Running a Homebrew Competition

For our September online meeting Anthony Hawker gave us a great overview of what it takes to run one of the largest homebrew competitions in the UK.

Transcript

1. HOW TO RUN A BJCP HOMEBREW COMPETITION AND HOW DO WE WANT TO RUN THEM DIFFERENTLY IN THE FUTURE? ANTONY HAWKERR SEPTEMBER 2024
2. WHAT WE’LL COVER • LOGISTICS OF ORGANISING A BJCP COMPETITION (AND TASTING EVENT) • DISCUSSION OF WHAT LAB MEMBERS WANT FROM COMPETITIONS IN THE FUTURE
3. INTRODUCTION Competition Organiser Experience • Organised Festival element of London and South East Craft Brewing Competition (LSECBC) 2018-19 (Four Pure) • Organised Black Friday 2021 (Hammerton) • Organiser of LAB Open 2022, 2023, 2024 (Hammerton) Objectives • Share insights for smooth handover of our largest annual competition • Ask what we want of future competitions
4. WHY RUN/HELP RUN A COMPETITION? • Bring homebrewing community together • Help judges and brewers improve through experience and feedback • Give homebrewers pride and recognition for their beer • Contribute to a core part of LAB • Earn BJCP points
5. FINDING A VENUE • Key Factors: • Enthusiasm and understanding of venue • Accessibility of venue (public transport etc.) • Size vs size of competition (entries, judges) • Availability of tables, chairs, electricity • Beer storage/accessibility • Judging experience (lighting, sound, space, smells) • Tip: • Get the venue locked down 6-9 months in advance • What can we offer them (footfall, food and beer purchases, social media cache)
6. BUILDING AN ORGANISING TEAM LAB competitions have a unique benefit in the UK in drawing from the scale and membership of the UK’s biggest and most established regional homebrewing club. Organiser Head Judge Head Steward Partnerships Lead Marketing Lead Festival Lead • Find a venue • Set up the competition website • Determine and keep everyone on track with the plan • Delegate as much as you can. Step into gaps when you can’t • Define judging tables • Make judging choices (e.g. scoresheet format,…) • Organise and run judging • Get feedback / scores onto system and to participants • Break judging deadlocks • Train / look after stewards • Support head judge on running judging on the day and making sure rules are correctly interpreted • Find partners who can provide prizes, starting from LAB’s ‘little black book’ • Organise getting prizes to prizewinners • Make sure partners are promoted across website, social media, prize announcements etc. • Promote the competition (entering, judging, sponsors, tasting event) using LAB’s website and social media accounts (currently Facebook, Instagram,) • Organise the layout, set-up and tidy-up of the post- competition tasting event, (if this is part of the competition); find volunteers to help with this. Organise any additional talks etc.
7. USING THE BCOEM COMPETITION SOFTWARE • LAB has used BCOEM competition software for all competitions for as long as I’ve been involved. Almost all UK clubs use this. • Other competition software is available (but I can’t vouch for it) • BCOEM is quirky, but does the job • Graeme helps us iron out wrinkles with updates/bugs etc. He is great. • James W, Lee, Serge, Lucas and I know the software pretty well • Typical issues • Site doesn’t log payment for entry unless entrant returns from PayPal • Sometimes you think you’ve locked the competition vs editing entries, but you haven’t • When the first timed event in the ‘competition window’ starts, which can be e.g. unboxing if you’ve put that on the site, entry label printing is locked
