The Cost Of Hook-Up: Show Centres Explain

DEBATE over the cost of electric hook-up services at shows has arisen again as the competition season gets under way.

- Lucy Elder

Many venues offer hook-up for lorries as a service to competitors, but the cost can be significant on top of entry fees, fuel and stabling. In response to competitors’ querying the extent of the charge, venues have denied it is a way to make money, and explained how the costs add up.

“We just about wash our face [with money from hook-up service sales],” Hickstead director Lizzie Bunn told H&H.

“It is amazing what it costs to run a show, and it’s the same with the hook-up.”

The service costs competitors between £75 and £95 for the duration of Hickstead’s major shows, depending on the length of the fixtures.

NOT MAKING MONEY

MS BUNN added it is not simply the cost of hiring generators, but transport, cabling, around £10,000 of fuel per week, a team of on-site electricians, replacing damaged distribution points, security and health and safety factors that add up.