Event News
Events
in brief
Cupid comes to East of England Arena
Cupid’s Wedding Shows, the
organiser of several regional
wedding shows across the UK,
will be hosting its East of England
Valentine’s Wedding Show for the
15th time.
The event is free for pre-
registered tickets which include
a limited offer of goody bags and
glasses of bubbly for brides-to-be
attending the event, with only be
a nominal charge for visitors on
the door.
Jason Lunn, venue director,
East of England Arena and Event
Centre, was looking forward to
the event, saying: “As you can
imagine, this event features
a lot of very happy visitors
planning their weddings, and the
atmosphere is quite special. It’s
a pleasure to welcome Cupid’s
Wedding Shows back to the
venue, its events are always
beautifully finished and well
organised.”
Cupid’s Valentine’s Wedding
Show will take place at the East
of England Arena on 16 February
2020.
10 — March
CRUFTS GETS TAILS WAGGING
Name: Crufts
Date: 5-8 March 2020
Where: NEC Birmingham
This year marks the 129th Crufts, and
a lot has changed since the very first
edition, which took place in Islington in
1891.
Crufts outgrew its second home at
London Olympia, in 1991, and moved to
the NEC Birmingham, where it has been
held ever since. Spanning five halls, the
show welcomes over 160,000 humans
and 27,000 dogs each year. The move
enabled additions to the programme,
including increased numbers of trade
stands – currently at 400 – an extensive
four-day main arena programme,
including the dog show and agility
competitions, and the Discover Dogs
area where visitors can meet over 220
different dog breeds.
The Best in Show competition is the
culmination of the traditional dog
show, but Crufts also runs a diverse
programme of dog competitions in
different categories and levels, including
the finale of the Friends for Life
competition which recognises unsung
canine heroes, displays of agility and
flyball, and a celebration of crossbreeds
with the Scruffts final.
Crufts content is available on a growing
number of channels, including TV, live
stream and social media, as well as
multiple screens around the show for
visitors to keep up with all of the action
in real-time. New this year, the online
programme will be further diversified by
addition of behind the scenes, streaming
content.
Events executive at the Kennel Club,
Vanessa McAlpine, said: “The Kennel
Club works hard to organise a top-
tier, international event which is as
interesting and enjoyable to the everyday
dog lover as an experienced overseas
exhibitor – adding new and fun elements
to the programme each year while also
keeping up the traditional and much-
loved parts of the show.”
What’s next?
McAlpine said: “Next year is going to be
130th anniversary of Crufts and we have
some exciting plans to mark this tail-
wagging milestone! Watch this space…”