OHHHH, BACON!

MISSION

To improve the enjoyment of all things bacon by providing education, recognition, advocacy and research on behalf of the masses, everyone, everywhere, all of them. We are serious. Seriously, dudes. Seriously.

ABOUT

• The World’s Premier Bacon Festival• Unlimited sampling of bacon from the

most extensive variety of bacon purveyors in one place

• Richest bacon educational lecture series in the known universe

• Largest gathering of bacon enthusiasts• Unique bacon-inspired competitions and

awards• 10% of proceeds go to support local

charities

HISTORY• Summer of 2001 a group of men began

celebrating bacon at an annual retreat in Spirit Lake, IA

• In 2007, the group earned “All About Bacon Diplomas” from Living History Farms

• On March 1, 2008, the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival was born at the High Life Lounge in Des Moines, IA

• On Feb. 18, 2012 the annual festival grew to accommodate over 4,500 participants

LOCATION

• Iowa is the number one pork producer in the United States and the top state in pork exports.

• At any one time there are over 19 million pigs being raised in Iowa.

Des Moines, Iowa

THE FESTIVAL

Tickets Tickets sell out quickly every year. In 2013, the total of 8,000 tickets sold out in just over 3 minutes in an online only sale.

On the day of ticket sales the festival website attracted 16,234 total visits and 11,622 unique users. The average visit duration was 4 minutes and 38 seconds.

ATTENDEE GEOGRAPHY

Bacon Lovers From 39 States & 7 Countries will be in attendance in 2013

ATTENDEE AGE & GENDER

The Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival Facebook Page has 5,955 “likes” as of January 17, 2013.

The largest group is the 25-34 age group (19% female 15% male), followed by 35-44 year-olds (12% female 9.4% male).

THE FESTIVAL

CompetitionsA variety of competitions take place before and during the festival. Among them are: • Bacon Eating Contest• Bacon Song Contest• Bacon Queen Pageant• Best Bacon Award• Best Bacon Inspired Dish

Award

THE FESTIVAL

Bacon LecturesThe Bacon Lecture Series brings together some of the most brilliant bacon minds providing festival attendees with the opportunity to challenge their bacon knowledge and beliefs.

THE FESTIVALOur MascotA furry pig named, Blue, is the official mascot of the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival.

THE FESTIVALBacon ShowcaseThe popular Bacon Showcase provides individuals with the opportunity to sample the largest assortment of bacon brands and talk directly to brand reps.

THE FESTIVAL

“The event, which sold out all 4,000 tickets in 25 minutes, offers something to make every swine lover swoon: unlimited bacon samples, a bacon-eating contest, educational lectures, a bacon-themed songwriting contest and crowning of a new bacon queen. Organizers plan to serve up about three tons of the fatty strips.”

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL Jeannette Neumann Feb. 18, 2012

“Ten Reasons To Visit Des Moines: #8. Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival-- Iowans know pork, and what better way to embrace it than in its most delectable form.”

USA TODAYBrooke Bridenstine, Special

CorrespondentMarch 12, 2012

IN THE NEWS

“The simple pleasure of gripping a fistful of bacon strips in one hand, and an ice cold beer in the other.”

THE DES MOINES REGISTERJens Manuel Krogstad

Feb. 18, 2012

“Des Moines Welcomes Thousands of Bacon Fans: Only in Iowa will people come together to eat a bunch of bacon-covered bacon.

NPRRenee MontagneFeb. 20, 2012

IN THE NEWS

“Single-Food Festivals Worth a Thousand-Mile Journey:

IN THE NEWS

“What is Better than Bacon?The folks in Des Moines, Iowa have

The Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival is a down-home, turf-kicking party.

JustLuxeLena KatzFeb. 1, 2012

come up with an idea. They want to pay homage to a breakfast food. Man, ohhhh, man.”

ESPN First TakeJay CrawfordMarch, 2012

“The mother of them all (bacon festivals) is the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival.”

IN THE NEWS

“Described as the “Mecca of All Bacon Festivals.”

The AtlanticDavid LepeskaApril 19, 2012

CNBC.comCindy PermanMay 24, 2012

OUR COMMUNITYWe take our community seriously. Seriously, dudes. Seriously. That’s why a portion of event proceeds along with auction packages have gone to support the following local non-profits:• Big Brothers Big Sisters of

Central Iowa• Blank Children’s Hospital• Boys & Girls Club• Central Iowa Shelter Services• Children’s Cancer Connection• ChildServe• Des Moines Derby Dames• John Stoddard Cancer Center• Habitat for Humanity

• Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute

• Hanawalt Elementary School• The Iowa Culinary Institute• Leukemia Lymphoma Society• Mentor Iowa• The Principal Charity Classic• Salisbury House• TRHS Foundation• Variety – The Children’s Charity

OUR COMMUNITYOver $45,000 raised so far…

OHHHH, BACON!

THE TOUR

• The Blue Ribbon Bacon Tour Promotes the Festival Around the World

• The Tour has Hosted Events In: • Keystone, Colorado• Nampa, Idaho• Pittsburg, Pennsylvania• Phoenix, Arizona• Reykjavik, Iceland

THE TOUR

THE TEAMA.K.A.

“THE IOWA BACON BOARD”

BROOKS REYNOLDSPresident & Chairman of Bacon

Favorite Festival Memory: “The excitement from the first bacon-eating contest. It was such a nice day, we were all outside and it was like a mini bacon stadium. The fervor and what people did to try to win that contest was intense.”

Area of Expertise: The food guy. The face guy. And, the deal maker. Brooks pairs his talents in philanthropy and insurance sales with his passions for bacon and people to lead the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival into the future.

MARSHALL PORTERChief Bacon Officer

Favorite Festival Memory: “At the 4th Annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival in 2011, I lead a group of people in executing the largest bacon parachute drop in the history of the world. 500 strips of bacon floating down from the sky. Needless to say, it was an emotional experience.”

Area of Expertise: The finance guy. The writer. And, the strategist. Marshall uses his talents in brand development and finance to manage the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival brand and keep the organization financially stable.

SETH HALLVP of Bacon Enjoyment

Favorite Festival Memory: “The first ‘OHHHH, BACON!’ cheer at the First Annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival with 200 of our closest, newest, bacony friends. At that point we knew we had pulled something together special.”

Area of Expertise: The “let’s think about this”, dude. Seth uses his business development skills and knowledge of the internet, to manage the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival ticketing and check-in systems. He also, keeps the bacon train on its tracks through his experience in managing rapid growth within an organization.

MARK PEDERSONSergeant of Bacon

Favorite Festival Memory: "In 2010, standing back and watching over 700 bacon lovers flow through the doors armed with Coors Banquets tallboys in hot pursuit of the Roller Derby Dames, who were rolling around with trays full of bacon burritos and maple bacon donuts."

Area of Expertise: The logistics man and the Sergeant. Mark knows how to organize and manage multiple crews of people to accomplish a multitude of objectives. The owner and operator of a first class lawn service and snow removal company, Mark gets the job done. His motto, “No one should stand in line for beer or bacon.”

JOHN TIFFANYBACONnoisseur & Quality Control

Favorite Festival Memory: "In 2009, when a group of bacon enthusiasts decided to turn the bacon lectures into a drinking game. When the Bacon Professor said 'bacon' everyone had to drink. Needless to say, I do not encourage this."

Area of Expertise: As a Kansas City Barbecue Society Certified Judge, John oversees quality control. He ensures that the bacon is up to snuff. He also does his part in the bacon consumption department.

For More Information:• Go to www.blueribbonbaconfestival.com • Like Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival via

Facebook• Follow @BRBaconFest on Twitter