Crufts is the largest dog show in the world and sees the NEC overrun with more than 21,600 pedigree dogs, 400 trade exhibitors and 120,000 visitors over four days every March.
The doors open to exhibitors at 6.15am and to the public at 8.15am. They close at 7.30pm. "It is one of our earlier starts and it closes later than most, particularly on the last day," admits NEC planning director Kim Saunders.
Crufts is no ordinary show, as show manager Vanessa McAlpine can testify.
"The majority of floor space is not self-financing, which makes it more of an event rather than an exhibition," she explains.
A large proportion of floor space was given over to trade stands alongside the 34 small show rings and four main show and demonstration areas. An Obedience World Cup was staged for the first time and the regular Discover Dogs area, which runs as a standalone show later in the year at Earls Court in London, was also incorporated.
Such an unusual event has a unique set of requirements and organiser The Kennel Club has to work closely with the NEC. "We liaised with the supplier of the special events ring and the main arena. We also made sure easy-access ramps were ready for when The Kennel Club arrived on site," says Saunders.
Interactive show
"Apart from the main stage, it's not the most challenging show in terms of the build," admits NEC group business director James Graham. "But in terms of numbers it is one of our top five shows and it's very interactive."
To this end, the width of the aisles were widened to ensure good visitor flow through the halls, the NEC's 23,000 parking spaces were put to good use and a network of TV monitors were set up by Viewpress to broadcast highlights of the day's events throughout the venue.
The Best in Show final was televised during a live two-hour BBC broadcast, so the main arena had to meet more than just the Kennel Club's requirements.
"We work extremely closely with the BBC and compromise as far as the main ring is concerned to make sure the lighting and branding is right," says McAlpine.
"Coordinating the live broadcast is very difficult, particularly as events earlier in the day can overrun and it is timed to the minute."
Other features unique to Crufts include more than eight kilometres of ceiling banners in the event's green and cream brand colours and 7,000 dog benches built by specialist firm Bannerdown, which had to be rebuilt each night to accommodate the different sized dogs on the following day.
A team of vets was on hand and the temperature in the halls was kept at two degrees below the normal 20 deg C to 22 deg C to ensure the dogs' comfort.
With so many animals in one place, a special agricultural detergent and deodoriser were used to keep the venue clean and hygienic. The Kennel Club opted for carpet tiles, despite the extra cost, as they are easily replaced if soiled.
And the event organiser put 50,000 dog waste bags around the halls and provided an electrical dog mess scooper to take care of any little accidents.
Perfect formula
Crufts moved from Earls Court to the NEC in 1991 and its layout has changed a number of times since. But one year after the show's centenary, McAlpine is confident that The Kennel Club has found the perfect formula.
"The current layout works really well and we've seen significant growth in the number of visitors over the past few years," she says."Our research suggests the average Crufts visitor stays for four or five hours as opposed to the usual two or three. I think it's part of the charm that visitors can see so much in one day."
As well as the BBC broadcast the event is televised in more than 40 countries across the globe. NEC Group chief executive Barry Cleverdon says: "Crufts is an institution on the same scale as Wimbledon and Ascot and we're proud to host it."
FACT FILE - Crufts 2004
Venue: NEC, Halls 1-5
Organiser: The Kennel Club
Size: 85,585 sq m
Date: 4-7 March 2004
Main sponsor: Pedigree Masterfoods
Number of exhibitors: 400
Number of visitors: 120,000
Exhibition stand contractor: Melville Exhibition Services
Dog bench supplier: Bannerdown
TV network monitors: Viewpress
Main and special events stage supplier: Austen-Lewis