Westminster Regains Its Mojo

Lisa Croft-Elliott Photo

By Amy Fernandez

It has taken a few years but finally, in 2016, Westminster seemed to be settled into its second home over at Piers 92/94.

Needless to say, managing a major show at two separate venues poses substantial logistical challenges. That was pretty much the overriding theme for Westminster 2012, its first year at Piers 92/94. Exhibitors weren’t thrilled about lugging all their stuff on and off shuttle buses. They were less thrilled when they had a hell of a time finding those elusive buses. It didn’t get much better on arrival. Although the club did its best to make the place look like Westminster, they were obviously unaccustomed to dressing up a cavernous space.  The overall effect was rather sad and depressing… like decorating the basement for a party.

Spectators, the mainstay of Westminster success, were largely left out of the loop. Most of them never found the show at all. That left legions of vendors disappointed when their traditional, dog crazy shopping frenzy on Monday and Tuesday never materialized.

Those aspects of the show went smoother the following year, but it still seemed like Westminster was rattling around a big, unfurnished McMansion, a 200,000 square foot mansion to be precise. That was understandable. For over 40 years, the club had focused its efforts on compressing every feature of this giant event. Running a benched show at the Garden was comparable to hosting a big party in a studio apartment. No one missed the long lines, crushing crowds, and stifling atmosphere but they had some trouble adjusting to the distances. Even though the club did a better job of coordinating the benching and rings, showing at the Piers entails lots of walking around.

By last year the place was started looking like home. They finally sorted their decorating dilemmas. They had flat screens, more seating, appropriately proportioned signage, and staff stationed at strategic locations to manage traffic flow and direct bewildered newcomers. The club definitely had a better grip on how to utilize this vast space. Initially, they anticipated a flood of class dog entries to fill up the show. So far, that hasn’t happened. In the meantime, they began exploring different options, such as reintroducing those long-lost crowd-pleasing events that were the basis of Westminster’s mainstream appeal. Maybe next year they will bring back brace and team competition or those beloved herding and field trial demos.

Potentially, it can only get better. Even so, this year they finally got it right. Saturday was a hit, especially the single ticket spectator entry for Meet the Breeds and the Agility.  Judging from the crowd reactions, they will be back for more next year.

Monday’s show fell on Presidents Day- something that Westminster veterans dread for justified reasons. A few years back that holiday jump in attendance forced the FDNY to shut down the show for safety reasons.  As expected, Monday’s spectator turnout was pretty good. For the first time, the place actually seemed a bit crowded.  And it didn’t let up Tuesday. A few exhibitors actually complained about it.   Apparently, those interminably torturous days of benching at MSG have already become a distant memory.

Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=98586

Posted by chesliepickett on Feb 19 2016. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.