers on them) and go up and down the rows filling in the entry numbers on each cage. If using the label, write the benching row on each label as you do that person's entries. At this time you can also check that each person got their double cage and benching request. Cross off each name as you do it. Ideally, once you have gone through the benching rows and written in the numbers, everyone's name will be crossed off.
- If you have pre-numbered cards for benching start at the beginning of Row A and put your numbered cards in the order they will go on the cage. Be sure and mark the number card if it is a double cage. Do the same for every row.
- Once all rows are done, put your piles of cards together turning every other row of cards upside down. This way when you are putting the cards on the cages at the showhall, you will know that when you get to an upside down number you are supposed to start a new row. If you are not at the end of the current row, then you know that there is a problem just in that particular row and can go back and straighten it out.
- When the cages are all setup at the show, it will only take several minutes to walk up and down the rows and put the cage cards on each cage.
For example:
Budget | Entry Clerk | Exhibitors | Fundraising | Judges | Planning Timetable | Publicity
Ribbons & Rosettes | Show Flyer | Show Secretary | Showhall Layout |
Stewards | Supplies | Vendors
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