When I received the pamphlet from Celebrity Sales trumpeting the changes coming to the Futurity in 2010, I read through it with great interest. Although I had attended the auction faithfully, I had not considered actually taking animals to compete for a number of reasons. Among them, the location (Louisville, KY – quite a trip from Colorado). And, to be honest, I simply didn’t have enough animals of the elite quality level needed to compete successfully enough to justify the rather exorbitant cost of entry. Competing at the Futurity is a completely different level of competition than even the Level V shows like GWAS and MaPaca. I would say most breeders consider it the toughest and most prestigious show, especially in light and white colors. It should come as no surprise that it tends to be dominated by some of the very well-known farms. But attendance in 2009 was rather lackluster and that impacted not only the level of competition, but perhaps more importantly, the showcase of the weekend – the Futurity auction.
I have to admit, I love the Futurity auction. It’s habitually exciting and highlighted by at least a couple of big name males. In the past, it’s been a high class affair, with food, wine, and a celebratory atmosphere. 2009 was drastically different with downscaled refreshments (chips and pretzels with a cash food and beverage bar) and a distinct solemnity in the air. So I have to hand it to Celebrity Sales for not sitting on their laurels, throwing their hands up, and sighing “It’s just the economy.” They’re actually making changes that I think truly reflect a desire to make the show more inclusive, more accessible, and more affordable.
For those of you who haven’t yet had a chance to read through the changes, here’s a summary of the changes:
- Location moved to the updated Heritage Place in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Lower prices – due to facility cost savings
- Changes to the Herd sire of the Year Awards – results will be calculated from only the top 5 best performing offspring of each herd sire (instead of all offspring)
- Small Breeder of the Year Award Replaced by Alpaca Breeder of the Year Awards – there will be three divisions: Small (less than 20 registered females), Medium , and Large Farm (100 or more registered females)
- Three Year Old alpacas can now compete – in the new 2 to 3 year old classes
- Banners return for Reserve and Color Champions
- New Sponsorship Program – for $2500 you get preferred stall placement on “guaranteed stall end cap with pre-built facade on show ring”, 1/2 page farm profile in sale catalog, VIP seating with wait staff at the auction, farm banner in the show ring, automatic entry in Display Area Decorating contest
- Transit Stalls – stalls will be made available for people using the Futurity to exchange animals for delivery for breeding, from sales, between partners etc..
- Stop By Breeding Program – for $500 you can bring your herdsire to perform breedings and have Celebrity Sales take care of the marketing and get a 10×10 stall for breedings. The marketing includes print, displays, Herd Sire Parade inclusion, stage time when offspring are sold in the auction, VIP seating, 15% discount off a full page ad in the sale catalog
- Sock Hop Party replaces the Friday night Quechua Benefit Dinner and Auction – this change is a bit vague. I’m sure details will be forthcoming. There will be a party, there will be donated items that benefit both the Quechua Benefit and I Love Alpacas, but it’s a bit unclear how this all works together. The idea of a Sock Hop leaves me flat but then I’m biased – I loved the old Quechua Benefit dinners and auctions. 2009′s was awesome.
Overall, the changes seem very positive to me. And the timing couldn’t be better for me. I was considering competing in Louisville in 2010 for the first time but was dithering back and forth about it. These changes moved me firmly to the “gotta go” side.
Hope to see you there.
