I will second what Uncle Bob and Texas Larry wrote, but I want to make a suggestion. wayne T it won’t happen unless there is a champion to push the cause forward, and I think you are tagged. Pick a date and a format and check out the response. You won’t be able to meet everyone’s specifications. The only folks who will come are those who can make it a priority. Circumstances will keep some from the 1st one, but just like with the Texas Meat Up, they came to the second one. We’ve had folks plan to come and had to cancel at the last minute, but eventually they came. I am hoping you can get it started and experience the joy of a Meat Up!
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I agree. I for one will be building a trip around this and visits to others in the SE. I need time and specifics to pull it all together. Not your problem of course, but it sure would help me anyway. Maybe others too? -
I completely agree, Sunny. Panhead John is the glue that holds the Texas Meatup together and it probably wouldn't happen were it not for him. You seem to have the energy and enthusiasm to put it together WayneT and I suggest contacting John for some advice. Again, if the timing's right I will be in that part of the country next spring and would try like heck to make it. -
CaptainMike I hear from reliable sources that Panhead John is a generous guy and I hope that generosity extends to sharing his expertise in planning get togethers. If so, this is a slam dunk! I hear he’s cheap too; sells himself out for a six pack,of PBR.
You can be sure I’ll pick his brain.
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I'd love to come if it works out. I'm still in TX visiting our Son after this weekend's Meatup and I'm so glad I came. It's just not possible to express how much fun and how rewarding events like this are.Comment
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I would be willing to make the trip from Virginia for a meat-up...Comment
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Hey WayneT This is great you're trying to spearhead a MeatUp in your neck of the woods! I can see you're already getting a lot of interest too, and it's still early. I'd love to see you guys pull off a successful MeatUp, and if so, I'll guarantee you everyone will want to do it again and again. And IMO, you're the perfect guy to put it all together. And since scottranda has offered to help, take advantage of his expertise, it's great to have a buddy helping with the logistics.
Even though you didn't ask for my help, I'm gonna try anyway…
I hope our experience with having done 4 MeatUps now, can save you some time and energy, sharing what we've learned along the way. The single most important thing when doing these things is the location and…the right hotel/motel/inn or cottages. Naturally you want to pick a city that fits your criteria. Pick a BBQ hot spot area that has a few great restaurants. All you need is 2 or 3 good ones.
To me the most important criteria when choosing a place for everyone to stay, is find something with an outdoor seating or gathering area. A regular chain type hotel isn't your best choice. It might be difficult to find a place like we have found, but they are out there. EVERYONE who has attended our MeatUps will agree with me I think, the best part of these things is the camaraderie, then the food. If y'all can find a place with an outdoor deck or lawn area with tables and chairs….that's the best way to go. At each of our events, it was so nice to get together for coffee in the morning and drinks in the evenings. You definitely want to stay somewhere where you're all together… and can gather in a central meeting place. That also helps when you're deciding on where to go eat.
I've also found that doing a Thursday thru Sunday type gig works well. Some people might wanna stay a little longer than Friday thru Sunday.Last edited by RAYMBO; October 17, 2022, 06:54 PM.Comment
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My wife repeats an old saying, "Company is like fish, after about three days, they need to go." So, maybe Panhead John could be our bouncer without having to lift a finger? If that does not work, we can call on CaptainMike, who I hear has some experience in that area.
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I am in Maryland, but I wouldn’t mind a drive to the Triangle area for a meat up.Last edited by Thunder77; October 17, 2022, 06:09 PM.Comment
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I'm in if timing is right.. thanks for bring it up.
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Wayne, I also wanted to add, start making your plans now, even though you’re 6 months or more away. Find a location and set your dates and announce the lodgings ASAP. It will possibly take a lot of online research to find what you want that fits your needs. Once you’ve set your dates for the MeatUp, announce it immediately so everyone can start making plans. Keep in mind any possible Holiday conflicts, such as Memorial Day. Also keep in mind when doing this, you’ll not be able to please everyone. That’s just the way it is….
The sooner people book their rooms, the better your odds of everyone being able to secure accommodations. Also, be sure and ask lots of questions before deciding on your hotel accommodations. Most places will let you make cancellations, if needed, just a few days before check in dates.Last edited by Panhead John; October 17, 2022, 06:12 PM.Comment
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Cancellation period is very important for sure. I tried cancelling Panhead John 's reservation, but I waited too long.
Hey John - ya know I love ya man.
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WayneT you might reach out to the interested folks for help in the research. While I think Panhead John did the majority of the work I do believe he had a couple of guys helping with some of the research.Last edited by LA Pork Butt; October 17, 2022, 11:28 AM.Comment
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Well, this idea has grown legs with all the encouragement, interest, and support. Let me think out loud here briefly.
Regarding Event Planning Personnel
My wife, Mari Jo, will begin retirement in mid-April 2023. She has been involved in planning annual large street festivals and elegant formal galas, as well as smaller events, for over 10 years and would be a rock star to help plan the final days of this event. Her involvement before that would be minimal because April 15 is the date of the last annual gala she is planning.
scottranda in the Charlotte area has reached out and offered to help with planning. Panhead John has offered his vast knowledge of planning similar meat-ups in the Lone Star state. He and I just had a long phone convo about where to go from here and it all seems doable within a medium to long range planning window.
