Royal Show washout

This year's Royal Show could hardly have been described as a vintage.
As I have said in previous blogs the show was something of a washout, both in terms of organisation and the event itself which is now but a shadow of its former self.
While regional agricultural events go from strength to strength, the Royal appears to have lost its place and turned off not just Joe Public but also farmers.
That is disappointing and I fear the damage is too deep to reverse. I, however, hope the Royal Agricultural Society of England can get its showpiece event back on track as Britain's farming industry will be all the poorer if it disappears.
Still on the subject of the Royal Show delighted to hear that Mistral PR, run by Mike Evans, has won a gold Chartered Institute of Public Relations PRide award for its Royal Show communications campaign 2007.

Mistral were entered in the crisis communications category. The Gold award recognises its success in attracting exhibitors and visitors to the Stoneleigh Park event and then the avoidance of chaos as the last day was cancelled as Britain suffered its wettest summer since records began 240 years ago (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6916724.stm ).

Mike said: “We are very pleased to have won this award. To get recognition for what we achieved in those very challenging circumstances proves that our hard work, professionalism and background enable us to get on with any job and achieve the desired results.”

Torrential rain throughout the show – boy was it fun getting in and out of the car parks and walking up the stock judging rings – turned the site into a quagmire.

Against that backdrop the RASE cancelled the last day for the first time in the show’s history.

It proved an interesting press conference, although it was attended by just a handful of hacks, including yours truly. One wonders where the remaining 600 were who had registered for the show; they certainly weren't all in the press room for
sure. Perhaps they were among those freeloading hacks whom I hate who seek tickets for events and then never write anything from it, nor had they any intention to do so when they signed up. Even worse are the cut and paste brigade who seem to have got honours degrees these days in filling the pages of various publications and who no longer seem to question anything.

Anyway back to Mike who added: “In these circumstances (cancelling a show) it’s crucial to put a well rehearsed and carefully-planned strategy into effect. Working with the police, Mistral targeted broadcast and online media to deliver the message that all but the equestrian competitions were to be cancelled. The main aim – to stop the public from attending the last day of the show and thereby avoiding traffic chaos and disgruntled visitors – was achieved."

With Mike at Mistral are Tom Allen-Stevens, Alex Sharpe and Cordy Maling. Helping them over the Royal was Will Wilson, who was runner-up on this year's Guild and John Deere training course.
Will's been offered an internship at Mistral over 2008. Well done I say to Mistral and to Will.
The awards also saw Mistral win gold in the community relations category and a silver for its rural surveyor Fisher German. Mistral director Victoria Cross won a silver award for outstanding young communicator of the year.