Dear Show Sleuth,
 
Thank you for your fair assessment of the Ferret Extravaganza '99 show.
However there are a couple of issues you may or may not be aware of.
First: the show organizers/officials: Jerry Jackowski (Show Coordinator),
Scarlett Gray (Co-Coordinator), Pamela Hostetler (Show Registrar).  Lori
Sies was in charge of organizing the judges (not the judging process) I
don't want anyone to blame Lori for any discrepancies in this show.  Lori
was the coordinator for the '97 and '98 shows which were both outstanding.
Second: This year's show was planned with the expectation of getting
approximately the same number attendees (maybe slightly more) as the '98
show.  This years show hall was actually bigger than the '98 show hall.
The number of exhibitor tables we provided for this year's show were
slightly more than what was provided in '98.  The biggest difference
between the two shows was attendance.  In '98 there was 283 championship
and specialty entries, in '99 it was 451.  In '98 we had approximately
400 walk-ins, in '99 we had over 1000.  The '98 show's biggest complaint
was the hotel and accommodations, this year we resolved that issue.
 
We would have never picked a show hall on the second floor without access
other than stairs.  The hotel did have an easily accessible freight
elevator at the rear of the show hall, unfortunately the elevator was
damaged that Friday afternoon :-(  Just our luck!
 
The cage vendor (Martins Cages) was one of the last vendors to request
space.  They were provided a layout of the show hall and it's limitations
in accessibility.  I contacted them personally.  So they knew up front what
to expect.  They brought 175 cages and I believe they sold all but five or
six.  A very successful show for them
 
I personally visited every single vendor and shelter in the show hall
trying to get a feel of how things were going, out of the thirty I talked
with, three said sales were less than expected.  I did get a chance to talk
with many on Sunday and Monday, all of them said it was there 1st or 2nd
largest money making show.  However they felt they could have done even
better if customers would have not been so rushed or congested in the show
hall.  I will be sending a questionnaire to all the participating vendors
sometime this week.
 
The original intent (months before the show) was to place the scoring and
comment labels on the table ribbons before they were attached to the
carriers again we were thinking we would be dealing with far fewer entries.
At this show, scores where supposed to be written on the table ribbons and
the labels would be available for people to pick up if they wanted them.
During the judging process a decision was made to stop totaling the scores
(thinking the database was working correctly), unfortunately it was later
determined that the database was not separating the ferrets into three
different rings (a big problem).
 
The database was sent to four people for evaluation a month before the
show, L.I.F.E received it about two and half weeks before the show.  It
was ok if you entered a different entry numbers and ring numbers nobody
including myself tried the same entry number three times with a different
ring number.  The error was tracked down to one line of code :-(  At This
show the database was to be used as a backup to the conventional scoring.
Yes, we intend to pursue and conquer the electronic scoring issue.  In fact
we are hoping to implement it at an upcoming specialty show.  When it does
go into full use, a steward will be entering scores and comments directly
into a computer and a printer will be assigned to each ring.  When it is
completed it should reduce errors, simplify and speed the judging process
it will also provide additional information to exhibitors on judge's
comments and thoughts about their ferrets.  It is a wonderful system, I
wish you could have seen it work in it's entirety.
 
Next year is a whole new year, we will get the bugs worked out and you
will be amazed!
 
Jerry Jackowski
Show Coordinator
Ferret Extravaganza '99
[Posted in FML issue 2790]