12/28/2025
As a long-time show organizer, I’m sharing these thoughts publicly to encourage collaboration and stronger policies that support all Canadian grooming events.
Open Letter to Groom Team Canada
Grooming shows play an important role in our small but close-knit Canadian professional grooming community. We are passionate about education, competition, and opportunities to learn, shop, and showcase our skills in person. For shows to thrive, they need thoughtful coordination and long-term sustainability.
Recent events have highlighted some challenges within the current sanctioning process that may unintentionally put shows in competition with one another rather than supporting their success. With that in mind, I’d like to offer a few constructive suggestions for consideration.
First, Groom Team Canada may wish to explore regional scheduling guidelines, such as minimum spacing between sanctioned shows within the same province or territory. This would help prevent exhibitor fatigue, vendor strain, and financial risk for organizers.
Second, a priority-date system for established, recurring shows could help protect long-standing events while still allowing room for new shows to grow. A minimum separation between dates would reduce conflicts and support healthier attendance across events.
Third, while shows are currently required to submit dates and judges several months in advance, publicly releasing approved dates within that same timeframe would improve transparency and allow organizers, vendors, and competitors to plan more effectively.
Additionally, as the national sanctioning body, Groom Team Canada’s support of shows—whether through sponsorship, promotion, or other means—would benefit from clear and consistent criteria applied equally to all sanctioned events.
Finally, a review of conflict-of-interest policies for organizers, competitors, judges, and board members may help ensure fairness, clarity, and continued trust within the community.
These suggestions are shared with respect for Groom Team Canada’s role and with genuine support for both established and emerging shows. Strong, transparent policies help all of us succeed—and ultimately strengthen the Canadian grooming industry as a whole.
Respectfully,
Michelle Jessop
