1

Table of Contents
I. Background
II. Purpose and Objectives
III. Demographics
IV. The Ins and Outs
V. The Event
VI. Schedule of Events
VII. Judgment
VIII.
Participants
IX. Visualization of Events
X. Budget
XI. Poster
XII. Press Kit
XIII.
Event Map

Background:
On November 14th, 2015 from 12 pm-4:30 pm, the Student Relief Association will be
hosting their first ever BBQ fundraiser. On September 27th, an aggressive category four hurricane
developed in the Atlantic Ocean with winds around 155 mph. The hurricane caused a chain
reaction by impacting weather patterns, flooding neighborhoods, and wiping out electricity up
and down the Atlantic Coast. The hurricane impacted hundreds of thousands of people.

(Hurricane Joaquin Track from Weather.com)

As an organization, the mission of the Student Relief Association at Appalachian State

University is to help aid disaster relief around the world. After hearing about the extreme
flooding in Colombia, South Carolina, Wilmington, North Carolina, and other southern states,
the organization decided they needed to get involved. After a Wednesday club meeting the
members were determined to take action and fundraise. North Carolina is known for its BBQ and
the Student Relief Association believes a BBQ fundraiser would be a great way to bring the
community together to raise money for the American Red Cross: Disaster Relief Fund.

Purpose & Objectives:

Purpose: To raise funds and awareness of the Hurricane Joaquin devastation in South Carolina
through a barbeque competition event.

Objectives:

Raise $2,500 for Red Cross Columbia, which will go to aid those impacted by Hurricane
Joaquin in South Carolina.

Organize an enjoyable event for local families.

Ensure that the competitors and vendors have everything needed in order to be
successful in creating their BBQ and other food items for the competition and the public.

BBQ competitors and local businesses cover their personal costs through discounted
food plates.

The Ins and Outs:

Who: The Student Relief Association
What: High on the Hog: Cooking for a Cause BBQ Fundraiser
When: From 12 pm-4:30 pm on November 7th, 2015
Where: The High Country Fairgrounds, Roby Greene Road Boone NC 28607
Why: The Student Relief Association is a group of Appalachian State University students that
want to make a global impact. We plan to use this event to educate the community on natural

disasters and their relief efforts. The High on the Hog BBQ Fundraiser is a great way to show
how small contributions can make an immense impact in someone elses life.

The Event:
Ticket Price:

Adults (16+) $10 in advance online, $12 at door

College Students $10 at door with Student ID

Children $5 in advance online, $7 at door

Children under 5 get in free

Entertainment:

Chick-fil-a Cow mascot

Face Painting by ASU art students

ASU Mascot Yosef accompanied by ASU athletes

Bouncy house

Luke Mears Band, Andy Ferrell and Oncoming Train Band

Items for Sale:

Beer and Cider from Appalachian Mountain Brewing Company

Lemonade, Water, and Tea

High on the Hog T-shirts

BBQ meat and side items from various local vendors

Competitions and Awards:

We will be hosting five distinct competitions with awards for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. There will
only be one Crowd Favorite Vendor whose name will be placed on a plaque in the entrance of
Boone Towne Hall.

Best Fixin

Best Pork Ribs

Best Brisket

Best Pork Shoulder

Crowd Favorite Organization

Judgment:

All judges will have their admission into the fairgrounds waived and will receive a t-shirt for
judging the competitions. All judges must judge at least three of the five categories.

Mayor of Boone * if not available will send representative from town council

Mayor of Blowing Rock

Chancellor Sheri Everts from Appalachian State University

Boone Police Chief

Representative from Boone Red Cross

Representative from Danl Boone Inn

This Years Participants:

The Pedalin Pig BBQ

Trout and Barrel

Carolina Barbeque Pickin Pig Parlor

McKethan Brothers BBQ

Old Hampton Store & BBQ Restaurant

Proper Southern Food

Woodlands Barbeque Restaurant

Bandanas BBQ & Grill

Big Mos Championship BBQ

Cheeseburgers Grille

Wishbone

Carolina Barbeque

Visualization Scenario and Contingency Plan:

1. Parking
Foreseeable issues:
- Not enough spaces
- People that cant direct traffic
- Wreck
Countermeasure:
Utilize parking spray paint to outline rows for cars to park in and provide parking
volunteers a map of how to organize the parking lot before the guests arrive.

