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MEMPHIS BBQFest > 2023 > 1 Month Away - $100,000 budget due to inflation! (3 Viewers)

BEGIN 2017...... 

WHAT IS BBQFEST:
Refresher... 2016 Recap Video as shot/produced by Josh Gillmore of SR83 Designs

2017 FESTIVAL DATES:
Wednesday: May 10- Friends/family/team night
Thursday: May 11th- Big Party Night
Friday: May 12th- Big Party Day/Night - Ancillary Competitions (beef/seafood/wings/sauces/etc)
Saturday: May 13th- Main event - Competition Day (booth closes around dinner time) 

WHERE TO STAY:
PM Me for suggestions on hotels to target downtown. BOOK ASAP : Rates only going higher. 

QUICK HIT DETAILS FOR 2017: 
• Still working out finances.. most sponsors are back. Hoping CDW/Cisco remain (all signs point to yes). 
• Sadly Tipsy is out for this year due to the unfortunate ;)  success of his restaurant and business around that time. 
• Looking like Troy Black will be taking over comp rib detail (10th Ribs in 2015 for us , 6th in Ribs 2016 not for us)
• Hammering out scaffold planning and contracting through a new vendor
• Still looking at the same food/party/etc on a grand scale... rivers-edge driving range, Live DJ's, Lagnitas Beers, Beam Suntory Booze, Feasts for Lunch and Dinner, Amazing river views, great live music, and overall fantastic times. 

More to come! 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Judge Smails said:
May go this year - so what's the must do dates???
Click to expand...
7 posts up we kinda outline it. Friday at noon till satuday at 5 or 6pm would be your concentrated experience. Throw in Thursday night if you enjoy the party side of things and want one more night of that! 

Great 4.5 star South downtown beale area hotel for $133/nt on Hotwire. That won't last super long.

 
[icon] said:
7 posts up we kinda outline it. Friday at noon till satuday at 5 or 6pm would be your concentrated experience. Throw in Thursday night if you enjoy the party side of things and want one more night of that! 

Great 4.5 star South downtown beale area hotel for $133/nt on Hotwire. That won't last super long.
Click to expand...
Doubletree downtown was $140/night.  I may be down for work that week so I booked this rather than my normal Germantown place.

 
HOTELS FOR BBQFEST: 

HOTWIRE: 
• $133/nt for 4.5 Star Boutique Hotel in Downtown South : Beale Street (likely Peabody) 
• $144/nt for 4 start botel in Downtown South : Beale Street (likely Westin)
Downtown NORTH hotels aren't bad... but are a 10-15 min walk to the entrance of the park, vs 5-ish mins for most downtown south hotels. It is a safe walk, though. Anything 3 star or better is safe... 2.5 star is usually okay (look at % recommended). 

KAYAK.com
These two hotels are VERY close... 
• Westin $270/night - NICE - where i stay
• Hampton Inn $204/night - Solid

These hotels are pretty close 
• Peabody $270 - NICE
• Holiday Inn $204 - meh
• Double Tree $174 - Don't know about it

These hotels are a bit of a walk but not too bad:
• Madison $215 - NICE
• SPring Hll Suites $197 - Were nice 5-10 years ago when I stayed. don't know now. 
• Sleep Inn / Comfort Inn / EconoLodge $100-127 range - Get decent reviews but are basic accomodations 

Sheraton and Crowne Plaza are both a good hike (15 mins or so) from the festival but are walkable. $200-250 a night. 

I anticipate rates to climb and vacancies to become limited over the next month or so.... 

 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Madison to entry of festival is about 0.5mi.... Uber will drop you about 3/4 of the way there. It's a very mild walk but if youve got issues walking distances then you may choose to get a ride and save your legs for inside the park. The park itself is about 1mile long , and we are near the entrance (maybe 10% of the way in), so there is a lot of room to explore if you so choose! 
 

 
[icon] said:
HOTELS FOR BBQFEST: 

HOTWIRE: 
• $133/nt for 4.5 Star Boutique Hotel in Downtown South : Beale Street (likely Peabody) 
• $144/nt for 4 start botel in Downtown South : Beale Street (likely Westin)
Downtown NORTH hotels aren't bad... but are a 10-15 min walk to the entrance of the park, vs 5-ish mins for most downtown south hotels. It is a safe walk, though. Anything 3 star or better is safe... 2.5 star is usually okay (look at % recommended). 

KAYAK.com
These two hotels are VERY close... 
• Westin $270/night - NICE - where i stay
• Hampton Inn $204/night - Solid

These hotels are pretty close 
• Peabody $270 - NICE
• Holiday Inn $204 - meh
• Double Tree $174 - Don't know about it

These hotels are a bit of a walk but not too bad:
• Madison $215 - NICE
• SPring Hll Suites $197 - Were nice 5-10 years ago when I stayed. don't know now. 
• Sleep Inn / Comfort Inn / EconoLodge $100-127 range - Get decent reviews but are basic accomodations 

Sheraton and Crowne Plaza are both a good hike (15 mins or so) from the festival but are walkable. $200-250 a night. 

