CLA cancels the much loved Game Fair
The Game Fair, for many marked a social highlight amongst the country set but today, in announcing its scrapping, Henry Robinson of the CLA terminated what has long been a truly wonderful event.
In a statement, Robinson commented:
“I very much regret having to inform you that the CLA Board has decided that we can no longer run the CLA Game Fair. This includes cancelling our planned 2016 event at Ragley Hall in Warwickshire”.
“The decision was taken following confirmation of the disappointing financial performance of this year’s event. Unfortunately the event did not meet its targets for exhibitor and sponsor income and most of all we saw a further decline in attendance”.
“This year’s performance follows declining ticket sales which resulted in substantial losses at Ragley in 2013 and Blenheim in 2014”.
“We believe it was right to continue to invest in the event for the last two years, because we were committed to making the event work. However the Board cannot in good faith continue to direct member’s money into a loss making event”.
“We have been able to make this investment in the Game Fair over the past three years because of the otherwise sound financial position of your Association. We continue to make strong progress in our provision of advice and member services, our lobbying and policy work and we will continue to support a range of events throughout the year”.
“Over the past three years a dedicated team of CLA employees and volunteers have worked incredibly hard to try and make the Game Fair a success. They have done so faced with an increasingly crowded calendar of outdoor summer events. I am grateful to them all for their efforts and regret the uncertainty that this decision now brings for them”.
“We have made our announcement today. In that announcement we have made clear that whilst our decision that we can no longer continue to own and run the Game Fair is clear, we will enter a short period of consultation and we are open to proposals on how the Game Fair may be able to continue”.
Of the statement, leading shot and country sports PR Claire Zambuni remarked: “It’s the end of an era”. It truly is.
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