News Focus
Game On
Picture by Sarah Farnsworth
EN speaks to James Gower, MD, The Game Fair, who remains
positive and defiant in the face of the Covid-19 outbreak
J
ames Gower, who oversees the UK’s
largest countryside festival, says he
is ‘determined to run his event come
what may’. After being forced to move
his event from July to September, he
explains that he has a ‘compelling sense
of duty’ to his exhibitors and visitors
to push ahead with his event at Ragley
Hall this September.
He said: “For many of the exhibitors,
The Game Fair and other large outdoor
events are the only source of revenues
for their businesses. Many of them do
the spring and summer ‘circuit’ instead
of permanent retail premises. Some
sectors of the shooting industry cannot
trade online. The timing of Covid-19
sees warehouses full of stock ready
for the spring and summer season,
and with nearly every event cancelled,
another crisis plagues these companies
– limited or no distribution.
“In a bid to beat the virus and provide
an opportunity to trade, we had to
abandon our regular slot and selected
new dates in the hope that some sense
of normality will have returned to allow
it to go ahead.”
Gower explains that the fair, now
in its 62nd year and attracting over
120,000 visitors, couldn’t come at a
better time. Millions of Brits have been
forced to cancel overseas trips and are
now investing in UK holidays.
“Campsite bookings and ticket sales
are up year-on-year with people now
planning mini-breaks in the UK. After
many months of social distancing, it
10 — May
is our hope that The Game Fair will
offer a vital lifeline for businesses and a
celebration of the countryside for like-
minded people, marking the end of a
very challenging time,” he commented.
The annual outdoor event showcases
popular country pursuits such as
gundog handling, clay shooting,
archery, fishing, falconry and ferreting.
There will also be additional areas
to fair to accommodate as many new
exhibitors as possible that have been
displaced from cancelled events such as
The Royal Welsh, Royal Highland and
Great Yorkshire show.
Gower added: “We will offer
exhibition spaces to as many displaced
companies as we can. We know many
business rely solely on the show circuit
for their revenues and we will do all
that we can to help.”
Ian Bell, CEO, The British Association
of Shooting and Conservation and a
major partner of the event told EN:
“BASC fully supports the difficult
decision that has been taken by The
Game Fair’s officials under challenging
circumstances. We are confident
the event in September will provide
a much-needed life-line for rural
businesses and something to look
forward to for the many thousands
of visitors that will be expected to
attend.”
The Game Fair is famous for its
innovation over recent years with many
new feature areas, the introduction of
celebrity chef James Martin, new show
gardens and stabilising, important
sponsorships from national and
international sponsors including Qatar
and Charles Stanley Wealth Managers.
The Game Fair began in 1958 – before
the Beatles were called the Beatles,
as 25 million Hula-hoops were being
manufactured for the first time in the
US and as Russia’s Sputnik 1 was falling
to earth.
Gower added: “Let’s be clear about
the word game – which in this context
means venison, pheasant, grouse, boar,
salmon & trout and other delicious
meat harvested sustainably and
ethically from the English countryside.
Since the beginning, more than five
million people have attended.
“Now visitors come to see 1000
exhibitors (50,000sqm) with more than
“Campsite bookings and ticket sales
are up year-on-year with people
now planning mini-breaks in the UK”