Back In Time,Part 2

We’re still going back in time to the fall of 2010 when the basic MESS plan was just beginning to develop. I had a vision of what I wanted for the MESS,lots of horses and riders going head to head competing for the top spots in all disciplines.I wanted to see the vendor area full of merchants displaying products and services,the spectators cheering as they watch the horse and rider teams hold nothing back while going for the blue ribbon.The “big question” is how do we get there from here?The old quote “build it and they will come” isn’t as simple as it sounds and the old saying “there’s more to it than meets the eye” holds a lot of truth but you have to start somewhere.When I began promoting the idea of the MESS I was thinking it would take about a year or so to put all the pieces together,the more I talked to people the more people were saying “we need to do this next summer”.OK let’s go for it!When you start with nothing there’s only one direction you can go and that’s up.We need tools to build anything and the most effective tool is money which we didn’t have,the money has to come from sponsors and vendors but they need to justify investing money and that money is difficult to to spend in a bad economy.The pressure is on to bring in sponsors and if we do get sponsors the event must be worth their investment.We have to create to get the word out to as many people as possible in a very short time,Facebook is our friend!Almost everyone has a Facebook account these days and one person has hundreds of friends and those friends have friends and so on it goes.More and more businesses have a facebook and or twitter page,have you noticed the ads on tv and radio no longer say go to www.blah.com?,they all say find us and like us on facebook!We had some fun coming up with a name for the MESS too and that all came about through facebook using my personal account,some of my friends would post an idea and one part lead to the next and out of all the mess came “The Maine Equine Super Showdeo”.Wow,I like it! Then someone pointed out the acronym by posting a comment “Do you realize the abbreviation spells MESS?” Well it didn’t take long to catch on before we started the saying “Don’t Miss The MESS”!So we have a “catchy” name for our show and I immediately made a facebook page for the MESS and shared with my friends to share with others.I don’t think it was but a few days before a post appeared on the MESS page “I started to build a website for the MESS”.At first I’m thinking “this is great,we will need a website and someone is volunteering!” then comes the question “OK,who is this and do they have the skills to build a quality site?We have too much on the line to trust just anyone!” So I chatted with Lisa Kennedy as the days went on and saw some of her work,it was fantastic!Lisa and I we’re emailing back and forth daily about the website,I would make poster type jpg’s and gif’s and a kinds of other files and send them off to her,she’d work her magic and make them look like something great on the web.We worked together for months before we actually met in person,I could not believe she was so dedicated to this venture!Lisa truly is a driving force for the MESS and we certainly owe our thanks to her!Thanks Lisa!

Back in Time

The recent posts have been letting you know whats happening now,so I thought it would be good to go back to the beginning.The idea of the MESS came about slowly,partly from wanting to compete in some of the “big events” like the NBHA down in Virginia or Georgia which I never could take the time from work or enough cash.So I toyed with the thought of holding a “big barrel racing event” here in Maine,I soon realized getting enough sponsors and vendors involved would be difficult,just barrel racing wouldn’t be enough.As president of one of the local clubs I knew if a few clubs worked together we could help each other,some of our members would participate in the others show too.If we could do this on a larger scale the event would attract sponsors and vendors.So I started talking to people and the idea gained interest,this is happening around September of 2010.Next step find a location and Topsham fair grounds had it.Off to meet with the Topsham Fair Association in October,they supported the idea, I didn’t have funds to rent the grounds so we made a deal so they could keep any camping and stall rental money.Now we have a location,next contact several club leaders and find a time when we all can get together,finally meeting scheduled for December.In the mean time talk to potential sponsors because this event will cost some serious money.At this time I still didn’t have commitments from the clubs so how do you get sponsors without any shows?The clubs reps finally meet,we have a plan that works for all of us but we have to go back to our clubs for approval.Now we have six clubs on board but no money.Now hit the pavement and knock on doors of potential sponsors,success! Ames True Value signs with us as a headline sponsor! Now we are on our feet but so much more to do!Stay tuned for the next episode!~Harry

Next Post

Made some progress today!Ames True Value and The Tack Shop at Ames will return as a headline sponsor for the 2012 MESS,this is a great relief!previously they had said they’d help us again but had not committed to what level.Next week I have a big meeting with a well known auto dealer with multiple locations around the state,hoping I can bring them on board as a co-headline sponsor!That would allow us to promote the event more!

Making another MESS!

A couple weeks ago our club reps met to review our first MESS,each club received a rebate check! It appears everyone wants to go ahead with another MESS to be held July 6-8,2012. We hope more clubs will join next year as this is a great opportunity for all.Many of our vendors and sponsors have stated they will be back again!So proud of everyone’s effort to make the MESS a success!
I’m meeting with the Topsham Fair Association tonight about some ideas for next year.I’ll post updates!!~Harry

Hello Horse Lovers

This is our Radio ad from last year.