Remember this…?
– More than 250% above-average rainfall for June and July.
– Parts of Britain under water without power for over three weeks.
– Sewage overflow causing infected water supplies.
– Flooded housing on an unprecedented scale.
– and the tragic death of a man with his foot caught in the drains, while firemen fought in vain to save him.

Well, whatever effect this catastrophic climate had on the outdoor events industry this year, such scenes of devastation and loss of life put them sharply into perspective. We should also thank our lucky stars that what parts of the UK had to suffer this summer isn't the constant fight for existance that other parts of the world face on a daily basis.

That said, during this summer of outstanding natural misery, the outdoor events industry had to rise to the challenges that came with this unforeseen inclemency.
And so it was for the Country Landowners Association (CLA) Game Fair. Due to be held at Harewood House near Leeds from the 27-29 July, the rain just kept falling until, eventually, just three days before the show was due to open – and after an exhaustive effort to fight the tide of watery mud and install a deluged infrastructure – the organisers were forced to cancel the event.

Devastation
This spelled disaster for the world's leading Game Fair, with more than 900 exhibits in its 49th year; disaster for the exhibitors, especially for those smaller businesses that depend so heavily upon country land-loving summer events to reach their core markets; and disaster for the supply chain that not only had to fight the fight to get the infrastructure in place, but then saw their endeavours (and indeed many of their assets) washed away or written off, as electrical equipment through to perishable foods were lost to the will and bad temper of a higher force.

So instead, realism has risen to the fore. The CLA`s financial reserves simply do not extend to paying out for losses incurred as a result of the events' untimely cancellation, rumoured to run into millions of pounds. Instead, despite initial indications than no refund for space sales would be forthcoming and after lengthy discussions with the accountants, the CLA Game Fair have offered a package that enables exhibitors to recoup either 50% of their space investment now, or a 40% refund now with a 20% discount on the 2008 event.

Finding a way forward
While this does represent a fair offer under the circumsatnces on the part of the CLA, exhibitors will also have to factor their losses for other pre-paid services and accomodation costs, as well as the loss of trade resulting from the cancellation. Nevertheless, the path proposed by the CLA provides a constructive way ahead compared to one of mutually assured destruction that a less mature market and its constituent parts would inevitably tread.

The 50th CLA Game Fair, therefore, will go on.

For more about the CLA Game Fair 2008, click here.