IFOCE monthly contest streak ends at 55

December 2, 2007 at 4:46 pm by ojrifkin · More posts about:Organizations

According to the eatfeats database, last month was the first month since March 2003 in which no IFOCE/MLE contests were held.

Comments (10)

10 Comments »

  1. Anonymous said

    December 2, 2007 @ 5:51 pm

    Soon well be counting months since a contest was last held. I wish the IFOCE would go away forever and never return.

  2. Wah said

    December 2, 2007 @ 6:35 pm

    Not my favorite record…what was the month with the most contests??

  3. Anonymous said

    December 2, 2007 @ 6:39 pm

    Dale Boone and Charles Hardy trade blows on the phone.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS7Mvj7CJVI

  4. talent scout said

    December 2, 2007 @ 9:43 pm

    That is television entertainment at its finest. You can tell it was no act by any stretch of the imagination

  5. Mega Munch said

    December 3, 2007 @ 8:29 am

    Anonymous…why would you wish the IFOCE would go away and never return? Unless you HATE competitive eating. I’m assuming you’re a fan of CE, possibly with AICE ties. If that’s the case, you NEED the IFOCE to thrive and be successful. They do so much to promote CE and make it a little bit less of a side show and more of a “cultural curiosity” (there’s a slight difference). Without their efforts (whether you agree with their business practices or not), CE would be nothing today.

  6. Marketing 101 said

    December 3, 2007 @ 10:49 am

    It seems like the IFOCE needs to do a lot more marketing…I don’t know if anyone at headquarters actively seeks opportunities, but what we seems to happen is they sit on their thumbs until a prospective client calls them with an eating contest idea. Did they go after Spike TV?? Probably not, I’ll bet Spike had to search them out.

    The last couple of years bear this out. We’ve had many “regular” contests end, replaced by less new ones – Carmine meatballs, Cherokee Ribs, The Glutton Bowl, the Golden Palace series, Alka-Seltzer, all gone – to name a few. It seems like we “fight” the Wing Bowl, rather than embrace it. We could grow the concept across the country, and have similar Wing Bowls in every state. If not for the local Philly radio station, that spectacle would be gone. Maybe the Sheas started this out “just for fun”, but this is now a potentially multi-million dollar operation, that needs to be run that way.

    What we have now is maybe 5 people running the whole deal out of a small New York office, with part-timers thrown in. They need serious marketing people, to be contacting all the food companies, chain restaurants, TV and radio stations, anything food-or even “special event” related, giving a professional pitch. There is probably a ton of companies that would like to have all the publicity that we generate, but don’t know such an organization, or possibility exists.
    Our contests are getting more popular all the time, and make a memorable experience for anybody who has ever attended one. At a fair, trade show, store opening, special event day, or festival, the eating contest is what people go home talking about – whether they loved it, were amazed, impressed, or were slightly appalled by the whole thing.
    The audience now has more fan favorites like Joey, Sonya, Eater X, Pat, and so on, that they are making a special trip to see. The window of opportunity is now – more than these eaters, the internet with blogs, websites, MySpace, YouTube, have made even lower ranked, or non-ranked eaters known across the country. Look at “clicks” on some of these websites – SuperPaul has had over 30,000 people visit his website in what, less than three years, and he’s never made a TV show yet ( several 3 second shots in “The Science of Speed Eating” don’t count). The Hangman has never been ranked, but is widely-known, Badlands Booker, retired, is still recognized nationally, and is probably one of the first five eaters the general public can name. Juliet Lee is becoming a “must-see” quickly, Crazy Legs has a devoted cult following, El Toro has made himself a memorable character, Don Lerman and Cookie Jarvis keep their names out there with their own efforts, and marketing. Ian the Invader has made himself well-known on the independent side – why isn’t he being “courted”, marketed, and signed by MLE/IFOCE?? Imagine what IFOCE could do if they stopped piddling around, and went for it!! Our organization occasionally sticks Dale Boone out there in front of a microphone to embarass everyone, insult sponsors, alienate the public, and calls that marketing our organization. Thankfully, that idiot has embarassed IFOCE, and the independents enough so even they can’t tolerate that boob anymore….but I digress….
    Yeah, we’ve got ESPN with Nathan’s, and Spike TV, but there a hundred other opportunites that IFOCE should be “grabbing”, and pursuing, instead of being content to be just an occasional sideshow. The Krystal show was already pushed down into a half-hour event. Next thing you know, we will mess up the Krystal contest – which Krystal drives like crazy, (thanks again, Krystal-we love you!) along with the eaters who love it. Waffle House almost cancelled their contest – that should be a nationally-televised staple on the circuit!!
    It would be nice if headquarters cared as much as the financially-strapped eaters who journey country-wide to keep the sport afloat, while they make, in most cases, nada. If WWE, with it’s emphasis on show rather than sport, can be a marketing giant, why can’t we?? Our contests aren’t even fixed, they have real outcomes-Humble Bob finished second in Krystals-outside of Bob and a couple of well-informed eaters, who expected that?? Yet, because of the new 1/2 hour Krystal format, it almost got completely pushed out of the show.

    I’m sick of our organization going “sideways”, and slightly backwards, instead of growing. It seems like the major marketing is being done by the eaters, or a determined sponsor, rather than a united effort from MLE/IFOCE. Nobody seems to know when eaters will be on TV or radio, doing a barely passable job on publicizing an up-coming event – because they have had no one from headquarters helping them prepare, or “coaching” them…the only preparation is “show up here at whatever time”. Make up your mind, spend some money on marketing, get a real staff, ( no slight to hard-working Kate,Ryan, and the others who toil in NYC- you know you need more help) and the Sheas and everyone involved can all get both rich and famous while getting full!!

  7. Stoney Rockhead said

    December 3, 2007 @ 11:34 am

    Even me understand long-winded, great comment from Marketing 101. We in Stone Age when it come to growing eat sport. “Stone Age” – me make double entender, or something comment – Har!!

  8. Caveman Lee said

    December 3, 2007 @ 12:14 pm

    Stoney rockhead Marketing 101 must live in stone age if he failed to mention Beautifulbrian in is commentary. Must have done it for spite.

  9. Marketing 101 said

    December 3, 2007 @ 2:00 pm

    No spite, just temporary insanity…of course, Beautiful Brian does everything he can, with what he’s got, and does it well. Don’t let one omission get in the way of the message!!

  10. SuperPaul said

    December 4, 2007 @ 4:52 pm

    Wow – that’s gotta be in the Top Ten longest comments of all time, and I agree with it – respectfully

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