2. Gate
Foreseeable issues:
- Guests dont have cash
- Run out of event tickets
- Long lines
Countermeasure:

Ensure at least four volunteers are stationed at the front of the event gate to help guests
purchase tickets and greet the community. During the event, a GroupMe will be set up
for volunteers to communicate with the event leaders and other volunteers via text
message. At the entrance tables, volunteers will have the ability to use Square on an iPad
to conduct credit or debit transactions in the event that guests do not have enough cash.
The issue of running out of tickets can be remedied by purchasing 500 tickets to handle
overflow guests past our projected numbers.

3. Information and emergencies

Foreseeable Issues:
-Guests are unable to locate the information table
- Guests encounter an emergency situation
Countermeasure:
The information table will be easily identifiable with a large poster that says
information and it will be set up at the front of the event next to the table guests
purchased their tickets from earlier in the day. Fire trucks and firemen will be present at
the event to mingle with the community and take pictures. In the event of a fire or other
emergency, personnel would already be on scene. The information desk will also have
volunteers ready with a first aid kit if a guest or vendor sustains a minor cut or burn.

4. Food Tents
Foreseeable Issues:
- Vendors or competitors show up unprepared
- Guests out of cash
- Guest food allergies
Countermeasure:
According to the participation application, BBQ competitors are responsible for bringing
their own tents, tables, food, and paper products. The vendors will prepare their food
autonomously, charge their own prices for sample plates and collect their own payments.
Because many vendors will be representatives from restaurants or competition BBQ
teams, they should have their own existing equipment and are encouraged to provide their
own additional payment options in addition to cash. If they do not have their own tents
or tables, they must pay a rental fee and notify the planners when they turn in their
participation application so equipment may be rented for them.
Additionally, all food vendors will be required to display a sign up at their tent if their
product contains either tree nuts or peanut products.

5. Community vendors

Foreseeable Issues:
- Dont show
- Too few stations to purchase beverages
Countermeasure:
In addition to BBQ contestants, High on the Hog also gives community players the
opportunity to set up their own tables either for information or to sell beverages and
snacks for their own groups benefit. To provide guests with enough beverage choices,
three churches and two scout troops have been contacted to host beverage stands. In the
event that one or two do not show, there will still be enough products available for sale.

6. Kids corner
Foreseeable Issues:
- Lines for activities
-Staffing Issues
-Unsupervised children
Countermeasure:
To maximize the experience of guests, we will aim to heavily staff the Kids Corner area.
Whether it be ensuring the children are fully supervised or cutting down on the face
painting line, a small group of volunteers will be assigned to individual tables or standing
areas. The Chick-fil-a cow will have assigned handlers, and the bounce house will be
monitored for safety and time limited if a line forms.

7. Seating
Foreseeable Issues:
-Not enough seating
-Handicap accessibility
Countermeasure:
For logistic and budgeting issues we are unable to provide seating for each guest. To
overcome this, the advertisements and press releases will encourage guests to bring their
own chairs and blankets if they would like to sit and enjoy the food and the live
entertainment. For those who cannot sit in the lawn or forget their own chairs, two tents
will offer a limited amount of tables and chairs.

8. Band
Foreseeable Issues:
-Sound equipment
-Technical issues
Countermeasure:

In the solicitation email to the entertainment, the event planners asked bands to provide
their own sound equipment. During the event, our own member of the executive planning
committee will provide his very own speaker system, PA system, and microphones for
general announcements and music between live sets.

9. Voting
Foreseeable Issues:
- Issues counting votes
- Guest access to ballot boxes
Countermeasure:
To maximize guest involvement, three ballot boxes will be provided for people to vote
for their favorite item. The hosting organization plans to create unique ballot boxes from
recycled materials at their weekly meeting and they will be located at a visible location at
the end of the vendor aisles and staffed by event volunteers. We will make ballot copies
at club hub and print the quarter sheets on recycled paper for sustainability. The six
volunteers helping guests cast their votes will be the same volunteers counting the votes
and recording them for the awards ceremony at the end of the event.

10. Judges
Foreseeable Issues:
-Lengthy Deliberation
- Objective decision
Countermeasure:
The judges were chosen not for their foodie credentials, but for their role in the
community and celebrity reputation. They will gain entry to the event and be provided
food free of charge. When the cook off contestants filled out the entry forms, they were
assigned a number. Competitors will turn their plates in to the judging table by 2:00
without their name or company logo, but with their number attached to the plate. Judges
will sample from each numbered plate, fill out a brief evaluation form and choose their
favorite plate number. Once they have made their decision, the event coordinator will
translate plate numbers in the team names and announce the winning BBQ groups at 4:00
and distribute the 13 medals to the winners in each category.

