28/10/2015
The Great British Game Fair withdraws plans for its “CLA Game Fair replacement” show.
Following the announcement of yet another “CLA Game Fair replacement” event scheduled for an already overcrowded July 2016 – and we understand there are another two events due to be announced in the next few weeks – we have taken the difficult decision to withdraw The 2016 Great British Game Fair from the calendar for the time being.
Since the announcement of the CLA Game Fair cancellation, we have actively consulted with the shooting industry, media groups, representative bodies and other event organisers – including the two who have recently launched events – with a view to creating a single, unified showpiece event to represent British fieldsports and country life. This makes the recent sequence of events very disappointing.
With so many different events vying for the same space, exhibitors and visitors, it is inevitable that antipathy and negativity will affect all of the events and cause unnecessary division within the industry we hold dear and have so long sought to support. We feel that it is in the best interest of the industry and all parties involved to take this remedial action as soon as possible to prevent further damage and infighting.
We will now undertake a period of in-depth consultation with all parties with a view to working together to create a truly world-class showpiece event that properly represents our fieldsports and indeed our entire way of life. Following this consultation, we will decide how we intend to proceed – but this will only be in agreement and partnership with all of the relevant exhibitors and representative bodies. We will make a full and detailed statement on how we intend to proceed on 1 December 2015.
In the meantime, we intend to continue to develop our award-winning group of countryside events, including a re-designed Gunmakers’ Row at the world-renowned Midland Game Fair. 2015 was a record year for Countryman Fairs and we will be introducing a number of exciting new regional events to our show calendar for 2016. We welcome feedback and comments from exhibitors and visitors alike and hope to be in a position to make a positive announcement in the coming weeks.
