Good conversation - sorry I'm late to the party here.
In order to make this event possible, the entry fee needed to change. The increase will allow us to conduct all of the judging in one place and to take the necessary health and safety precautions. The one-fee structure, rather than two separate fees for a first-round and final round ($16+$9), will enable us to take the necessary steps to conduct a world-class judging experience that all brewers, professional or amateur, can be proud to be a part of. Local competitions are still accessible and something we'd encourage!
The previous format of the first and final round had its own shortcomings beyond the two entry fees - it required entrants to brew, ship to the first round site, rebrew, and ship to the final round site. That all adds up quite quickly. The new format allows us to scale up the competition moving forward without necessarily raising our costs substantially because the only way to expand access to the competition prior was to add a first-round judge center that brings a high set cost.
We believe this new structure and format will improve the competition for the entrant and the judges by a) evaluating all entries in parallel rather than over a six week period b) establish consistent judging in one location rather than over 13 locations and c) allowing the competition to expand category count as it sees fit and do right by the entrants.
In the past, the competition has not covered all of its expenses and at times has operated at a loss. There is a need to change the pricing structure to help us mitigate growing competition expenses and ensure the competition will happen in 2021 and future years. At the current entry limit, the competition will operate at a net neutral budget after overhead expenses – in other words, not generating a whole lot of money.
Large expenses to host this competition include:
Catering for 100+ people over six days
Rental equipment and facilities (tables, chairs, reefer trucks, permits, sorting supplies, etc.)
Misc. Competition supplies (cups, sanitizer, cleaning supplies, office supplies, printing, etc.)
Labor and salaries
Software and IT support
We understand that 2020 has been a challenging year for many and we continue to think about ways we can support you all. We believe that one silver lining is that many of us have had the chance brew a few more batches, and maybe even share a few more beers with friends. Our community is important to us, and ensuring the competition happens in 2021 is an important part of building that community, have something to look forward to, and have a reason to celebrate.
Shipping window is end of March/beginning of April
Judging is end of April.
Topic: NHC 2021 (Read 1996 times)
