How to Advertise for a Chili Cook-Off

Many chili cook-offs are sanctioned by the International Chili Society.

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A chili cook-off allows entrants to compete against other chili makers locally, regionally, nationally and even internationally to see who has the best chili. Chilis are judged on several factors, such as flavor, consistency, color and heat. Traditional chilis are made without beans or pasta and made with meats, tomatoes, tomato sauce and some form of heat, whether in fresh or powder form. Advertising your chili cook-off requires getting the word out through local media outlets and other avenues.

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Become a member of the International Chili Society (ICS), which will give you access to all the information you need to run your chili cook-off, including advertising, such as banners. Pay the membership fee; this will also allow your cook-off to be officially sanctioned by the ICS.

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Have advertising material printed up at a professional printer -- or print your own up using a computer software program. Include all pertinent information, including date and time, location and entry requirements -- including fees and ingredients -- admission costs and sponsor information, if any. Include flyers, posters, balloons and even aprons and paper hats, if possible.

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Post flyers and posters at locations such as grocery stores, kitchen supply retailers and major retailers. Obtain permission from the merchants prior to posting any flyers or posters.

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Place ads in free publications, such as newspapers and magazines, and online websites to advertise your chili cook-off. Create a press release to send out to local newspapers, radio stations and television stations. Include all of the information about your event so that it can be placed on the various media outlet's community calendar listings.

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Contact your local cable television provider to create a 30-second or 1-minute commercial about your chili cook-off to run on local television stations and cooking channels, depending on what kind of advertising budget you have. Contact local radio stations to see about creating radio commercials as well.

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Contact your local chamber of commerce to have your chili cook-off listed on their site and in any newsletters they send out.

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Arrange to have a webmaster set up a website for your event -- or create your own site using online website creation tools. List all important information on the homepage. Create a separate Web page for potential chili cook-off competitors to enter the competition. Set up another page to sell tickets to the event, with the ability to take credit cards on the page. Set up links to any sponsors that you have and offer to share links with other site who are willing to advertise your page.

ReferencesInternational Chili Society: How to Start a CookoffThe Australian Institute of Community Practice and Governance: 25 Ways to Advertise Your Event for FreeNorthern Marianas College: Promoting Your EventResourcesInternational Chili Society: Join ICS Today!Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty ImagesRead Next:

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How to Set Up for a Chili Cook-Off

Let competitors bring the garnishes that will best complement their chili recipes.

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A chili cook-off provides friends and neighbors an opportunity to relax, spend time together, enjoy good food and participate in some friendly competition. A well-organized event will help both the competitors and the guests relax and get the most out of the event. Set up one table for each team or competitor. Ask each competitor to submit the name of his chili recipe ahead of time, allowing you to create a reference list for tasters to take notes on.

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Set up one folding table and two to three folding chairs per team. Competitors should bring their own pots or containers. In some cook-offs, all competitors must cook their chili on-site. In this case, inform cooks to bring whatever water, heat source and ingredients they'll need to cook their chili without access to electricity.

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Print or write out a sign for each table. Include the names of the cook, team members and chili recipe name, as well as any allergen information. If desired, assign each chili a number for easy reference.

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Provide small paper cups at each table, for the team to serve tasting portions of chili. The total number of cups provided should be at least the number of chili entries times the maximum expected number of attendees. To save cups, post signs asking attendees to reuse tasting cups or to limit themselves to one taste of each chili recipe.

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Print out sheets of paper with a list of the chili entries and space for attendees to take notes. Print ballots with spaces for the voter's name and his top three votes for best chili.

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Set up a table near the entrance with note-taking pages, ballots and plastic spoons. Give one of each to everyone who enters. Cover a shoebox with construction paper, and cut a hole in the top to create a ballot box. Attendees can wander the cook-off, taste a portion of each chili, fill out their ballots and drop them in the ballot box, in preparation for the final judging.

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