Hosting a CSPCA Annual National Specialty

 

Dates should be in October, but the Board will consider the last week in September and the first week in November, as well.

 

Years for Planned Rotation:

 

2007   Central

2008   Eastern

2009   Western

2010   Central

2011   Eastern

2012   Central

2013   Western

2014   Central

 

The goal would be even numbered years at a site in the Central Region and odd numbered years rotating between Eastern and Western sites but the financial considerations will always make the final decision.

 

Who will be your club’s liaison?  The host club liaison will work closely with the Show Chair and Committee and will also serve as the liaison with the hotel and show site.  The host club liaiso should have experience in putting on shows or served on Specialty or All Breed Show Committees in the past.  Your club liaison CAN show at nationals.

 

Outdoor facilities will be considered however and air-conditioned indoor site is preferred.

 

Non-hotel sites will be considered, as well.  Think outside the hotel ballroom and look at what fairgrounds and other sites have to offer.  We are not opposed to a host hotel that does not host the show, or a show site with separate buildings for the show and banquet (state fair grounds often offer this at an affordable price.)

 

How many members do you have available to work on the show?  (Bear in mind that we have become a national event and your members do not have to carry all of the show, but we do need to consider our local work force.)

 

Will your club be hosting a specialty show before nationals?  One or two days?  Sweepstakes?  Obedience/Rally?

 

What tourist attractions are in the area, if any?  What places are there for our Juniors to enjoy, if any?  Check with the Bureau of Tourism or the Chamber of Commerce for this type of information.

 

 

Things you need to know:

 

A review of the Policy and Procedure Manual will apprise you of many of the smaller details that you may want to know.

 

While we come to you for your suggestions of logo, theme, trophies, etc., the CSPCA Show Chair and Board of Directors has final say in all matters related to the national specialty show.

 

National Specialty Show Judges are selected by the processes laid out in the Policy and Procedure Manual.

 

Financials:

 

All financials for the CSPCA Nationals go through the CSPCA Treasurer.

 

10% of the profits from the annual national specialty show will be given to the host club.  Bear in mind:

$1.00 from each entry will be given to the CSP Charitable Trust.  $1.00 from each entry will be given to the CSPCA Rescue Trust.  At the annual raffle/auction, only items earmarked for the national specialty show fund will be added to the CSPCA annual national specialty funds.  All other items will be paid directly to the fund for which they were donated.

 

It is the goal of the CSPCA that costs be kept down and that the event be used as the major fundraising event of our year.  This should benefit the host club as well.

 

 

Chinese Shar-Pei Nationals Hotel/Show Site Requirements and Considerations

 

General:

 

We suggest a hotel that is NOT a tower hotel as we’ve had issues with dogs and elevators.  A hotel with only a few floors has worked better.

 

Consider the grass.  Exhibitors will be there for a week and the dogs will be using the area a few times a day.  More is always better but if the grass is very limited, be prepared to make other plans, such as hauling in sawdust/straw and cleaning and replacing that daily.

 

The hotel ideally will be within an hour of a major airport but that is not a requirement. 

 

Consider food accessibility: restaurants in the hotel or immediate areas.

 

 

 

Blocked Rooms:

1)         You can estimate a minimum of 80 rooms per night and request the hotel provide a discounted room rate.

2)         The discount rate should be good for two days before and after the show, but this is not a requirement. 

3)         You can estimate room totals of 500; 80 Sunday through Friday nights with an additional 50 rooms for Saturday night.  Minimum grand total of sleeping rooms would be 500.

4)         You should require a reserved block of 80 rooms per night.  30 days before the event, any unused rooms in the block will be released, and be reserved as space available at the discounted rate.

5)         Maximum of 4 people per room and 4 dogs per room.

6)         All blocked rooms to be on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors.

 

Cleaning Fees: 

1)         If a cleaning fee is required, aim for something that will refund most if not all, if the room is inspected. 

2)         If a cleaning fee is refundable please advise us.

