Irish Shows - using Video - Chairperson, ISA
The madness of 2020 allowed us in The Irish Shows Association the opportunity to face challenges with innovation. When we first looked at the possibility of running a virtual show, we were not sure how it would work out. The team at Dotser and the Virtual SuperShow system made it possible.
We were all doing something that was completely new. Selling this idea to prospective exhibitors required a strong publicity campaign through social media. As a voluntary organisation, we would not have been able to dedicate the time required to make this show a success without having the SuperShow system. Knowing that the system was taking care of processing the entries allowed us to concentrate on promoting the event and lining up all of the entertainment for an eight-hour broadcast. Having been involved in organising shows for many years, we were amazed at the work and time savings that the system offered.
Loughnan, Ciara and the team were always on hand to resolve queries quickly and were very willing to take suggestions on board to make this new format work for everyone. We had great feedback from exhibitors and judges who found the experience to be very user-friendly.
One of the most time-consuming activities for show organisers is numbering entries and preparing the catalogue for print, which can take several days for a number of volunteers. This system allows one person to complete this task in 15 minutes. This frees up personnel to concentrate on other tasks in the week of the show.
The support we received from Dotser in producing the live event was second to none and was instrumental to the success of our first virtual show, which has been viewed by more than 100,000 people. The team at Dotser put the super in SuperShow.
Currently, 16 of our member shows are using the SuperShow system and we are sure that this will continue to increase as word gets around of the ease it brings to show organisers.