KCBS Next Steps/Goals/Focus ?!?!?!?
 

What do YOU want to see the KCBS focus on? I'm not connected to them, but I am a member and CBJ. They have a new CEO and a BOD that seems to be wanting to be in better touch with the membership and it's goals....so....what DO we want to see from the KCBS? I'm so new being a CBJ and Comp Cook that I'm not sure I have a good understanding of what could be improved.

I do hope that they have a goal/mission/focus to help decide what to do and what NOT to do. A multi-faceted focus will only lead to projects that aren't given 100% and result in less-than best results. My hope would be that the focus be as directed and specific as possible. If a project/idea doesn't fit it, it doesn't get time/money/attention.

I hope that the KCBS "brand" can grow under the new CEO while doing whatever cleaning-up needs to be done. Even more so, I would hope that the membership will step-up every chance they get to help and not just critique/complain.

Sometimes in membership organizations there is a US vs THEM thinking from the members to the BOD/CEO/Office....I hope that moving forward this isn't the case for KCBS. We are all in this because we LOVE BBQ. Slow-smoked (or hot-n-fast) food should bring people together....let's do that.

==== stepping off soapbox now ===

Deal with the small group of ****ty judges and trash the scoring average seating program.

A judge training program to get every judge on the same page (none of this "I was taught to..." stuff)

An Organizer tool kit to help organizers attract sponsors to their event and provide guidance on what constitutes a great contest.

Big, corporate sponsorships that can inject money into TOY at at least a couple levels (overall and 15 or less minimum - 10 or less would be great too), as well as into individual contests so that prize pools can be bigger, providing more value for teams.

Those are 3 things, but can be handled by different sections of the board, and overseen by Emily.

How about trying to get back some of the events that have folded? Sams Club series comes to mind.

All of these are great ideas and things that would be on my list!

For me the top 3 things I want to see in the coming months are:

1) The BOD to cede control of the organization to the CEO. If the BOD feels they hired the right person for the job then let her implement her vision for the organization and support her in this effort. I can't think of any successful companies where the vision for the organization came from the board of directors and not the CEO. The quote "nobody has every built a statue for a committee" comes to mind, a BOD is just a glorified committee.

2) Figure out why KCBS is loosing contest and come up with a way to reverse this trend. I think they need to find a better financial model for promoters but that is just my opinion. The CEO needs to look at the problem, talk to all the constituents then find and implement a solution.

3) Figure out why KCBS is has fewer competition teams and do something to fix it. I think there are a lot of reasons for this but mostly it is the inability to attract new teams to fill in the spots of a normal churn but, once again, this is something the CEO needs to look into and get moving in the opposite direction.

Wait...don't all judges use the same exact standards and have the same exact tastebuds?!?!?! HAHA

Great ideas. Not sure why the training program can't be in a digital format that all can use.

I would think what sponsorship opportunities would be key for Emily given her connect with the pork industry and professional sports.

I noticed recently that the BOD denied a contest that asked to use the KCBS logo on t-shirts. It seems like something like that would help the contest gain credibility while giving visibility to KCBS. I'm sure they had their reasons.

I've heard nothing but good things about the Sam's Club events. It did seem like a good opportunity for a corporate sponsor with nationwide locations to connect with the BBQ community and KCBS.

Good stuff here and probably no easy or quick solutions to any of it. I agree, if you have brought in a leader...let them lead. One path might be to figure out why teams are leaving and contests are folding. Another might be to be fully future-focused and figure out what will attract new teams and new contests. What are key incentives that will push contests to start and/or keep going? What if they received greater incentives the longer they continue? Do teams want more money or more prestige? Let's dream big...."The Food Network presents the KCBS Team of Year Challenge"?!?!?!?!?

We enjoyed them, but there was a lot of inconsistent judging. Plus, the local stores seemed to know nothing about what was going on. We went into the club and the team members would ask us what was happening. You would think that it would be a great opportunity for the stores, but none seemed to capitalize on it.

I did one sams club event and it was my least favorite event I ever did by far.

I’m sure someone will say “how come”?

Spacing for cooksites was too tight.

Everyone was overly up tight.

NO WATER. Had to run to the store spicket for any water we needed.

Nobody with sams club had a clue what was happening or cared. It was like we were in the way.

Just a thought for growing the sport/community, why not partner up with the national bbq league and televise it!?!? They got good personalities. Run it like a new bbq pit master series. A lot of people have no idea that this is an actual sport. And there are tons of people who are competitive. Just my 2 cents.

I can tell you from a wannabe competitor's point of view exactly what is discouraging new team formation. These things greatly discourage me:



1. The un-level playing field when it comes to meat. Hell, I can't afford Wagyu briskets or Snake River Farms pork butts/ribs. The "Guinea Pig" contests seemed like a great idea, where all teams were on the same level playing field in terms of meat quality. But those contests seem to have gone by the way side, probably because top teams cried about not being able to use higher quality meat than most other teams could afford.



2. Stupid garnish. KCBS says it's "all about the meat", but it's really not. It's a lot about the garnish. Allowing people to pretty-up their boxes with garnish adds an unnecessary burden on cooks.


3. The way KCBS contests have gravitated toward producing BBQ that almost no one would want to cook/eat at home. I'm a (former) KCBS judge who simply got tired of eating over-salted, over-spiced, overly sweet, MSG-filled meat that would overpower most people's palate before they got done eating a meal. The "get the judges' attention with one bite" philosophy is a canker sore on the face of KCBS.


I'd really love to compete, but the above three things give me great hesitation.

Sam's Club events were a missed opportunity to make a bigger impact. I thought the organization in Harrisburg was decent.
Public interest was zero.
Imo kcbs should pursue bringing it back but should figure out how to involve the public more.
A people's choice comp would go a long way.

In general comps need to lower entrance fees. Most are far too high and are pricing themselves out of existance.
The old response of comp bbq is expensive is true but you might get more folks out that normally don't compete out if that entrance fee is lower. Such as local folks wanting to take a shot at big shots.
There are comps I would have done in the past if the entrance fees were lower.


One thing all teams could do that would help is stop sitting in the trailers come out and visit with the public or new teams. Make them feel welcome. Let them know you appreciate their support.
Answer their questions. Show them your pit.
When you have a free moment. I am not asking you to compromise your cook. I am asking you to make an effort to show your appreciation for folks coming out to support an event. Instead of packing up after brisket turn in leave up your setup until after awards. Try to make an effort to speak with folks after turn in.
I get your tired. We all need to make more of an effort to show folks we appreciate their support.

I am sure I will get negative feedback on some of my opinions. If you got better ideas then share them please.