Please bring your Champs ticket with you to gain entry if you have received one. This will expedite your entry.

 

If you are a lady entering Lucky Dip please remember your pink slip and complete it before you arrive.

 

Remember, you are not allowed to bring your own food or drinks into this venue. Please don’t flout this rule as it will delay your entry and that of every one else. Any food or drink you attempt to bring into the building will be confiscated. If you have a medical condition and need special dietary requirements then please contact or ring the Champs hotline on 07914 224 799.

 

Videography and Photography.
You are not allowed to publish any contents (videos, photos, sound recordings) taken at this event.

 

Please carefully read the Terms and Conditions.

The schedule will be available online from this Home page, few days before the Champs day.

The doors will open at 10.30am.
If you are competing in the Lucky Dip, please ensure you are there before 10:30am.

 

We will be using the main double doors at the front of the new glass fronted extension to the original Colosseum building. From the rear car parks you will have to walk around the building to gain entry.

There is plenty of overnight accommodation within easy reach of the Colosseum and literally hundreds of websites advertising the full range of options. We suggest you use a search engine and key words such as ‘Watford B&B’ or ‘Watford Hotels’ that will bring up a vast choice.
The venue postcode is WD17 3JN and full contact details can be found here, www.watfordcolosseum.co.uk

There is plenty of parking within easy reach of the Colosseum.
Pay & Display Car Parks -
The Town Hall Car Park is directly behind the Colosseum.
The Avenue Car Park is in the centre of the roundabout at the junction of the A411 and A412. Both these car parks charge £5 for the day. Charges apply 7am - 6pm.
The Gade Multi Storey car park is a 5 minute walk way the other side of the A412 from the venue accessed via the underpass. The charges apply 10am - 6pm on a Sunday and vary depending which level you park on. Level 3 and up is £5 for the day.
Follow this link for more information on parking in Watford.

http://en.parkopedia.co.uk/parking/gade_watford/

 

There is some on street parking around the Colosseum. Just north of the venue the other-side of the Avenue car park is a residential area accessed via a road called ‘The Avenue’. It is between a 5 - 10 minute walk to the venue from this area. The Avenue and the adjacent residential streets have have single yellow lines where restrictions don't apply on a Sunday. The earlier you get there the closer you will be able to park to the venue.
The parking is MAINLY free on a Bank Holiday Sunday but please take time to look for the nearest parking time plate so that you know you are parking legally.

Never park across drop kerbs or with your wheels on the pavement as you will get a ticket. Do not block any obvious access points or park on private property.

Please do not leave ANYTHING of value in your car and definitely do not leave anything on display valuable or not.
Do not leave loose change, coats, phone or GPS chargers or cradles or anything else on display in your car.
If you use a Sat Nav or phone cradle with a suction pad that leaves a mark on the inside of your windscreen then wipe the screen clean so there is no indication that either may be in your car.
Empty your glove box and leave it open so it is obvious nothing of value is in there.
There is a free cloakroom at the venue where you can leave anything of value.

PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THE RISK OF LEAVING ANYTHING OF VALUE IN YOUR CAR.

There will be one entry to the venue. This will be at the main entrance at front of the new glass extension to the Colosseum that houses the cafe bar. No other entrances will be used. There will be Ceroc stewards in attendance to guide people to entrances. Please ensure you have your tickets in hand and ready to present upon arrival at the venue to expedite speed of entry. If you do not have your ticket in hand you will be referred to the Ticket Collection Desk just inside the entrance.

Do not try and bring your own food or drink into the venue as it will be confiscated and this whole process slows down entry.

Upon entry you will be directed to the cloakrooms/changing rooms/dance areas as required. They will be adequately signposted and there will be Champs Crew available who can answer any questions you may have.

Passes to get in and out are available all day, just ask the Ceroc Stewards at the front entrance. We will not be stamping your hand or or issuing wristbands.

If you arrive between 10.30am and midday enter the venue where there will be 2 reception points in the front lobby area. One will be for 'Pre Paid Ticket Collection'. Your tickets will be available from that point if you did not receive them in the post. After midday the points will be combined so there will be just information desk that deals with all queries.

You do not need to register on the day for any competition categories in which you are already entered and have your dance numbers. You do need to check the Results Wall there the dance card numbers of couples moving to the next round will be displayed. This will be located in the foyer area on the ground floor. If you do pass through to the next round please refer to the schedule of the day for the listing of your next round so that you know at what time to be on the floor for your category heat.

If you are on the Waiting List for the Lucky Dip you will need to go to the Information point, which is located in the entrance foyer where you will be met by a Judge who will look after you.