11. T-shirts
Foreseeable Issues:
- Loss on unsold T-shirts
- Not enough T-shirts
Countermeasure:
T-shirt sales have the ability to help the event go past breaking even and collect the most
money for the American Red Cross, but also carry financial risk and pose issues with

finding the initial cost of buying shirts. To circumvent this, we will partner with the
Watauga Chamber of Commerce. The group has the capital to front the initial cost
(projected to be over $700) and also provide opportunities for businesses that are
members of the chamber to put their logos on the shirt backs to lower the cost further.
This partnership would be a way the group can give back to the community by donating
the profits to our cause after enough shirts have been sold to cover the initial cost. To
further lower the burden on us, chamber members would be designing the shirts,
communicating with the distributors and working the sales table by themselves. Shirts
would be sold for $10 and we plan on ordering 350.

12. Donations
Foreseeable Issues:
-Guests are unable to find the donation tent
-Guests arent informed about the Red Cross or Hurricane Joaquin
-Guests dont know they can make an additional donation
Countermeasure:
To give people the opportunity to go the extra mile for the cause, we plan to provide a
donation table that gives people the opportunity to give another donation or find out more
about the recent hurricane. The table will be in front of the lawn seating beside the stage
and will have a sign that makes it easy to identify. Throughout the event, we will make
announcements directing people to the tent if they want to donate to the American Red
Cross and also inform the guests on how close we are to our fundraising goal.

13. Weather
Due to the outdoor nature of the fundraiser, it will be postponed in the event of rain or
inclement weather.

Demographics:
Target Audience:
Boone Community: Since this is largely a family and community event, the Boone and
Blowing Rock communities constitute our most important participants at the fundraiser. This
target audience has money to spend on food. They will also be a good marketing segment for
advertising through the local public schools and newspapers (see press list for specific media).

This demographic is most willing to donate more or spend more at the event not only
themselves, but for their children.
Appalachian State and Caldwell Community College Students: While the Boone and
Blowing Rock communities serve as the major donors, college aged students would be vital to
the overall atmosphere and food consumers at the event. These college students will be drawn to
the cheaper rates and range of barbeque options. They will also be drawn to the event by the live
entertainment.
Appalachian State and Caldwell Community College Faculty and Staff: Faculty and
staff are included in this population as they often times fit into both the local communities and
Appalachian State demographics. If they live farther away they are able to share the event by
word of mouth. Not only will they serve as a good source of donations, they will also be able to
network the event through their colleagues, students, friends, and neighbors in the community.

Sponsors:

Harris Teeter

Wal-Mart

American Red Cross

Student Relief Association

Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT) volunteers

Appalachian Mountain Brewery (AMB)

Contact Organization: Student Relief Association

President: Noni Alexander

Community Outreach Chair: Kendall McGee

Public Relations Chair: Jonathan Williams

Treasurer: Luke Mears

BBQ Event Contact info: highonthehog@yahoo.com, phone: 828-262-1234

Schedule of events:

Time of
Activity

Activity

7:007:15am

Executive members of SRA arrive to location with supplies

7:30am

Rental equipment and donations arrive to location

7:3010:30am

SRA sets up rental equipment and donated items

7:3011:00am

BBQ competitors arrive to specified plot, set up, and begin cooking

11:00am

1st Musical Performers arrive

11:00am12:00pm

Luke Mears, Treasurer, helps musical performers set up

11:0011:20am

Volunteers check in with Community Outreach Chair, Kendall McGee, and

are assigned duties, Security officers and first-aid responder arrive

11:0011:30am

Jonathan Williams, Public Relations Chair, checks-in with security, first

responder, and any press that have arrived

11:0011:45am

Noni Alexander, SRA President, completes final check-ins with vendors and
BBQ competitors

11:30am

Volunteers are in respective positions

11:30am4:00pm

Volunteers sell tickets to community, Volunteers direct parking, Volunteers

assist at kids corner, Volunteers are selling event t-shirts, Extra volunteers
are utilized as runners

12:001:30pm

1st Musical performance set with two breaks (five-ten minutes)