I anticipate rates to climb and vacancies to become limited over the next month or so.... 

 
Click to expand...
Rate climb confirmed. Over the last several days, every search had many of these at 20-40% rises from the listed prices (including hotwire/priceline) and Madison has a 3 day minimum

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hotels have just gone nuts on pricing.... Just cost me $350 to book the Peabody for a buddy on Friday night. Rooms are going VERY fast. If you're coming... better book asap. 

Just confirmed this year's live music trio for Friday's "acoustic sunset"... 
Patrick Dodd (Beale street entertainer of the year, Voice semi-finalist)  
Kirk Smithhart (Youngest Albert King Award winner ever (blues guitarist of the year) - Former guitarist of North Mississippi Allstars) 
Josh Roberts (slide guitar phenom... the best I've ever seen on any stage) 

To say this is going to be something special is an understatement... Josh and Kirk are legitimate guitar gods. When these 3 get together to jam and start showing out back and forth it's ridiculous, jaw dropping talent. If you're coming in town, BE AT THE BOOTH Friday by 4pm. As an added benefit, we'll be ringing in Patrick's 40th bday that night so festivities will afoot. :banned:  

I can't stress how excited I am these guys are on the books... this will be the highlight of BBQfest for me. Unreal. 

 
[icon] said:
BEGIN 2017...... 

WHAT IS BBQFEST:
Refresher... 2016 Recap Video as shot/produced by Josh Gillmore of SR83 Designs

2017 FESTIVAL DATES:
Wednesday: May 10- Friends/family/team night
Thursday: May 11th- Big Party Night
Friday: May 12th- Big Party Day/Night - Ancillary Competitions (beef/seafood/wings/sauces/etc)
Saturday: May 13th- Main event - Competition Day (booth closes around dinner time) 

WHERE TO STAY:
PM Me for suggestions on hotels to target downtown. BOOK ASAP : Rates only going higher. 

QUICK HIT DETAILS FOR 2017: 
• Still working out finances.. most sponsors are back. Hoping CDW/Cisco remain (all signs point to yes). 
• Sadly Tipsy is out for this year due to the unfortunate ;)  success of his restaurant and business around that time. 
• Looking like Troy Black will be taking over comp rib detail (10th Ribs in 2015 for us , 6th in Ribs 2016 not for us)
• Hammering out scaffold planning and contracting through a new vendor
• Still looking at the same food/party/etc on a grand scale... rivers-edge driving range, Live DJ's, Lagnitas Beers, Beam Suntory Booze, Feasts for Lunch and Dinner, Amazing river views, great live music, and overall fantastic times. 

More to come! 
Click to expand...
I so have to go to this next year.

 
Just confirmed we have CDW/Cisco on board or a sales meeting / dinner for 100 on our top deck for $16,500. That clearly help alleviate a MASSIVE amount of financial stress for the team. 

Interestingly enough CDW likes what we provide so much, that they've inquired about a second smaller dinner event for friday evening for 30 executives. We've sent out a proposal for $5,500 today and are cautiously optimistic they'll be interested. 

Finally, an annual sponsor, construction materials supplier Eagle Sales, has shown interest in stepping up from a $3,500 sponsor (20 passes to the booth + signage) to hosting a luncheon or dinner at the booth for 30-40 employees and key customers. We've sent out a quote for $7000 and are waiting to hear back from them. 

IF we are in a position to sign both dinners, that will put our team in the unique position of actually having an $8000 budget SURPLUS, which we will use to make some capital investments (commercial refrigeration unit), hire smoking hot bartenders for Thursday and Friday evening so we don't have to bother with the work, hire extra line cook assistance in the back pit area to assist @sbonomo and company with food prep. Then, we will likely bank the balance for rainy-day funds or to compete in another event or two leading up to MIM. Right now I'll put the odds of both sponsors signing on at about 25-30%, and around a 75-80% chance of at least one signing on. 

Red Bull, Lagunitas Brewing, and Beam Suntory are still on board providing all beverages for the booth. Southern Pride is all but confirmed to be providing our usual SPK-500 Commercial Smoker (valued at ~$30,000, and Nolan Audio/Video will be yet again providing the ridiculous light/sound/video system. 

None of this would even be remotely possible without our sponsors... 

 
Questions:

Can I come alone?  Without a date?

Also, I can get Crowne Plaza for $129 or DoubleTree for $145 through work... I assume DoubleTree?

 
Joe T said:
Questions:

Can I come alone?  Without a date?

Also, I can get Crowne Plaza for $129 or DoubleTree for $145 through work... I assume DoubleTree?
Click to expand...
Sorry @Joe T for the delay in getting back to ya, GB. 

YES you can totally roll solo. There will be plenty of "date" options if you keep your eyes open and have any semblance of game. If not... there's always me, @sbonomo, @cosjobs, @Tusken Raider and any number of other folks to bull#### with. 

