Page 46 - Barbecue News April 2020 Issue

NBBQA National Conference 2020 Postponed
If you’re like most reading this, you’re sitting there thinking tonight would have been the Awards of Excellence Dinner (check out the NBBQA Facebook page and Website for the video link – we’re still announcing the winners April 2nd). Maybe it’s Friday or Saturday when your reading this and thinking to yourself, “I’d be prepping right now to win that Rhine- stone Hat tonight.” The NBBQA Conference is always a highlight of the year for those in the business of BBQ for several reasons.
The family reunion type atmosphere which envelopes the conference, mainly because this is the only time of the year many get to see one another. The education which transpires during each session either confirming what you may have been thinking or teach you a new way of doing things. There’s the food contests which sandwiches the event, the Culinary Fight Club and the SCA Steak Cook-offs, which are always a fun time. Then there’s all the moments in between which make for some great memories, bringing us all back year after year.
This brings us to why you are reading about the conference and not attending the conference. You already know the rea- son why, COVID-19 has shut down America it seems. Beginning with the NBA talking about playing without fans in the stands to a complete shutdown of all our favorite sporting events. Then state by state gatherings began to be discouraged to the point major cooking events were canceled with threat of criminal liability. As St. Patrick’s Day approached many Governors made, what could be the hardest call of their careers, when they ordered all the bars and restaurants to be closed for a period of time. Cities such as San Francisco even enacted a city-wide curfew while asking people to not even leave their homes. So much happened in such a short period of time.
On March 16th the NBBQA board made the hard decision to not proceed with the 2020 Conference. This decision, as you can realize, was not made lightly nor without discussion of what could be done to still salvage a part of it. Although NBBQA food sport events can’t occur, the board is still going to go ahead with broadcasting the Awards of Excellence (links will be on the NBBQA Facebook page). Once the awards are announced, then each winner will be receiving their medal(s) and certificates in the mail. Not ideal but it’s something.
Plans will begin soon for our 2021 Conference which will take place in Louisville, Kentucky at the Galt House on March 3-6, 2021. As an organization this is high on our “To Do” list but currently we’re more concerned with our membership and helping you weather this storm which has gripped, not only the United States but the world. To get through the COVID-19 crisis there are some areas to consider.
BarbecueNews.com - 46 APRIL 2020