12:004:00pm

Visitors are allowed to enter the fairgrounds with ticket purchase and are
handed a ballot slip, SRA members float around event /interact with
community/troubleshoot problems

12:30pm

One volunteer sets up ballot box stands around the perimeter of the
fairgrounds

1:00pm

1st announcement to complete ballot and place in ballot boxes when

completed

1:30pm

2nd Musical performance arrives

1:302:00pm

SRA announces sponsors and participants

2:00pm

2nd announcement to complete ballot and place in ballot boxes when

completed

2:004:00pm

2nd Musical performance

3:00pm

3rd announcement to complete ballot and place in ballot boxes when

completed

3:30pm

Final announcement to complete ballots and place in ballot boxes before 3:45

3:454:00pm

SRA collects ballots and tallies

4:00pm

BBQ Competitors finish serving food and beverages, Vendors stop selling
items, Volunteers stop selling tickets

4:004:30pm

Thank sponsors, Thank everyone for coming out, Give out awards for each
category,

4:306:00pm

Clean-up, Rental companies pick up equipment

Visualization Scenario and Contingency Plan

1.Parking
Foreseeable issues:
Not enough spaces
People that cant direct traffic
Wreck
Countermeasure:
Utilize parking spray paint to outline rows for cars to
park in and provide parking volunteers a map of how
to organize the parking lot before the guests arrive.
2.Gate
Foreseeable issues:
Guests dont have cash
Run out of event tickets
Long lines
Countermeasure:
Ensure at least four volunteers are stationed at the
front of the event gate to help guests purchase
tickets and greet the community. During the event, a
GroupMe will be set up for volunteers to
communicate with the event leaders and other
volunteers via text message. At the entrance tables,
volunteers will have the ability to use Square on an
iPad to conduct credit or debit transactions in the
event that guests do not have enough cash. The
issue of running out of tickets can be remedied by
purchasing 500 tickets to handle overflow guests
past our projected numbers.
3.Information and emergencies

Foreseeable Issues:
-Guests are unable to locate the information table
- Guests encounter an emergency situation
Countermeasure:
The information table will be easily identifiable with a
large poster that says information and it will be set
up at the front of the event next to the table guests
purchased their tickets from earlier in the day. Fire
trucks and firemen will be present at the event to
mingle with the community and take pictures. In the
event of a fire or other emergency, personnel would
already be on scene. The information desk will also
have volunteers ready with a first aid kit if a guest or
vendor sustains a minor cut or burn.
4.Food Tents
Foreseeable Issues:
Vendors or competitors show up unprepared
Guests out of cash
Guest food allergies
Countermeasure:
According to the participation application, BBQ
competitors are responsible for bringing their own
tents, tables, food, and paper products. The vendors
will prepare their food autonomously, charge their
own prices for sample plates and collect their own
payments. Because many vendors will be
representatives from restaurants or competition BBQ
teams, they should have their own existing
equipment and are encouraged to provide their own
additional payment options in addition to cash. If
they do not have their own tents or tables, they must

pay a rental fee and notify the planners when they

turn in their participation application so equipment
may be rented for them.
Additionally, all food vendors will be required to
display a sign up at their tent if their product
contains either tree nuts or peanut products.
5.Community vendors
Foreseeable Issues:
Dont show
Too few stations to purchase beverages
Countermeasure:
In addition to BBQ contestants, High on the Hog also
gives community players the opportunity to set up
their own tables either for information or to sell
beverages and snacks for their own groups benefit.
To provide guests with enough beverage choices,
three churches and two scout troops have been
contacted to host beverage stands. In the event that
one or two do not show, there will still be enough
products available for sale.
6.Kids corner
Foreseeable Issues:
- Lines for activities
-Staffing Issues
-Unsupervised children
Countermeasure:
To maximize the experience of guests, we will aim to
heavily staff the Kids Corner area. Whether it be
ensuring the children are fully supervised or cutting

down on the face painting line, a small group of

volunteers will be assigned to individual tables or
standing areas. The Chick-fil-a cow will have
assigned handlers, and the bounce house will be
monitored for safety and time limited if a line forms.
7.Seating
Foreseeable Issues:
-Not enough seating
-Handicap accessibility
Countermeasure:
For logistic and budgeting issues we are unable to
provide seating for each guest. To overcome this, the
advertisements and press releases will encourage
guests to bring their own chairs and blankets if they
would like to sit and enjoy the food and the live
entertainment. For those who cannot sit in the lawn
or forget their own chairs, two tents will offer a
limited amount of tables and chairs.
8.Band
Foreseeable Issues:
-Sound equipment
-Technical issues
Countermeasure:
In the solicitation email to the entertainment, the
event planners asked bands to provide their own
sound equipment. During the event, our own
member of the executive planning committee will
provide his very own speaker system, PA system, and
microphones for general announcements and music
between live sets.

