By Pat Gellerman

Balancing your show budget during economic slowdowns

Kennel clubs and the judges they hire should be thinking about the economic slowdown we are in and face the fact that prices for airfare and hotel accommodations are consistently rising. There are ways clubs and judges can economize during these difficult financial times.

Let’s start with the invitation from the club to the judge. Email will save the cost of postage for a letter. When you invite a judge, give them the dates and the breed assignments all in the initial email. Ask judges to buy their airline tickets far in advance and offer to reimburse these judges when they purchase their tickets. Those judges who purchase their tickets and put it on their credit cards are out that money for at least several months. Many judges use a travel agent who specializes in dog show travel and they bill the club directly. There is a small fee for this service.

Judges, when you shop for your airline tickets, look at all the fares for the destinations you are travelling to. For instance, I just saved $200 by switching from one airline to another. Perhaps the cheaper fare is not on your favorite airlines but it’s saving the club money.

There are clubs who tell you to rent a car because of the long distances from the airport to the show locale. Call other judges on the panel and see if you are coming into the airport about the same time and share the rental. Yes, I know the club could and should do this, but most of them do not. It is also very handy to have a companion to share the ride and read the directions while you drive.

Now for that show chairman – is he or she trying to economize? When you have a cluster or a two-day show, try to share your judges. Many clubs have different judges coming in and out all weekend. This is not economical. Sharing judges means less airfare, less car rentals, and less individual expense. Get together with the other clubs and cooperate with them by sharing the judges each club selects.

Let your club members know that this is the only weekend of the entire year they cannot exhibit and must work for the club. Club members will be needed to drive so rental cars and airport shuttle fees are eliminated. Do you have some marvelous cooks in your clubs? Let them make the lunch, handle hospitality, and save on caterers.

Save on hotels, but do not dump your judges in a hotel without a restaurant. Yes, we judges do get hungry around 6 p.m. and should not be expected to walk to a nearby restaurant which is usually a fast food joint. I can’t tell you how many letters I have received telling me to walk a short distance at night to a restaurant. Most of us do not eat fast food or cross highways. Most women, including us judges, do not want to walk around strange towns at night after judging eight hours. Give judges a hotel with a restaurant for evening dining and we will be happy. Also, do not tell us you have breakfast at the show when most clubs bring in boxes of doughnuts.

I recently judged a cluster where one member was in charge of planning evening meals. He told us to be in the lobby each evening at 6 p.m. and had club members drive us to a different restaurant each night. This was a wonderful experience and all the judges had a great time and we were back in our rooms by 8 to 8:30 pm.

So with the falling economy facing us, both judges and clubs can find ways to save on airfare, rental cars and hiring judges who can cover a number of breeds and groups for several shows. Ask your club members to help your club stay solvent and ask the exhibitors to handle their own cleanup; that also will save you from paying for that job.

One more thing which can help your club’s treasury is to advertise your show early – a week before the date – in the local paper and charge a small admission fee so you have a gate. This is a great day to bring families in to see the dogs and be sure to have tours for the visitors to learn about our great sport.