August 08 News
Records smashed at 50th CLA Game Fair
The 50th Anniversary CLA Game Fair, held at Blenheim Palace, smashed all previous records, with 151,000 people atending over the three days.
Organizers believe that this increase in audience figures was due to visitors missing out in 2007 – and the fabulous weather would have helped enormously in drawing in the crowds.
A road accident on the main route from Oxford to the fair, on the Friday, caused major traffic problems, but traffic flowed more freely on Saturday and Sunday. Game Fair Director David Hough said: "The sophisicated £10,000 traffic management system put in place for the evet really did work effectively."
Many exhibitors reported brisk trade. Claire Saunders, on Barbour's stand, said that their new lightweight shooting coat was "flying off the hangers" and had sold out of it by the day's end. The credit crunch seemed a distant memory as other retailers on the 500 acre site reported record sales. Dylan Williams, of The Really Wild Clothing Company, said: "Sales on the first day equated to a whole year's trade at some of our retail outlets."
Readers flocked to the Sporting Shooter stand in Gunmakers' Row, to talk shooting with the magazine's experts.
Read Sub-editor Harriet Salisbury's blog
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