9.Voting
Foreseeable Issues:
Issues counting votes
Guest access to ballot boxes
Countermeasure:
To maximize guest involvement, three ballot boxes
will be provided for people to vote for their favorite
item. The hosting organization plans to create
unique ballot boxes from recycled materials at their
weekly meeting and they will be located at a visible
location at the end of the vendor aisles and staffed
by event volunteers. We will make ballot copies at
club hub and print the quarter sheets on recycled
paper for sustainability. The six volunteers helping
guests cast their votes will be the same volunteers
counting the votes and recording them for the
awards ceremony at the end of the event.
10.
Judges
Foreseeable Issues:
-Lengthy Deliberation
- Objective decision
Countermeasure:
The judges were chosen not for their foodie
credentials, but for their role in the community and
celebrity reputation. They will gain entry to the event
and be provided food free of charge. When the cook
off contestants filled out the entry forms, they were
assigned a number. Competitors will turn their plates
in to the judging table by 2:00 without their name or
company logo, but with their number attached to the
plate. Judges will sample from each numbered plate,
fill out a brief evaluation form and choose their

favorite plate number. Once they have made their

decision, the event coordinator will translate plate
numbers in the team names and announce the
winning BBQ groups at 4:00 and distribute the 13
medals to the winners in each category.
11.
T-shirts
Foreseeable Issues:
Loss on unsold T-shirts
Not enough T-shirts
Countermeasure:
T-shirt sales have the ability to help the event go
past breaking even and collect the most money for
the American Red Cross, but also carry financial risk
and pose issues with finding the initial cost of buying
shirts. To circumvent this, we will partner with the
Watauga Chamber of Commerce. The group has the
capital to front the initial cost (projected to be over
$700) and also provide opportunities for businesses
that are members of the chamber to put their logos
on the shirt backs to lower the cost further. This
partnership would be a way the group can give back
to the community by donating the profits to our
cause after enough shirts have been sold to cover
the initial cost. To further lower the burden on us,
chamber members would be designing the shirts,
communicating with the distributors and working the
sales table by themselves. Shirts would be sold for
$10 and we plan on ordering 350.
12.
Donations
Foreseeable Issues:
-Guests are unable to find the donation tent

-Guests arent informed about the Red Cross or

Hurricane Joaquin
-Guests dont know they can make an additional
donation
Countermeasure:
To give people the opportunity to go the extra mile
for the cause, we plan to provide a donation table
that gives people the opportunity to give another
donation or find out more about the recent hurricane.
The table will be in front of the lawn seating beside
the stage and will have a sign that makes it easy to
identify. Throughout the event, we will make
announcements directing people to the tent if they
want to donate to the American Red Cross and also
inform the guests on how close we are to our
fundraising goal.
13.
Weather
Due to the outdoor nature of the fundraiser, it will be
postponed in the event of rain or inclement weather.
Event Evaluation
Guest Survey- When people buy tickets, they give us
their email. On Sunday, send out a brief online survey
out via surveymonkey.com

Very
Satisfie
d
How
satisfied
were you
with the

Satisfie
d

Neutr
al

Dissatisfi
ed

Very
Dissatisfi
ed

overall
atmosphere
of the
fundraising
event?
How
satisfied
were you
with the
date and
time of the
event?
How would
you rate the
location of
the event?
How
satisfied
were you
with the
cost of
attending
the event?
How would
you rate the
quality of
food
served?
Was there
enough
variety?
How would

you rate the

entertainme
nt at the
fundraiser?
How
satisfied
were you
with how
the event
was
staffed?
Open answer questions:
What was your favorite element of the event?
Did you encounter any issues? How were they handled?
What ideas or suggestions do you have for future events?
How did you hear about the fundraiser?

Debrief with organization during weekly meeting. Discuss:

- Did the event accomplish our preliminary goals and objectives?
-Funds raised in comparison to event budget.
-Overall atmosphere. Was it family friendly?
-What elements were effective and which elements of the event
caused complications?
- What could we do better in the future?