Regarding Locations
NC has three large, metropolitan areas that have enormous resources for events. They are the Triad (Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem), The Triangle (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill), and the greater Charlotte areas. In addition, there is the much smaller, but quaint, Asheville area, which is beautiful, nestled in the southernmost part of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
All these locations have better than average to excellent BBQ joints and other style restaurants. The Triangle is located about an hour's drive from the spiritual home of eastern style NC BBQ, in the Wilson-Rocky Mount-Greenville-Kinston-Goldsboro area. The Triad is about 45 minutes from Lexington, NC, the original home of the tomato-based style NC BBQ. All the locations have restaurants that serve all kinds of BBQ from pork to beef to turkey.
I have lived in the Triad for 34 years so know the most about it regarding event planning and dates to avoid. I would need to do more research on dates to avoid in the other areas.
Regarding Lodging
All the locations mentioned above have lodging in all price ranges and amenities. Hopefully, it should not be hard to find something that fits everyone’s budget and style needs. John emphasized securing accommodations that are casual, laid-back and with indoor/outdoor areas that encourage informal gatherings, like happy hour.
Regarding Dates & Duration
As stated in my OP, early May is generally when the weather begins to warm and become more predictable in terms of daytime temperatures in most of NC. This assumes we want to enjoy outdoor activities and not stay holed up in restaurants and our hotel rooms for the greater part of the day.
For obvious reasons, we need to avoid Mother’s Day weekend on May 12-14. I am certainly not going to be one to compete with such an occasion. Memorial day weekend is to be avoided to reduce potential conflicts with vacation plans, schools letting out and the unofficial start of summer.
If the Triad is considered as a location, we need to avoid the High Point Furniture Market on April 22-26. It brings tens of thousands of people to the Triad and rooms may be hard to find even now.
Based on this preliminary info, I want to go ahead and throw out two potential weekends for a spring meat-up: April 28-30 and May 5-7, with my preference being the latter. If we wish to emulate the TX meat-ups, we could extend the dates forward one day (Thursday – Sunday) and make it April 27-30 or May 4-7 to give people time to travel.
As a next step, I will reach out more formally to scottranda to talk about working together.
Y’all strap on your seat belts and let’s see where this thing takes us. And thanks for all the encouragement, interest, and support so far!
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May 5th through 7th may need to be avoided in Charlotte as that is the Wells Fargo Golf Tournament. Personally, I go to that tournament each year. April 28th through 30th would be good for me. But, I could swing either weekend. Being in Charlotte, the most obvious choice would be a meat up at Noble Smoke. Great BBQ and close to the airport. We could also MAYBE arrange a visit to SnS Grills located in Charlotte, to meat up with a former Amazing Ribs moderator, David Parrish. I'd have to reach out to him and see if he's available and interested.Comment
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Wayne, something I forgot to mention this morning when we spoke. This might go without saying, but encourage the wives/spouses to attend as well. The ladies who have attended our MeatUps have had just as much fun as the guys have. ALL of the wives have returned with their spouse every time we had one. Let them know that this isn’t gonna be just a bunch of guys sitting around talking about BBQ or cookers all day. I mention this because at the beginning of our MeatUps, a couple of guys mentioned online that they’d like to go but their wives didn’t want to go, because they thought that’s all that would be happening……us sitting around talking BBQ all day.
In fact, we don’t really talk that much about BBQ, except when eating it or deciding on a place to go. The conversations we have all weekend are all over the place, ranging from topics like preferred beverages, to what we’re gonna wear for the pillow fights! …. Honestly, the ladies we’ve had attend have been an absolute blast to hang with, and I know for a fact they all love attending these things….they’ve all told me that.
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This is an important point as PJ has noted. I'll just add, just like we guys enjoy diverse discussions, the ladies are equally adept if not more so. If nothing else, they can compare husband aggravation behaviors around outdoor cooking devices and the evils of MCS. -
Thanks for emphasizing that point guys, although I simply thought it was understood that any and all spouses would be expected and welcome to attend. It's too bad that such a male dominant event mentality has evolved and will do my best to assuage any fears of that continuing with this meat-up if it happens.
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@WayneT “John emphasized securing accommodations that are casual, laid-back and with indoor/outdoor areas that encourage informal gatherings, like happy hour.” This will either make it or break it. I can say that from experience at the Texas Meat Up and my experience at church camps. What has been so great about the Texas Meat Up settings is that participants can look out their door and see if anyone has gathered at the common meeting area. While a gathering place indoors would be good, if you can find a place where people can check without having to walk a ways it will encourage the gathering of folks. We are pulling for y’all.Comment
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As it stands right now, we are good for May 5th-7th in the Triad area.
Really appreciate the work so far Wayne.Comment
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I’m open on either weekend and any of the locations mentioned. However, as I mentioned, I will be building a trip around this and visiting friends. One of my for sure stops will be in Charlotte. But again, I’m wide open and flexible.Comment
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