DoubleTree is MUCH closer to the park. (prob 1/3 the distance). Crowne Plaza is a bit nicer. Me, I'd pick the DoubleTree. Right by the Peabody, the Ballpark, Rendezvous, etc..... MUCH more going on in that area than down by Crowne Plaza.  

 
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Currently have guests travelling in from Ashland, OR / Asheville, NC / Torreon, Mexico / London, Ontario, Canada / Knoxville, TN / San Diego, CA / Los Angeles, CA / Jacksonville, FL / Boston, MA / Austin, TX.... and maybe Dallas, TX if @Joe T comes up :D

 
[icon] said:
Currently have guests travelling in from Ashland, OR / Asheville, NC / Torreon, Mexico / London, Ontario, Canada / Knoxville, TN / San Diego, CA / Los Angeles, CA / Jacksonville, FL / Boston, MA / Austin, TX.... and maybe Dallas, TX if @Joe T comes up :D
Click to expand...
Whos coming from Jax?

 
Joe T said:
 Thursday afternoon to (early) Sunday morning.  Flights were cheap ($244) if I leave early Sunday.  Who knows, maybe I get trashed Saturday and miss my flight.  :yes:
Click to expand...
LMAO gotcha! Yah we shut things down early Saturday after competition / judging (usually around 6-8pm) as we are all usually completely exhausted, and have to tear down the booth on Sunday. However there will be TONS of #### going on downtown Saturday night. I'll talk you guys through the spots to hit / avoid while down there. Lots of options depending on what you're looking for :D  

 
BEER UPDATE: 

Just got off the phone with Lagunitas to shore up our beer needs for BBQfest. They're looking to push their new Canned beer "12th of Never", a light American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV. So they're sending us:

54 Cases (1300 cans) of "12th of Never" 
6 Kegs of Lil Sumpin' Sumpin'
6 Kegs of their flagship IPA

:banned:

As usual, while bother booths are stuck serving Bud Light and Natural Light, we'll have the best damn beer at BBQfest on tap (and, now, in the can) 
 

 
[icon] said:
BEER UPDATE: 

Just got off the phone with Lagunitas to shore up our beer needs for BBQfest. They're looking to push their new Canned beer "12th of Never", a light American Pale Ale at 5.5% ABV. So they're sending us:

54 Cases (1300 cans) of "12th of Never" 
6 Kegs of Lil Sumpin' Sumpin'
6 Kegs of their flagship IPA

:banned:

As usual, while bother booths are stuck serving Bud Light and Natural Light, we'll have the best damn beer at BBQfest on tap (and, now, in the can) 
 
Click to expand...
I've been kind of hooked on the 12th of nevers.  Really good beer and perfect for hammering back all day long.  

 
psychobillies said:
I've been kind of hooked on the 12th of nevers.  Really good beer and perfect for hammering back all day long.  
Click to expand...
I agree completely. One of the best "balance" beers where you're getting good flavor at a reasonable ABV and is VERY drinkable. Lagunitas' Hop-monster styles generally are really hard to drink all day in the sun/heat... but 12th of Never is fantastic.

Funny part was, I'm a Miller Lite guy when it comes to "Multiple Cold & Domestic" power drinking, and after my buddy and I had killed the 12pk of 12oN, I popped a miller lite and it immediately tasted super thin, metallic, and almost flavorless. Granted, I get that is supposed to happen when going from a good beer to a domestic light beer.... but it was pretty pronounced. 
 

 
[icon] said:
I agree completely. One of the best "balance" beers where you're getting good flavor at a reasonable ABV and is VERY drinkable. Lagunitas' Hop-monster styles generally are really hard to drink all day in the sun/heat... but 12th of Never is fantastic.

Funny part was, I'm a Miller Lite guy when it comes to "Multiple Cold & Domestic" power drinking, and after my buddy and I had killed the 12pk of 12oN, I popped a miller lite and it immediately tasted super thin, metallic, and almost flavorless. Granted, I get that is supposed to happen when going from a good beer to a domestic light beer.... but it was pretty pronounced. 
 
Click to expand...
You just described my Mardi Gras.  Good news is that after a few more Lites, it'll get back to normal.

 
Icon, what is the name of your team?  I may be down there visiting clients who have a setup but from what I understand it is pretty sedate.

 
cosjobs said:
no worries, as long as you have somewhere we can toke together
Click to expand...
Booth is somewhat 420 friendly... just can't have sponsors or judges smelling any of dat dank :lol:   Anyone who is traveling and would like to have something waiting on them when they arrive, inbox me and I should be able to accommodate... 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
[icon] said:
Booth is somewhat 420 friendly... just can't have sponsors or judges smelling any of dat dank :lol:   Anyone who is traveling and would like to have something waiting on them when they arrive, inbox me and I should be able to accommodate... 
Click to expand...
I need 20 hits of ecstasy and 2 8-balls, potentially more if I stay more than 1 night

 
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