$3,000 Purse for NH Ribfest '08???

[BigBarry]

I just got an email from one of the organizers outlining the payouts for the Merrimack, NH event. To me, this seems really low.

The $3K is to be distributed across BOTH the Sat. grilling and Sun. KCBS BBQ events!!

Their event is held at the Anheuser Busch plant and draws TENS of thousands of people who pay admission!

Am I missing something? Yeah, it's for a charity but come on...

I know I personally am not in this for the money, but IF I did place as GC or reserve, I would expect to at least cover my costs!! Meat, gas, supplies, entry, beer(?), food, etc. and have a little scratch left to celebrate with a nice dinner for the crew and maybe a new doodad for the team.

I'm still going to go, but I am very disappointed - especially since they announced the pool after the applications were sent out and they did the same thing last year.

It's an awesome contest and venue and I look forward to it but I just wanted to see how everyone else felt about it.

Here's the rundown:

4 $100+trophies First Places (Saturday)
4 $150+trophies First Places (Sunday)
4 $50+trophies Second Places (Saturday)
4 $75+trophies Second Places (Sunday)
1 $400+trophy Grand Prize (Saturday)
1 $600+trophy Grand Prize (Sunday)
1 $200+trophy Reserve (Saturday)
1 $300+trophy Reserve (Sunday)
8 Trophies Third Places (Saturday and Sunday)
16 Medals Fourth and Fifth Places (Saturday and Sunday)

[MilitantSquatter]

There seems to have been a lot of talk about this on the NEBS yahoo group.. I did not keep up with specifics as I did not intend to compete there but I also think the organizers did not choose to get NEBS sanctioning this year either as it related to the Rotary Club who is helping with the event and the ROI they felt they were not getting from the fee.

Seemed like this contest could loose a lot of returning teams due to the NEBS issue which would prove the sanctioning means something especially for those interested in NEBS team standings.

[Dale P]

I agree with you Barry. If I say anymore, i might lose respect for myself. :)

[Sledneck]

Read about it here

[ique]

The prize $ at NH has always sucked. Decent venue near home, Jack Qualifier, NEBS Team of the Year pts has been a draw for me in past years. But have always had a sour taste in my mouth regarding the organizers treating the cooks as an after thought.

I probably wont cook it unless they get nebs sanctioning.

[Q Haven]

$3K for this contest is a joke. They draw 10K people a day at $5 a head (including many friends and families of teams). Word on the street is that this event makes more than $150K annually for the group that organizes it. The lack of prize money is pure greed. I am skipping this one whether or not they get NEBS sanctioning.

[BigBarry]

I wrote back to them asking about this and am waiting on a response.

[The Giggler]

We've been considering the trip out for this one. Payout is not usually a thought, but our fellow friends and competitors are. Sounds to me like the contest is really an afterthought, and there are plenty of other contests on the schedule.

[Transformer BBQ]

Looked back, pretty sure its the same payouts that they had last year...

[BigBarry]

Originally Posted by Transformer BBQ

Looked back, pretty sure its the same payouts that they had last year...

Yes but I was under the impression that last year was light for a reason, not the norm!

It's a great event, worth the 6 hours of travel for us, but I am not happy about the fact that they revealed such a light pool AFTER they emailed the applications to the competitors.

Maybe if everyone who got the email sent back their feelings, it would be helpful...

Thoughts?

[YankeeBBQ]

Originally Posted by BigBarry

Yes but I was under the impression that last year was light for a reason, not the norm!

It's a great event, worth the 6 hours of travel for us, but I am not happy about the fact that they revealed such a light pool AFTER they emailed the applications to the competitors.

Maybe if everyone who got the email sent back their feelings, it would be helpful...

Thoughts?

It looks like the entry fee goes up every year but not the prize money. I believe the number of teams has also risen every year which should mean more money for the prize pool.


The links Didn't work. Anyway the application for 2004, 2007 and 2008 are on the NEBS Yahoo group in the file section. 2004 was $90/$110, 2007 was $125/150 and 08 is $150/$175 . NEBS/Non NEBS Granted sanctioning fees have risen this year but that doesn't account for the number of teams. In 07 there were 36 teams in the event. I'm not sure about prior years. 36 x $125 is $4500 and I'm sure a good number of teams were not NEBS members so that number goes up.

[SmokeInDaEye]

I enjoyed the company last year but won't be returning given the small number of contests I can do this year, coupled with the drive, prize money and non-NEBS affliliation.

It is still a state championship though.

[Q Haven]

Originally Posted by SmokeInDaEye

It is still a state championship though.

If they get 25 teams to show up....

[Mrs. Sawdust]

Well, Our application is in. We enjoyed this contest last year. The venue is great and I can only say good things about how we were treated. Pete helped us get our trailer tire fixed. I know a great deal is being said about the prize pool, but to be honest, I have never made a decision about entering a contest based on the prize pool. I do consider location/venue and our availability to cook. I remember a poll here not to long ago asking if you had a choice of cash, trophies or medals most people elected the hardware. If nothing else, why not consider it a donation to a worthy cause and if there are enough teams, a possible trip to the Jack.

[Transformer BBQ]

Michele-
I've seen you mention a few time that you really liked the venue. I was wodneirng if you could elaborate on what parts you enjoyed so much. Reason I'm asking is that I've seen several, dozen posts on this contest over the last few weeks, and I don't remember anything being said on this point...
-B