Is your club thinking about hosting a conformation show? Here are some thoughts that might be helpful in putting on a successful show.

USA requires inexperienced clubs to host a practice show so that the club may be evaluated as to its ability and understanding of how to host an actual event. The practice show must be organized like a real show therefore, the best way to attain an understanding of hosting a conformation event is to attend and volunteer to help at a show in your area. Experience will be advantageous from the planning, the layout of the field, to how the paperwork is processed. Regional Breed Wardens or Regional Directors should judge practice shows. They are the ones who give you the go ahead to set up an actual event. 

Think Big!
In order to get a significant entry in your show, you need to plan ahead. Contact your Regional Director and Regional Breed Warden to find out which club already has a show scheduled. It does not make sense to have shows scheduled too close together within the same or neighboring areas. You want to get as many entries as possible and that takes a lot of planning. Always remember, you may want to host another show at sometime and want all participants to come back!

The Planning:
Remember too many cooks spoil the pot. Have one person, the show secretary, run this event. This person should be very knowledgeable and should delegate all different tasks and responsibilities. All members of your club should be willing to volunteer to help with any position to which they have been assigned. If you do not have sufficient help within your club, ask a neighbor club or other outside friends. Not every position requires experience. Get together as often as you can and discuss with all your members what is in the planning and what has already been accomplished.

Once you have selected your date for the show, you need to contact the judge of your preference to see if she/he is able to judge your event. Make sure you don’t have the same 
judge as another club in your area. Your participants like different judges.

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• You must secure and clear the show date with your regional director and obtain an event authorization. The conformation show is a one-day event and must be clearly defined as such on the authorization form. All classes must be shown on the same day beginning with the youngest puppy class and finishing with the working dog classes. In each class, females go before males.

• If you choose an SV judge be aware of the procedure and contact our liaison Stephanie Dunion for further assistance.  Refer to the "SV/USA Judging Information" section in the magazine.

• For clubs that have not organized an actual conformation event, I would like to suggest using a USA judge for your first real show because she or he understands when something does not go as it should and will be very willing to help teach the club how to improve their event.

• Secure the show ground. You are responsible for providing a safe environment in which to conduct the show. Insurance should be obtained to help protect against financial obligations if an accident should occur.

• Secure a host hotel/motel. Some participants may want to stay overnight and will need a place that allows dogs. 

•  If you are planning on having a judge’s dinner make sure to secure a banquet room or restaurant early enough. Make all participants of the show aware of the dinner.

• The club should be sure that all travel arrangements for the judge are properly scheduled and should pay for travel expenses promptly when required. The club is also responsible for any other reasonable expenses and a per diem fee for the judge. Accommodations for hosting the judge should be arranged to meet the reasonable request of the judge. Many judges are willing to sleep in a club member’s home while others prefer to stay in a hotel. Make sure that the person hosting the judge has a reasonably clean home with a restful environment.