8. ENCOURAGING PARTICIPATION JUDGES & STEWARDS ENTRANTS PUBLIC How many? • 1 pair of judges for 1session = 8 beers • Assume 15-20% dropout Promote to: • LAB Slack channel & Meetings • Active BJCP judge mailing list (sent to comp organiser) – UK/Europe • Other homebrew clubs • LAB Social Media How? • Up to 2023, comps sold out within 24 hours, so we gave advance notice of opening entries. 2024 take-up was slower Promote to, e.g.,: • LAB #competitions Slack channel & Meetings • LAB website • Other homebrew clubs • BJCP comps page (automatic) • LAB Social Media (2x FB and 2 x Insta) • Partners Social Media • Homebrew Facebook pages and forums • Some partners have their own homebrew clubs or mailing lists • Is there an event that is of interest to family / friends / wider public? (e.g. tasting session) • Make clear if so, help people feel welcome
9. SECURING SPONSORS AND PRIZES WHAT WE CAN OFFER. E.G., • OUR CUSTOM • SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE • PROMOTION AT PRIZEGIVING, JUDGING, TASTING EVENT • WEBSITE LOGO PLACEMENT AND NAME PLACEMENT IN TABLE WINNER ANNOUNCEMENTS • GREAT BEER RECIPES TARGET PARTNERS / PRIZES BREWERIES • COLLABORATION BREWS (WINNING RECIPES) • SHADOW BREWDAYS • BREWERY TOURS • BEER • MERCH EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS • FERMENTERS, MINI KEGS, HOP SPIDERS ETC. – ITEMS WITH BROAD COMPATIBILITY ARE GREAT INGREDIENT SUPPLIERS • INGREDIENTS • MERCH RESOURCES • GDRIVE – ‘COMPETITION PRIZES AND SPONSORSHIP’ - LOW TECH CRM! • CLUB MEMBER CONTACTS • LAB OPEN @GMAIL.COM ADDRESS FOR PARTNERSHIPS COMMS • PREVIOUS YEARS’ EMAIL TEMPLATES
10. BUDGETING AND FINANCE INCOME SOURCES • COMPETITION ENTRY FEES • TASTING EVENT ENTRY FEES • SUPPORT FROM HOMEBREWING ASSOCIATIONS (E.G. CBA) COSTS • VENUE HIRE (LAB COMPS OFTEN FREE) • BJCP COMPETITION REGISTRATION FEE • JUDGE & VOLUNTEER FOOD AND BEVERAGE • TASTING GLASSES (VERY EXPENSIVE NOW) • TRANSPORTING COMPETITION ESSENTIALS • BOXES FOR COLD-STORING BEERS (DEPENDING ON COMP SIZE AND SET-UP) • STATIONARY + EQUIPMENT TOP-UPS • PRIZE FUND (VOUCHERS, TROPHY, MEDALS/ROSETTES) • POSTAGE FOR PRIZES
11. THE MONTH/WEEK BEFORE: FINAL PREPARATIONS • ONE MONTH BEFORE • RECONFIRM DETAILS WITH THE VENUE AND ANY FOOD SUPPLIER FOR JUDGES • ORDER E.G. ROSETTES/STATIONARY ETC WITH REQUIRED LEAD TIME • LOCK DOWN ENTRIES (AGREE WITH HEAD JUDGE HOW LONG NEEDED) • RECONFIRM AND SHARE FULL DETAILS WITH JUDGES, STEWARDS, VOLUNTEERS • PLAN PRE-COMPETITION SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS • THE WEEK BEFORE • KEEP AN EYE FOR PARTICIPANTS MESSAGES (POSTAL ISSUES ETC) • UNBOXING AND SORTING BEERS • PUSH SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS • LIAISE WITH HEAD JUDGE (PRINTING, TABLE ORDER) • PRE-EMPT LAST MINUTE ISSUES (TRAIN STRIKES ETC)
12. • BY NOW EVERYTHING IS SORTED AND YOU CAN PUT YOUR FEET UP… • … RUNNING THE COMPETITION DAY
13. AFTER THE COMPETITION • UPLOAD AND PUBLISH COMPETITION SCORESHEETS • SUBMIT THE COMPETITION REPORT TO BJCP WITHIN 3 WEEKS (INCLUDING JUDGING AND NON-JUDGING (ORGANISER, STEWARD, STAFF) POINTS OR YOU GO ON THE BJCP NAUGHTY LIST • THANK FOLK FOR PARTICIPATING AND HELPING • THANK THE VENUE AND PARTNERS • SEND OUT ROSETTES ETC. • LINK WINNERS TO COMPETITION PARTNERS FOR PRIZES
14. HANDLING CHALLENGES • LATE REQUESTS TO CHANGE / CANCEL ENTRY • ENTRIES LOST IN POST/AT VENUE • ENTRIES ARRIVING LATE • ENTRIES IN INCORRECT VESSEL / INCORRECT LABELLING / MISCATEGORISATION` • JUDGE CONFLICTS RE SCORING / FAULTS • JUDGE/STEWARD NO-SHOWS • ENTRANT FEEDBACK ON SCORESHEETS COMMON ENTRY ISSUES COMMON JUDGING ISSUES
15. WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM LAB COMPETITIONS IN THE FUTURE? SOME TOPICS: • WHAT IS WORKING WELL? • WHAT COULD WE BE DOING BETTER? • HOW DO WE RESPOND TO TRENDS? • Decline in in-person participation (judging, joining events) -> increase in cost of transport/accommodation? • More mid-sized competitions (100-300 entries). Fewer mazzive comps (BrewCon gone; National, LAB Open smaller in size) • Increase in interest for competitions themed on particular beer styles (esp. international judges) • Increase in beer no-show rates (although this reversed at LAB Open 2024) • Tougher climate for craft and homebrew supply industry vs 2010s • More interest in low ABV beers
16. THANK YOU