England The End Of The Cla Game Fair

[wyeman 803]

The CLA Game Fair

Statement on the future of the CLA Game Fair:

The CLA regrets that it will no longer run the annual CLA Game Fair. This decision includes cancelling the planned event scheduled to be at Ragley Hall in 2016.

The decision has been taken by the CLA Board after the event failed to generate enough income in each of the last three years.

Director General of the CLA Helen Woolley said: “The Game Fair is an important and well loved event with a long tradition. It is a difficult decision that we deeply regret having to take.

“We are extremely proud of the Game Fairs that we have put on in recent years and we are grateful to our Game Fair team that has delivered these high quality, professional, events.

“Unfortunately an increasingly crowded summer calendar of outdoor events has contributed to falling attendance in each of the last three years. This has led to the event failing to generate enough income and has made the event financially unsustainable.

“Over the last three years the Board made the decision to invest in the Game Fair because of our strong desire to turn the event around. We have been able to make this investment because of the otherwise robust financial position of the CLA. However we can no longer ask CLA members to allow their membership subscriptions to underwrite the losses the event makes.

“We are clear that the Game Fair can no longer be run by the CLA in its current form. We will, however, begin a period of consultation in which we will invite proposals from other organisations on how the Game Fair might be able to continue.”

“The CLA remains committed to providing industry-leading advice and support, running a busy schedule of other national and regional events and being an effective lobbying voice for rural business."

[3175darren 1,093]

Didn't generate enough money at £30 a ticket? Jesus

[TOMO 24,873]

Didn't generate enough money at £30 a ticket? Jesus

 

That's proberbly why Darren,,,, if they charged only £10 they might increase there gate folk are getting fed up paying over the top for entry in to such events,,,, and nowadays buy the things they were going to buy there online ,,cheaper,,and delivered,, its a no brainer

[burnie69 376]

They've lost about £500k over the last 3 years gamefairs. Over priced and over rated. They state it's because of falling numbers well start charging realistic prices and people might start coming back.

[jessdale 416]

Terrible news. We loved the whole weekend with friends on the campsite. But business is business, if its losing money the plug gets pulled.

[Leeview 787]

They've lost about £500k over the last 3 years gamefairs. Over priced and over rated. They state it's because of falling numbers well start charging realistic prices and people might start coming back.

We went this year, I've never missed the CLA at Harewood, admission has always been dearer but the falling numbers probably relates to stall holders this year they were 240 stalls down which is a lot to loose and less to see for the public

Y.I.S Leeview

[jessdale 416]

 

 

They've lost about £500k over the last 3 years gamefairs. Over priced and over rated. They state it's because of falling numbers well start charging realistic prices and people might start coming back.

We went this year, I've never missed the CLA at Harewood, admission has always been dearer but the falling numbers probably relates to stall holders this year they were 240 stalls down which is a lot to loose and less to see for the public

Y.I.S Leeview

The Cla at Harewood this year was very very poor. Everything about it looked like it was thought about the week before the event not the 18 months or so that it actually takes to plan it. What a terrible last event to bow out on ?!

[stealthy1 3,964]

It's the sell side that puts people off, why when you have taken your family for a walk round a fair for a couple of hours, do you want to walk round hundreds of selling stalls? Your not on a shopping trip, a quick look at the animals with the kids and an ice cream (£3 a piece for a small'un with out a flake) and that's it, so why would you pay such a large entrance fee just for a walk round? Not many people stop all day now like they used to. They should do away with the entrance fee and let folk walk round, if they spend then they do. The days of spending a couple of hundred quid on a day fair are gone, you can have a weekend away with the family camping for that.

[IshotRogerRabbit 46]

Greed...nuff said!

[Netmaker 904]

They wanted a bloke I know to pay 2 and half grand for the weekend for a 12x12 stall maybe if they didn't charge sellers so much then they wouldn't be 240 stalls down lowther will be next charge a fair price for sellers and buyers and may be the gates will improve but I don't think they will

[burnie69 376]

I think the midland will be next if they carry's on with the same attitude. Wtf where's value for money now days. They sting you to get in then sting you for everything you wanna buy.They also sting every stall holder for pitch fee's hence why they sting us.

[chilli 368]

I was told it was £40000 for a small pitch at the cla

[jessdale 416]

I was told it was £40000 for a small pitch at the cla

I think you were told wrong there.

[comanche 2,799]

Part of the trouble is that nowadays the cost of insurance ,safety and security that is demanded before such events get approval is crippling. These cost are fixed by councils and companies who know they will get their cut whatever the weather or whether or not the event is a success for the organisers.

The result is the organisers have to charge more as attendances fall just to cover fixed costs and pray for some sun.

The knock -on is that stall-holders pay more and charge accordingly; gone are the days of genuine show offers or cheap old stock that made a trip to a show worth the entrance fee.

I nearly bought a lamp from a stall at a show as it was "an unbelievable show bargain ". Luckily I didn't succumb as I saw it advertised on the internet by the same company for 3/4 of the price !

No matter how much a benevolent organiser might like to put on a show with low entrance prices and reasonable pitch fees for stall holders there will always be a bunch of money-scenting Local councils ,H&S officials,show-ground owners and insurers that set the financial base-line before anything gets approval or the organisers even have a chance to make a penny..

Edited September 21, 2015 by comanche

[burnie69 376]

A well known countryside stall local to us had a big big stall at the Cla in oxfordshire 2 years ago. The main man told me cost for 4 days pitch . Big marquee I mean big fooker. They would have to take 100k before they even look at making a profit. Like I said they sting everyone. A game feed company I know pitch alone for 4 days was 7.5k that's without marquee hire. They charge extra for everything. Electric per socket same with water. We wonder why prices are high it's just a knock on effect.