It was a show like no other – but what a success it was, despite the fact that there were rarely more than 1000 people in attendance at the Royal Highland Showcase this week.
Normally, there would be the buzz and excitement from up to 60,000 visitors each day but with this behind closed doors show, the gauge was set by the number of ‘hits’ from viewers livestreaming the event into their living rooms, cars and tractors.
On the first day, when sheep and cattle were the targets for the cameras and commentators, there was an impressive 35,000 hits to watch the Showcase. Over the first two days of the event, a colossal 10,000 hours were viewed, watched by enthusiasts from as far afield as Australia, Canada, The Philippines, Norway, Spain and Ireland, to name but a few.
Cheeky chappies Andrew Goldie and Andy Frazier had the job of commentating on the some of sheep sections for the livestream – and a grand job they did of it too Ref:RH150621039
Add to that the overwhelming joy and enthusiasm of exhibitors to show their stock and catch up with fellow breeders and it will go down in history as the event that so many will wish they had entered, but didn’t have the confidence in to fill out online entry forms.
And, while many outsiders questioned the success of such an event without a bar in sight, alcohol was not an issue. Exhibitors were just so pleased to get away from home and see a bit of normality return, albeit socially distanced and behind face masks.
Joanna Dale won overall young handler and reserve went to Alexander Clark, pictured with former RHASS chairman Jimmy Warnock and the judge, his daughter Carol Anne Warnock Ref:RH150621083
That has to be classed as a massive success story for the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland and for presenting it with very few technical hitches along the way. However, the foundations for that success were laid two years ago when the society invested a huge sum in its IT capabilities and the many miles of cables and routers put in then made the technical challenges of livestreaming possible.
“This major investment in the digital infrastructure has made it the best connected events venue in Scotland. We’re even ahead of The Hydro in Glasgow,” pointed out RHASS chief executive, Alan Laidlaw.
Alan Laidlaw and Bill Gray with a feature of the Showcase outside the new Member's Pavilion, a giant Wickerman-style Belted Galloway bull – a reflection on the fact that this was Dumfries and Galloway's year of presidency of RHASS
Mark Currie, the show’s director of operations, added: “We had installed 12km of power lines and we left spare ducts to finally house a 10-gig fibre line. This is a legacy piece of work and next year should be plug and play, as we will no longer need satellite trucks to make it all work. We have the capacity to screen an event along the lines of something of the size of the Commonwealth Games.”
The technical transmission hub was housed in the new Member’s Pavilion – what a building that is – and this had four live streaming sections for the audience to watch between 9.30am and 5.30pm. Interspersed with more than 100 pieces of content, created in advance, including forestry and cookery demonstrations for use when the rings were quiet, viewers could enjoy a good cross section of the show.
The production team amounted to around 100 individuals in the screening operation with 12 live cameras and four roving cameras, which need relocated every day depending on what is available to view.
The famous Cawdor Cup and its 2021 recipient, the female champion Roughlands Majestic Lady, with Alana Johnston Ref:RH160621027
Chairman, of the RHASS, Bill Gray, said: “I am excited and a little bit relieved, but also very proud of what we have achieved. Hearing the chatter around this morning tells me people are just really pleased to be here and have the opportunity to get out and compete and meet other people.”
Organisers were also buoyed by the level of support from sponsors of the events, including the £750,000 of funding given by the Scottish Government to make it all happen. That was a vital element of the Showcase being able to be run as a behind closed doors event and meant that the stretched finances of the society would not be tested further. It was a break-even event, they said, adding that RHASS would also be chasing up a loss of income insurance claim for this year to add to the £1.8m it received from loss adjusters last year.
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