Westminster KC 150th Anniversary with Don Sturz

Host Laura Reeves is joined by WKC president Don Sturz to discuss the upcoming 150th anniversary of the iconic dog show.

“Last year, we all kind of looked at this return to New York City, going into a new venue, the Javits Center, coming back to Madison Square Garden with new teams of people and spaces, we really kind of viewed that as a dress rehearsal and we were very open to it being like a learning experience. And I think what happened was it actually ended up being opening night,” Sturz said.

From more sinks in the benching area to more bleachers around the rings, Sturz walks through the nitty gritty behind the scenes of the show venues.

“In the Marketplace Hall, which is where the Westminster Merch store is, that hall is probably the one where we put the most effort into. In that one, there was so much more space there than what we thought we had. And so we've brought in more vendors,” Sturz said. “We're trying to have more activations in that room to engage spectators. There's going to be a historical and immersive installation in there, which will kind of take you through the history of Westminster and all the moments that will be really, really beautiful, I think. And I think with this addition of sponsors and vendors and activations and engagement and photo ops we’re kind of just taking it to another level.

“We just shot a new Best of Breed winner video because that process is changing. (Previously) the Best of Breed winners filled out a card and took it to the Superintendent and got their MSG wristbands.

“This year it's going to be different. Westminster will have our own best of breed table outside the superintendent’s office. So the card will be the same and you'll fill out the information, but you'll go to this desk, someone will be there to take that information and put it into a live doc that will be shared with MSG. You will get your credentials at the ramp at MSG because there was a lot of confusion for people, you know, as far as like who had the wristband.

“We're really encouraging people to come as your team, come together, because you're all going to get your wristbands together. So that's a little different. And so this video will explain all of that.”