Information about Booking a Judge, Demonstrator, Speaker or Teacher
When seeking to engage a Judge, Demonstrator, Speaker or Teacher, the official NAFAS booking form must be used. This is known as a "blue form" and they are available from the Area Trading Officer. These should be used to make sure the booking is formal and that all the necessary information has been provided. These forms should not be used if booking a non-qualified person who is not on a NAFAS list.
Booking procedure: The Judge, Demonstrator, Speaker or Teacher should be contacted by telephone or email to check their availability. Fullest details of the date, day, time and location including post code, should be given and and expenses/fees agreed. The fees and expenses are by negotiation between the Club and the person being booked. Information must be given as to whether the meeting is open or not.
Then complete the booking form, give as much detail of the hall. Where appropriate give as much information about the hall, stage, lighting and sound system as possible. A suitable form can be found on the demonstrators page.
Part A of the form is completed by the programme secretary and the whole form is sent to the person who is being booked together with a stamped addressed envelope. The Judge, Demonstrator, Speaker or Teacher will then, on accepting, retain part A, complete part B and return parts B&C to the Programme Secretary, who on agreeing to the booking details complete and returns part C.
The programme secretary should then contact the Judge, Demonstrator, Speaker or Teacher approximately three weeks prior to the event to finalise arrangements.
Open Meeting The definition of an open meeting is one where the meeting is advertised as an Open Meeting and tickets are sold to those other than Club Members or where there is a Group Meeting and the audience is larger than 150, Clubs and Demonstrators should not book the same Demonstration within a 12 mile radius in the same three month period.
The Code of Practice for Clubs, Demonstrators, Speakers and Teachers provides some useful information as to how to the get the best from your event and can be downloaded by clicking on the document below In the rare occurrence you need to lodge a complaint please download the appropriate file below.
NAFAS produces a list of plant materials that those taking tests as Demonstrators and Judges are expected to know. This also provides a handy list of plant material that is useful for plant material. The list has recently been amended and it is now only necessary to know the genus of the plant and not the species and variety so for example, you just need to know Pittosporum rather than Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Silver Queen’. The list is below, although it is headed as being for the demonstrators it is the same list as that used by judges
Alternative Mechanics
The Education Committee has produced a guide to alternative mechanics which does provide some useful insights into what is available. The document can be downloaded by clicking on the file below