The following is a summary of what was presented at the GLR Regional meeting in Niles, Ohio. My thanks to all who contributed.

After the 2005 Great Lakes Region Awards Show and Banquet, a survey was sent to the clubs to gain region input for future regional awards shows and banquets. Realizing that not all GLR exhibitors belong to clubs, and that not all club members would be able to give their input through their clubs, our Regional Director also requested that individuals be surveyed. An informal survey was taken asking what individuals liked and disliked about our most recent and also other past GLR Awards Banquets and Shows. Responses were collected from 40 individuals, including 18 who returned the survey, 6 who gave input in person and 16 who gave their thoughts on the GLR mail list after the event.

Summary of recurring themes that seem to have general consensus:

1. The banquet needs to be special, elegant, nice, a celebration
2. Space, space, space. There must be enough space for all who want to attend to be able to and to be comfortable
3. Food must be of good quality and there needs to be enough
4. Our awards are wonderful and we are rightfully proud of them
5. On The Road Again is enjoyed by a vast majority
6. People are willing to pay a little more to assure quality, but still want banquet costs kept under control
7. The show should be centrally located and should stay in the same place (a small but vocal minority disagree)
8. Whoever announces the awards (judges seem to be a preference) needs to be sober and know how to pronounce the owners and cat’s names
9. The banquet should be about the awards, fundraising is fine but should happen at another time
10. Sponsorship of the awards is a wonderful thing
11. The pot luck at the show on Saturday was yummy

Although there were many other ideas presented, and many will prove useful to those putting on future events, these items represent the ones where their appeared to be majority agreement. Some people loved the food and the casual atmosphere at the Toledo Zoo banquet and others thought the food was awful and the casual atmosphere was inappropriate. Some people felt that drinking should be eliminated or at least prohibited before the awards are announced, others felt that there needed to be better access to the bar and a larger drink selection. Some thought the breed awards should be mailed out and not presented or presented more quickly, others thought there should be special awards like at the Annual, not just certificates.

All suggestions are appreciated, have been recorded, and will be taken into consideration. Thank you.