Internet FAQ

Here are the answers to some more questions you may have about using the Internet with Showday. If you can’t find what you are looking for here why not try one of the following:

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Is there a charge for using showdayonline.com?

The annual support fee includes access to showdayonline.ciom.  Details of pricing can be found on the Editions page.

Find out more about the different editions of Showday

Do all editions of Showday allow for online entries?

Yes.

How easy is it for entrants to use showdayonline.com?

Try it yourself. We think you will find it very easy. It works like a typical shopping cart – pick what you want and then go to the checkout.

Try out showdayonline.com

How can members and non-members be charged different entry fees?

Both the member and non-member entry fees are uploaded to showdayonline.com with the schedule. The entrant indicates which fee to pay. Once the entries are received into Showday, fees are checked against those held on file. The entrant’s membership status is also checked.

How can I tie up payments with entries received on-line?

Each set of entries is given a unique code which appears both on screen and on the payment slip received with the cheque.

What about membership fees and extras?

All membership fees and extras can also be paid online.

How can I charge a mandatory processing fee?

Just specify the item as mandatory in the Extras table held by Showday and it will be uploaded to showdayonline.com as mandatory. It will appear on the entrant’s item list at the checkout stage and can’t be removed.

What if my show already has its own web site?

That’s no problem. You can set up a link on your web site to go directly to your schedule on showdayonline.com. A link is also provided direct to your web site from your main schedule page on showdayonline.com. The two web sites can work seamlessly together.

I’m on a fairly slow Internet connection. Is that OK?

The transmission files are quite small. You can pick up incoming entries on a daily basis to reduce the size of each download. Both the schedule and results are compressed before uploading. The schedule would not exceed 50k even for a big show. Results are likely to be much smaller. These are not large files by Internet transmission standards.

What do I need to do before I can use online entries?

Apart from running Showday you will also need an Internet connection on the same computer. If you already have an Internet connection then it is almost certainly going to work with Showday. Before accepting entries online you complete your schedule details in Showday plus a few extra pieces of information for the web site and upload them to showdayonline.com. When you mail out your schedule include some clear instructions on how to find showdayonline.com.

Do I need to send out a printed schedule at all?

It will be some time before everyone has access to the Internet. At present it is assumed that you will still need to send out a printed schedule. In the future you may just be able to send all of your members an email saying "Online entries are now open at showdayonline.com" and include a link to your online schedule.

Can I opt out of online entries at a later stage?

Of course, but we think you will find that once your members can make their own online entries they won"t want to go back to form filling.