 3)        Historically we have had good results with a $50 cleaning deposit with $25 refundable OR a non-refundable $25.

4)         We suggest that hotels remove bedspreads from rooms that will contain dogs.

 

Complimentary Rooms:

1)         We request a minimum of 2 sleeping rooms for every 50 rooms booked and paid for.

2)         We request 1 complimentary hospitality suite for the duration of the event.

 

Room Rates:

1)         A survey and experience as shown that a nightly rate of over $100 will hurt room sales.  Aim for $80 - $90 not including tax.

 

Meeting Space Requirements: 

1)         We require a minimum 10,000 sq. foot (with 12,000 or more preferred) ballroom to be used by us from Sunday through Saturday, on the designated dates, assuming the host club will have an event on Monday.

2)         We require vendor space to accommodate 20-30 vendors in vicinity of ballroom.

3)         We require crating room for dogs in the vicinity of ballroom.

4)         Usually, the only equipment that we need for the ballroom is a microphone connected to a PA system.

 5)        Cost out any additional rooms for seminars or perhaps the Invitational so that can be considered in the total costs.  It may save the tear down and put up costs if we don’t have to tear down the show ring in order to have the Invitational or the Banquet.

 

Banquets: 

1)         We typically have three “food and beverage” events:

            The Invitational for 100 people.

            The annual banquet for 150 people.

            The smaller final day meal for about 50 people

2)         We prefer that the banquets not be held in the same ballroom as the dog show.  We prefer aseparate ballroom for the banquets, so that we don’t have to tear down the dog show room.  This is not required, but preferred.

in order to have the banquets.

3)         We will need a microphone connected to a PA system for the banquets.

 

 

Meeting Room Charges: 

We aim to have the food/beverage and sleeping rooms (called revenue below) offset any meeting room costs.

1)         If we reach the revenue total of $30,000 or greater, the Meeting room charge, vendor space and crating room charge would be waived. 

2)         If the total revenues are less than $30,000, a sliding scale must be included in the contract.

3)      All banquet food, lunch food, beverage and group sleeping rooms will be calculated as actual revenue.

 4)        Clubs should consider determining if the hotel can sell box or quick lunches near the show ring and if so, those monies should count toward “revenue” under food and beverage and be used in the offset.

 

Parking: 

1)         We request no parking charges for our guests.

 

R.V. Parking: 

1)         We need approximately 30 spaces for R.V. parking, preferably at no charge.

2)         Discussion should be held with the hotel regarding their ability or willingness to provide electric and their experience in dealing with groups of RVs.

 

Hospitality Suite: 

1)         The CSPCA does not require a hospitality suite, so the host club should determine what they want to do in this area.

2)         If the host clubs wants to have a hospitality room, a key question is if the hotel will allow outside food to be brought in.  If the hotel does not and would require use of their services for catering, then the host club should seriously consider the costs of that.  If the host club will be having hotel catered hospitality, the charges for that should be included in the revenue for the offset.

 

Package Lunch Sales:

1)         It would be good if the hotel set up lunch sales outside the ballroom that consists of salads, sandwiches and soups.  These sales should count in the total revenue for the offset.

 

Airport Shuttle:

1)         Check if the hotel provides an airport shuttle, if there is a fee for that and hours that it operates.

2)         Check for other shuttle options.

 

 Waste Disposal:

1)         Let the hotel know that we will require the use of a dumpster to dispose of dog waste at no charge.

 

Cancellation Clause:

1)         The maximum that will be accepted is $ 8,500.  The CSPCA has been holding these events for over 25 years and have never cancelled, there fore it is a low risk client.  A high cancellation clause could destroy the club and will not be approved by the Board.

2)         Cancelling the contract a year or more before the event would incur no cancellation charge.

 

Attrition Rate:

If the hotel contract includes an attrition clause, we prefer the attrition not to kick in unless we only book 75% of our block, and for that to be on a sliding scale.

 

Let hotels know that references from past host hotels are available upon request.