So, did The Martial Arts Show live up to its expectations, did the event that everyone wanted to see happen in the Midlands go off without a hitch and was it really . . . the greatest show on earth?
The one thing that we wanted to create or gain from the show was for it to be an enjoyable, interesting and "must revisit" experience and I believe that we managed to do that, judging by the amount of compliments and "See you next year" quotes that we had both at the event and after it.
As for the content of the show itself it was truly fantastic! Everyone that played their part did so with consummate professionalism and every demonstration, guest appearance and seminar, in fact every facet of the show was better than anyone could have hoped for! Having created and staged many large events I can honestly say that with regards to the martial artists who were involved in the show, they simply couldn't have done a better job than they did, so well done to you ALL!
One of the highlights of the show was the Dragon and Lion Dance troupes that opened the event and as you can see from the photo's, they attracted a great deal of attention and rightly so. The audience were spell bound and the feedback was fantastic, something that we will have to repeat next year. Another feat of skill was the sight of Peter Love washing his hands, arms and face in a bowl of broken bottle glass!!! I think that this along with his successful attempt at setting a new World Record for breaking chopsticks on his throat captured the imagination of the massive audience in attendance.
For anyone "into" Britain's Got Talent (the TV show) The Martial Arts Show provided a superb surprise in the form of the TV shows semi final achievers Shaolin TEAM, who gave several highly charged and fantastic demonstrations throughout the weekend. Shaolin TEAM, (which stands for Together Everyone Achieves More) gave 100% every time they took to the stage and Mathew (together with the entire Shaolin TEAM crew) quickly became very firm favourites with all that attended and were followed around the event from the moment they arrived.
There were many very senior martial arts practitioners that graced The Martial Arts Show with their presence, which for me, placed the event on the must see list of every "real" martial arts practitioner and fan alike. Amongst the many very supportive seniors were; Terry O'Neill, Ronnie Colwell, Yap Leong, Ed Parker Jnr, Alfie Lewis, Ronnie Green, Reny Latosa, Peter Consterdine, Braulio Estima, Pat O'Malley, Scott Adkins, Shaun Boland, Dragan Radovic and his son Rajko, Alan Gibson, Brian Dossett, Kevin Pell, Charles Longdon Hughes, Kevin Mills, Chris Denwood, Peter Love, Eddie Quinn, Frank Massar, Jamie Clubb, Jim Uglow, Paul Whitrod, Joe Hallett, Rick Hinchcliffe, Tony Vohra, Zara Phythian, Robert Devanne, Robbie Brookside, Robert Higgs, John Burke, Shaun Rawcliffe, John Ives, John Skillen, Julian Dale, Mandy Johnson, Mark Kirton, Mak Yuree, Matthew Ahmet, Matt Tucker, Mick Gooch, Mike Selby, Paul Drury, Paul Smith, Peter Brown and not to mention the fabulous Gok Wan!- Thank you to you all, you helped make a great event that much more special!!!
Throughout the weekend there was a constant stream of people that took the time out to thank us for bringing martial arts back to the Midlands, making it more accessible to the wider community. We had people from Scotland, Wales and the Emerald isle travel to take part or witness the tremendous and vast array of martial arts talent that the show provided.
There was also a large amount of International visitors that made the trip to take part in the many FREE activities such as the seminars, Workshops and
tournaments. We also staged the screening of Scott Adkins new film; Undisputed and whilst we had a delay in the screening everyone was very patient as was the truly fantastic Scott. You can be sure that you will be hearing a great deal more of Scott in the future as he really is one of the UK's brightest acting talents!
There was also an overriding air of happiness, a feeling of being a part of something that was "meant to be" rather than a business or commercial environment. Yes the companies that assisted the show in being able to take place, by taking a stand at it, had very a good response, but they too were a part of the atmosphere - It was more like a gathering of friends than a commercial entity. There were people there that hadn't seen each other for
several years that expressed their delight at the way everyone had conducted themselves. It truly exceeded our expectations and I know that I say this on behalf of everyone involved, we too had the greatest time so, THANK YOU, you all made it a fantastic event and we look forward to seeing you all again next year at the greatest martial arts show.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my partners in crime on this event, Kwoklyn Wan and Adam Jeffery for they made it a most memorable and enjoyable adventure. Without them, not only would The Martial Arts Show not have taken place, it would not have been anywhere near as good as it was, congratulations partners. I would also like to give a special mention to Jan Harley, Jack, Craig, Nick, Eddie, Tracey, Jamie, Nia, Mike, Sam, Dave, Lak and all the Urban team for their very hard work as well as my own family, Donna, Paige and Pierce, you all made the weekend a VERY special and enjoyable one, so, Thank you.
I suppose the BIG question would be - if we had time to change the way we did some of the things we did at the show, would we do them differently - well, yes we would. But, if you were to ask me, would we change any of the people that were a part of the show - the answer would be a resounding NO - THEY WERE ALL TERRIFIC!!!
I'll leave you now to enjoy the photo's from the event and look forward to seeing you all again next year when we will once again aim to stage the Greatest Martial Arts Show on Earth - With your support of course!!!
|
