Charlotte
Mixed feelings
I purchased tickets and attended the Manchester LCWW catstravaganza show. I experienced two date reschedules but luckily I was able to make it work in the end. I did try to apply for a refund or credit prior to this but unfortunately got no response from customer service. About the show - I arrived a couple of hours after doors had opened and found no queue and was straight into the building. The staff greeting were very friendly and checked my email confirmation which was what I was told I would need to show to gain entry and stamped my hand to allow for re-entry as there was a street food truck outside. There were two main rooms, one full of vendors and charities and the other with the cats and the judging. There was also the catwalk that was in the middle of the vendors room. There were lots of different stalls at the event, including several selling pet products and food for cats as well as the stalls selling cat themed gifts and accessories. There were charities and rescues there giving information about adoption and donations, but none were pushy and the gentleman I chatted to at the Woodgreen stand was lovely. It was a good atmosphere in this room and wasn’t too crowded. There is a street food truck as previously stated outside and also a food and drink stall inside the venue. The queue was very long for this as it looked small. I didn’t purchase any food or drink so I can’t comment on cost or quality. The catwalk itself had three or four rows of chairs on each side and there were plenty empty for anyone looking to make sure they got a seat where they could see if they weren’t in a position to stand. I have read complaints about lack of seating or not being able to see but there seemed to simply not be enough space in the chosen room to add more seating. In the other room where the cats were was understandably busier. There were areas for each of the judges with a couple of rows of chairs in front to listen to them talking about each of the cats. The audio was very hard to hear - I do understand that they can’t have loud PA systems as this would scare the cats and also there are judging panels going on simultaneously so you wouldn’t be able to decipher anything at all if they all had loud mics. This appears to be a logistic issue and one that perhaps could be resolved going forward with choice of venue or set up. The cats I saw were adorable! Their owners all seemed very amenable to chatting about them and the breed. There were a lot of people trying to see each of the cats so it was hard to look at times. It seemed some of the more unusual breeds like Sphinx that perhaps aren’t seen as often were more popular. There are talks periodically about different breeds which are good opportunities to learn more about the cats you possibly don’t have as pets. I was concerned about welfare before attending but I don’t believe the cats were afraid in their judging kennels, rather most seemed to be asleep or bored. Overall I think the event has the potential to be better but issues with choice of venue really let it down. The BEC Arena is in a terrible location for public transport - I know there is a tram stop nearby but this involves a walk near a very fast roundabout and high speed roads which I don’t think is very safe for children or those with mobility issues. I am assuming the reasons for this location was cost and availability as it is concert season. The previous venue of the Victoria Warehouse I don’t imagine would’ve been much better. I think the set up and space allowed to each area could be improved. There is also a strange ‘vibe’ to the event that I can’t explain. I ended up leaving before the end. I don’t think I would attend the event again unless it was in a better location.