All Competitors taking part in the Lucky Dip need to be down on the main dance floor at 1115hrs (11.15am) at the latest where you will be allocated a partner! The first heat will start at approx. 1130hrs. (11.30pm).
Please be there on time, men with your numbers pinned with 4 safety pins on your back... no numbers on front or on trousers please, and Ladies make sure you have your Pink Slip with you name filled out correctly. The Compere and Judges will sort you all into rows and into pairs, then move you around a random amount of times to mix you all up. Once you are allocated a final partner the Judges will take the pink slip from the Ladies and fill out her partner's number on it, thus confirming that partnership for this competition. Each row will then be allocated a Heat number and that will determine when you get on the dance floor to compete.
You will then need to check the Results Wall, (which is located in the foyer on the ground floor), so that you know at what time to be on the floor for your category heat.

Ladies in Lucky Dip
Ladies are not allocated Dance Numbers for the Lucky Dip. They will have received prior to the event by post a pink slip with their name on it. Ladies need to line up on the floor with their pink slip in hand. Once they are lined up with their final partners the Judges will come around and collect the pink slips and write their partner's number on the slip. This slip is then kept safely and the couples in the final will be checked to ensure they have not swapped partners.

Lucky Dip Waiting List
If you want to enter the Lucky Dip but female spaces are sold out then you will need to go to the Information Point in the front lobby, where you will be met by the LD administrator. This point is situated in the front lobby area and is the main information point for the day. We have a offer last minute Lucky Dip places because there are invariably competitors who do not make it on time for the allocation of partners at 1115 hrs (11.15am), and we need to have even numbers of ladies and men in this competition category.

The procedure for inclusion in the event from the Lucky Dip Waiting List is as follow: The Waiting List normally consists of 5 men and 5 women. Each dancer on the Waiting List is given a place number in the list. Each dancer on the List is sent a slip with their name and place number on it. 'Ladies Lucky Dip Waiting List Competitor number 1' will be the first dancer to be included in the allocation of partners for the competition if there is a shortage of women, and so on... All dancers on the Waiting List must meet at the Information Point in the front foyer at 1100hrs. sharp to register with a judge. They should all have their numbered slip. The Ladies should also have their pink Lucky Dip slips with their names in full as required. The men must have their white dance number pinned to their backs. A judge will meet them there and take them to the side of the main stage. As the Compere requires dancers to make up the numbers in each row, he will ask the judge to provide someone from the Waiting List. The Judge will ask someone by name to join the competition. If you are not asked to join the competition then you are free to rejoin the audience.

Situated in the foyer area is the Information Point. The Information Point is manned all day by Champs Crew who are on hand to answer any queries you may have regarding all aspects of the Championships. They will also have radios available so if there is anything they cannot answer, they can find someone who can. There will be a 'Champs Bible' at the Information Desk which will include the following:
Category entrants by Competitors name and Dance Number,
Competitors by name, alphabetically and by Dance Number, chronologically.
Preliminary Heats details. (The other heats and finals will be posted on the 'Results Board').
So if you've forgotten your Dance Number, or you have got your number but forgotten your name (!) come and find out who you are at the Information Point!

Ladies Changing Areas
There is a large area set aside specifically for Ladies Changing. This is NOT a secure area and dancers are advised to place all their belongings in the FREE Cloakrooms. The Ladies Changing Area is located on the 1st floor behind the stage accessed via the left side of the stage viewed from the auditorium. There will be signs at the venue indicating where the Ladies Changing area is located. Ask any Champs Crew member on the day if you have trouble finding them. Once you have changed please return your bags to the FREE cloakrooms.

 

Gentlemen's Changing Areas
There is an equally large area set aside specifically for Gents Changing. These are not secure areas and dancers are advised to place all their belongings in the Cloakrooms. The Gents Changing Area is located on the 1st floor behind the stage accessed via the right side of the stage viewed from the auditorium There will be signs at the venue indicating where the Gents Changing area is located. Ask any Champs Crew member or security personnel on the day if you have trouble finding them. Once you have changed please return your bags to the free cloakrooms.

 

Gents and Ladies Toilets
- The ladies toilets are located on the ground floor down the corridor the other side of the Grand Lobby. These are fairly large areas and may be used for changing. There will be rails available in the toilet for hanging costumes. This is an unsecure area. Please once you have changed please return your bags to the free cloakrooms.

- The Gents toilets are also located on the ground floor down the corridor the other side of the Grand Lobby. These are fairly large areas and may be used for changing. This is an unsecure area. Please once you have changed please return your bags to the free cloakrooms.

