THE Royal Agricultural Society of WA (RASWA) will do everything in its power to make sure the Perth Royal Show goes ahead this year, despite the many hurdles created by COVID-19.
RASWA chief executive Peter Cooper told Farm Weekly the organisation was working on the premise that in a few weeks time there would be a more definitive timeline of what restrictions would be in place later in the year.
"We are in regular contact with the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture as well and the clear message we've been getting is to hold on for as long as we can - so there is some internal hope and optimism that we might get the opportunity to go ahead," Mr Cooper said.
"The easiest thing to do would have been to put the cue in the rack, but my council has shown courage and said let's push it as hard as we can for as long as we can and not make that call unless we definitely have to."
RASWA have been busy preparing the event for a variety of scenarios and restrictions that could be in place in late September - when the Perth Royal Show traditionally starts.
"We've always done things a certain way, so we've really had to look at the show as a blank canvas this year and think of ways we can deliver it in this unique environment and do it safely," Mr Cooper said.
"We have considered scenarios about how we could potentially run a show with restricted numbers, not on the size footprint of the whole showground.
"The different possibilities are spurring a lot of creativity and innovation from our team and exhibitors, as it's challenging the norms."
If permitted to go ahead, Mr Cooper said the Perth Royal Show would be the perfect trial event post-COVID-19.
"The profile of the show is probably not as risky for mass gatherings, as it is typically for families as opposed to, for example, a stadium event where everyone might go to the toilet at the same time," he said.
As a post COVID-19 world emerges, Mr Cooper said he expected no events would run the same way they had in previous years.
"Now it's all about traceability, so straight off the bat we will need to keep track of anyone who attends an event," Mr Cooper said.
"There will need to be some health questions before you enter the showgrounds and obviously there will be more of a focus on the cleaning regimes and sanitisation.
"There will also only be a certain number of people allowed inside the buildings within the showgrounds, so we will have counters recording exactly how many people there are."
With a central theme of connecting communities, Mr Cooper said, if given the go ahead, the Perth Royal Show would be certain to raise morale and give people the sense of normality they were craving.
"In the background I am in communication with a lot of the regional ag societies and the feedback I am getting from a lot of them is that they too are hoping they will be able to hold their events and they are also encouraging us to hold on," Mr Cooper said.
"As for our Royal Show counterparts - I think Hobart and ourselves are the only two that have held out so far."
While the organisation would aim for the show to be held on its usual dates, Mr Cooper said they hadn't yet been confirmed due to the fluidity of the situation.
"We would only change the week if we knew that the mass gathering ban was going to be lifted on a certain date," he said.
With the event attracting many small business operators who are struggling due to the impacts of COVID-19, Mr Cooper said the amount of national inquiries into the event had also grown.
"We are providing some hope to small local and national businesses that have been through a really tough time, so we are going to make sure that we take every opportunity we can to get this show up and running," he said.
