Why?

Somewhere amongst the post holiday blues and the onset of cabin fever, I do what most cooks do and start thinking about what competitions I am going to cook in the coming season. The KCBS website is usually where my search starts because I can search for contests by state, dates or even by what reps will be officiating a particular event. After I find a contest that fits my particular schedule and is within reasonable distance, the next logical step is to contact the person listed and request information about their event.

I know what it takes in the way of sanctioning, organizing, promoting and executing a contest and it is no small task. With that being said, my question is this. With all the effort that some organizers put into their contests, why in the hell can't they reply to people who are interested in cooking their event?

I have sent two emails and left one voicemail requesting information about a particular contest listed on the KCBS website and have yet to get the first response from the contact person. Once they receive sanctioning, they are posted on the website and also published in the Bullsheet so in my opinion they had better be ready to respond to requests for information. This is not the only tme this has happened to me and I'm sure it has happened to a lot of you also.

To invest all the time and money to get your event sanctioned then not reply to your perspective customer base makes as much sense to me as to rent a store front, stock it with the best items available and never unlock the front doors to let people in.

Bigdog said:

In a word: Incompetence.

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If that's the case, then that will be their undoing.

U2CANQUE said:

I think, that especially from a new contest, it is the "well, I will get just back to them later....it is still early" thought....I have sent off a couple e-mails to different places and not heard back...others were responding within a day....guess you could tell where my dollars will be going.....

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You might be onto something Rob. I've questioned organizers before about why they didn't reply to my emails and I've received every excuse in the book. Anybody that knows me knows I'm not big on making excuses and I'm damn sure not big on taking them.

I've got just the thing for that cough :icon_devil

Go where you want with that Rob but I was thinking more like clear liquid in a one quart mason jar. It'll fix what ails you.

DivaHerself said:

I would agree with you there. RnQ has sent out one email and one phone call so far for early-season events, and received timely responses for both. Of course, one response was "we just started having meetings and we'll get back with you", but it was a timely response.

I guess once upon a time publication of sanctioning/date was simply to "reserve" the date in people's minds, and in practice many events just didn't get around to hard information until about 8-12 weeks out. I see dates nearly a year out on the calendar, and suspect this is the case. We still see some of this in action in our region.

However, our team (and I suspect a more than a few others) have planning needs that extend beyond a couple of months. We are literally blocking out our calendar for the year, making allocations for funds, reservations for services, etc.

The bottom line is: if you're capable of handling the sums of money and commitment details to put on a contest, if you're expecting thousands of dollars to roll in from teams, then you're perfectly capable of answering inquiries or providing concrete information in a professional manner.

Of course, the old "if you don't like it, just don't go" argument comes into play -- "let supply and demand work it out". Well, there's the rub. Supply and demand only works where there is reasonable supply. In a region where there aren't multiple contests per weekend for cooks to choose from, they're held hostage to shoddy practices.

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I agree with all you have said and I understand that the publication of an event usually happens long before all of the details are hammered out. As Rob so nicely pointed out earlier, I do not have the 2009 entry forms posted yet for our contest but I am still responsive to any and all queries regarding the Kettering contest and will continue to be.....except in Rob's case. :lol:

dmprantz said:

I agree with a lot of what has been said, but in my experience, most contest organizers are not particularly tech savvy. I would offer my services to them, but I doubt most would/could pay. Anyway, the point is, a lot of organizers seem to setup eMail accounts just for the contest, which makes sense, and then ignore them 9 months out of the year. I have had much better luck calling organizers than eMailing them in the off season.

dmp

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I haven't polled many organizers to see what their technical capabilities are but in the same school of thought, I think it's safe to say that most organizers are not electricians or plumbers either yet both of these skills are needed to put on a successful event.

As for paying for services, there are somethings that an organizer must pay for but keep in mind the more they have to pay for, the smaller the purse gets. Most organizers (including myself) have a committee of volunteers who possess the necessary skills to get the job done without incurring additional cost.

Okay, but as long as you never mention Kettering and the "F" word in the same post again.

Jim,

I don't have an answer to your question. I guess it varies by organizer. I think the mentality of a few minority organizers is that "If You Have It They Will Come". With the economy the way it is, those days are long gone. I've had a few contests where emails have been ignored and the only thing that I can say is I tend to avoid those contests in the future.
Lack of responsiveness on the organizer to a contestant is probably a good indicator/warning sign on how the contest will be run and the contestant will be treated. We had one contest last year where things got so screwed up that they were trying to charge teammates to get into the contest grounds. They gave out bracelets but if you had more than three members of your team or friends coming by they tried to get a fee from them. No trophies were given out at this contest either. Needless to say we won't be back.

I remember one contest last year in Cincinnati that was posted on the KCBS website with a link to a downtown market. When I clicked the link and went to the site there was absolutely nothing about the contest there. No contact person, nothing. Needless to say that contest died before it ever got off the ground.

Dallas, I remember the one in Cincy and it crossed my mind a couple of times when I made the initial post. They did finally respond to my emails but by that time it was too late for them to salvage the contest. One of the assigned reps told me they had no luck in getting the organizer to return their calls or reply to their emails either.

Had a contest here in Iowa last year that was being taken over from the previous organizer to be handled by the local festival committee (bbq contest was part of the festival). The contact person never returned voicemails, emails, anything. Several people were clueless on if the event was still happening. Finally a few weeks before the event the new committe came to a contest recruiting teams and had no idea this person wasn't responsive and the contest was not being viewed favorably. Well, this year they have already sent out their entry forms and updated their web site. Probably cost them a few teams last year.