 

Team Cabaret & Showcase Changing Area
There are specific changing rooms allocated for Team Cabaret and Showcase changing. They are located on the ground floor behind the stage. They can be accessed either side of the stage from the main auditorium. They are not particularly large and cannot be commandeered as private changing rooms as they are to be shared.

There is a secure cloakrooms for coats and bags provided free of charge at the Champs. The cloakroom will be well signposted and Champs crew will be on hand to direct you in case of problems. Champs Crew members will direct you to deposit your bags and coats in the cloakrooms. Bags and coats cannot be left around the venue as they represent a fire risk and health and safety risk. We have been told by the Venue Management that any bags obstructing free passage around the venue, or piles of coats/and or clothes that may constitute a fire risk, will be removed and placed in a lost property section in the cloakrooms provided. It is possible to take your bags out of the Cloakrooms at any time which allows dancers to change before and after a competition heat. We request that everybody entering the venue leave their large bags and belongings in the cloakroom. Please note that you will be given a ticket in exchange for your bag/coat so please keep it in a safe place. Should you lose this ticket, you will have to wait until the end of the day in order to recover your belongings. We would appreciate your co-operation in this matter.

We offer a FREE SECURE CLOAKROOM that is permanently manned all day where you can deposit all your bags and personal belongings.

 

KEEPING YOUR BAGS IN THE TIERED SEATING

The tiered seating is an ideal viewing platform but it is tightly spaced and difficult to manoeuvre around and easily congested with bags. Consequentially for health and safety reasons we have been advised by the venue management that bags CANNOT be kept

 

1). ON OR UNDER SEATS,
2).  IN THE AILSES OR
3). ON THE FLOOR IN FRONT OF SEATS

 

Any bags found on the tiered seating will be removed by security taken outside and blown up using a controlled explosion – or taken to the cloakroom. So if you lose a bag please check with cloakroom in the first instance.

There is seating available to watch the competition either:

 

1. In the balcony at high level. This area is accessed via the lift or the back stairs, or via the mezzanine area.

 

2. In the tiered seating. This is accessed from the main dance floor area. IMPORTANT – YOU MUST NOT LEAVE BAGS ON THE TEIRED SEATING AREA AS THIS CONSITITUTES A FIRE RISK. IF FOUND THEY WILL BE REMOVED AND PLACED IN THE CLOAKROOM.

 

3. Limited Premium seat at a table on the stage. For a premium you can pre-purchase a dedicated seat at tables of 8 on the stage. These will have a great view of the competition dance floor area. Access to the stage area will be restricted to those with specific wristbands.

 

4. There will also be some seating around the periphery of the room.

The Heats Desk is where the timings of all the competition heats take place, and the timing of the event as a whole is monitored to ensure that everything runs to the Event Schedule. The Compere will call out the next heat to be taking place and this will be advertised on the main screen behind and above the stage. The Champs has a reputation for running to time so you can work out when your heat is from the schedule but keep an eye on the electronic clock and the projector screen and listen to the compare for up to date information.

The Results Wall is where all the Competition Category Heats are listed. The Results Wall is located on the ground floor in the foyer area opposite the cafe bar. There will also a large copy of the schedule for the days competitions posted there. So, if you want to know which heat you are in, and at what time you need to be on the dance floor, then a visit to the Results Board is the order of the day. As the competition progresses, the next round of heats and the competitor dance numbers of who have got through will be posted on the Results Board. All competitors need to visit the Results Board to find out if they have progressed into the next round, if they have, then they need to refer to the Event Schedule to find out at what time their next heat is scheduled.

The Event Schedule is the timetable of the day. The Event Schedule will be posted on the Results Wall which is located at the rear of the ground floor main dance floor area at the back of the partitions by the entrance doors. You will also be given an Event Schedule when you arrive at the venue. Each part of the day is allocated to start at a particular time and a given duration. The event is governed by the Schedule that allows competitors to know when they need to be on the dance floor, and allows everybody to know when they can expect a particular competition or a freestyle session.

There will be hot and cold food and drinks available at the event all day from 10.30am until past midnight.
The Cafe Bar is located on the ground floor in the foyer area.

 

A hot buffet style servery will be offering good value hot food freshly prepared in the venue kitchen all day.

 

A menu will be in the event programme that will be available on the day. We will endeavour to post a copy of the menu on this site prior to the event.

Jugs of tap water will be available all day on the café bar counter in the foyer area.

www.standoutdancewear.co.uk

We plan to have a StandOut Dancewear in the foyer of the Colosseum selling shoes and dance clothing. There should be a huge range of shoes and clothes for you to try and buy. If they have not got it there they will send it to you. This is the 'one-stop-shop' for all your dance needs and should be well worth a visit.