AgShow - The Agricultural Show Society Administrator's Assistant

Quick Overview of AgShow Entries:

AgShow Entries is a computer program that is designed to facilitate the show administrator in many of the day-by-day tasks involved in running an Agricultural Show and has just been released in July 2014.
The program is a 'cut-down' version of its parent program AgShow, only including the Schedule, Entries and Results modules, which are basically identical to those in AgShow. (AgShow additionally contains Sponsorship, Membership and Trade Stalls modules.)
So, AgShow Entries contains sufficient functionality to help a small show society run their annual show. And, AgShow Entries is more affordable to suit a small show society's budget. AgShow Entries uses a compatible data file format to AgShow so it provides for a seamless future upgrade to AgShow.

AgShow Entries can assist the Show Society Administrator by:

• Schedule preparation and printing:
  The schedule is defined on a section-subsection-class heirarchy. However, the flexibility of AgShow Entries' schedule module should ensure the schedule in AgShow Entries is almost identical to your current schedule.
• Stewards can be specified for each section, subsection and/or class. AgShow Entries facilitates communication with stewards by interfacing directly with Microsoft Word's Mail Merge, where individually addressed letters can be printed or emailed.
• AgShow Entries helps to collate a professionally looking Schedule Booklet by outputting the schedule directly into Microsoft Word, or any program that supports the .rtf file format.
• Collecting and processing entries:
  Data entry of show entries is quite straightforward. An entrant's personal details are entered (or selected from a list if previously entered) then the class for each entry is selected and, with one more click of the mouse, the new entry is created. But, data entry is still time consumming. AgShow Entries supports multiple computers connected together on a Local Area Network (LAN) to be connected to the same data file, hence enabling multiple people to help with the data entry.
• You can also define extra information you may require to collect for each entry.
  eg.: Animal Number, Tag Number, Horse's Name, Date of Birth, Selling Price, etc. The number of extra information fields is unlimited and is defined on a section basis.
• Entrant personal details only need to be entered once, irrespective of how many entries. And, these personal details are carried forward from one year to the next.
• A Confirmation of Entry can be emailed or posted to each entrant clearly outlining their entries, entry fees paid and any amount owing.
• AgShow Entries can also collate the show entries into an Entry Catalogue.
• On show day, informative Stewards Class Sheets detailing extensive information on each entry can easily be printed for judging purposes.
• Maybe you only take entries on the day of the show. AgShow can print blank Stewards Class Sheets (a page for every class) that entries can be written onto. A Placing Slip can be printed on the bottom where winners are specified for returning to the Secretary.
• Results data entry is an easy point-and-click that simply links an entry to a placing.
• You can even print your own Prize Certificates from within AgShow Entries, personalised with the winning class and entrant names.
• Prizes owing to each entrant across selected sections can be printed making prize payment efficient.
• AgShow Entries supports GST on entries and on prizes that registered entrants can declare (see below).
• Collating points for Aggregate Competitions across different classes is supported.
• Schedule, stewards and entrant details are rolled over from year to year, so avoiding redoing much of the data entered during the first year.
• AgShow provides a solid foundation for a new Secretary in a Society already using AgShow. (i.e. AgShow supports Secretary roll-overs .)

The Activities page from AgShow Help describes these activities in full and specifies how AgShow can assist with each activity.

AgShow Entries has GST Support:

• Registered Entrants, such as stud breeders, can claim GST included within an entry fee and should also declare any GST included within a cash prize.
• AgShow Entries prints detailed Tax Invoice reports that can be mailed or directly emailed to registered entrants.
• Included or added GST on cash prizes for registered entrants.
• Summary reports that detail GST included in entry fees, gate payments and prize money paid.
• see the GST Considerations page from AgShow Help for more details.

System Requirements:

• A Pentium 2 GHz or better IBM compatible microcomputer.
• Windows 2000 or later.
• Mouse and CDROM.
• 1024 x 768 MINIMUM screen resolution.
• 1 GB RAM (preferably 4+ GB)
• 1 GB free hard disk space.
• Good quality printer.
• AgShow Entries runs under either Microsoft Access 2007 or 2010. The installation program will detect if either one is on the computer and construct the startup command line accordingly. If neither version is installed then the installation program will download the Microsoft Access 2010 Runtime (180MB) from the Microsoft web site, or from the CD for a CD installation, and install it. Microsoft have dropped a number of key components in Access 2013, so AgShow Entries will not run under Access 2013 or Office 365.

How much does AgShow Entries cost?

• New pricing from 1-Jul-2015: A once only payment of $200 (previously $500).
  AgShow Entries can be seamlessly upgraded to AgShow at any time for an extra $800..
• There are no time limits on the use of AgShow Entries.
• AgShow Entries may be installed on multiple computers within the same Show Society.
• You can download a copy of the AgShow Entries License Agreement.
• The first time that you use AgShow Entries is by far the most difficult because your schedule is required to be entered. This is a once-off, time-consuming task that SoftShow can do for you, subject to availablity, at an extra charge of $300.

How to order AgShow Entries:

• A simple email to brian@softshow.com.au containing postal information is the easiest way to order. Payment is not required immediately as AgShow Entries will be posted to you along with an invoice.
• Alternatively, you can ring or post a letter to the phone or address in the Contact Us page.
• AgShow Entries is posted as a CD along with installation instructions plus a small information manual.
• AgShow Entries does not come with a User's Manual as such, but it does contain a very comprehensive context-sensitive help system. (This help can be viewed from this web site via AgShow Help.)
• One question often asked is: Does AgShow Entries support entrants entering and paying for their entries online?
  Answer: No. And there are no plans to add this in the immediate future.

Try AgShow:

The AgShow Trial Program can be freely downloaded and installed. This demonstration program is the latest Version 14.1 released April 2014.
The AgShow Trial is the same program as AgShow, except the number of classes, entries and contacts are restricted. So, not only can you play with AgShow but you can also start to create your own show data file using the AgShow Trial that can then be used when you purchase either of the full AgShow or the AgShow Entries program. Note that the AgShow Trial also contains the sponsorships, memberships and trade stall modules not available in AgShow Entries so you will also get to see what you will miss out on.

If you have difficulty with the download, email brian@softshow.com.au and I will post out a CD of the AgShow Trial along with a small manual containing a set of exercises to work through in order to fully evaluate AgShow.

Installation Troubleshooting:

• AgShow Entries will NOT run under Access 2010 64 bit.
• Solution is to download and install the 32 bit Access 2007 Runtime.
  (A copy of the setup file is stored here (56 MB).)
  You do NOT need to uninstall Access 2010.
• Once the Access 2007 Runtime is installed reinstall AgShow Entries.
• Within AgShow Entries Setup, select Access 2007 for AgShow Entries to run under.