Tips & Tricks for Bacon Buddies® Show Organizers
Keys for a successful event:
- Be flexible! It is ok if things don’t go 100% as planned, be prepared to make changes on the fly
- Be patient with participants and pigs!
- Be supportive of reactions of the participants (many of them this might be their first time around a pig).
- Be cognizant of sensory sensitivity (noises, space, lighting, crowds, cameras, pigs, water, shavings).
- This is an experience; everyone is a winner! All Buddies should receive the same prize for their participation.
Logistics
Checklist:
- Space: make-up ring, show ring, area for participants to collect ribbons after they exit the show ring
- Allows for parent/guardian to reunite with Buddies, and pig owner to locate and put away pig
- Show equipment
- Show sticks, brushes, spray bottles, sorting board, etc.
- Who provides these? Are they borrowed from pig owner or the mentor?
- T-shirts (if provided)
- Consider making T-shirts different based on involvement (buddy, youth mentor, volunteer)
Things to consider:
- Have audience (i.e. “fan zone”) located where participants exit the show ring
- Provides encouragement, high-fives, congratulations, etc.
- As participants make their way to the designated space where parents/guardians reunite with Buddies
- Creating name tags for those involved
- Photo backdrop availability and location approximate to show ring
Analyze your event (location, facilities, parking, audience, and support)
Checklist and things to consider:
- Event location
- Is it handicap accessible? Are there bathrooms nearby? Consider comfort for participants and audience.
- Timeframe of event
- Consider time of day, temperature, traffic to venue, audience support.
- Parking
- Is it close to the location of the event for participants not familiar with area? Consider handicap parking accessibility.
- Admission
- Is there admission to the event or fair? Who covers the cost for participants?
Identifying Buddies (Special Olympics Iowa athletes)
Checklist and things to consider:
- Highly suggest working with an organized group (ex.: Special Olympics, local school district, etc.) to identify “Buddies”
- Recommend contacting John Kliegl, Special Olympics Iowa Director of Regional Field Services
- Parental or guardian consent is required
Identifying Youth Mentors (4-H and/or FFA)
Checklist and things to consider:
- Select Mentors with high moral regard, appropriate maturity level and/or age
- Mentors are not required to have swine exhibits
- Swine exhibits can be used from another showman
- Mentor should be calm, patient, encouraging, and can adapt to different situations
Identifying Volunteers
Checklist and things to consider:
- Volunteer tasks
- Distributing T-shirts
- Help moving pigs from pens to the make-up area/show ring
- One to two in the make-up ring to assist exhibitors (a sorting board may be helpful)
- Two to three volunteers in the show ring to assist if necessary (a sorting board may be helpful)
- Two volunteers should be present on the exiting side of the show ring to help participants make their way out
- Two volunteers to assist with photos after the participants exit the show ring (with awards, Buddies, and Mentors)
- Volunteer Selection
- Kind and patient
- Passionate about kids and pigs
- Flexibility and willingness to help wherever the need arises during event
- Must be available through entire event
- Volunteers should be identified and notified of their role prior to the event
Selection of judge/emcee
Things to consider:
- Kind, compassionate, patient, sensitive to situations
- Ability to read people and situations (participants that are nervous, shy, or don’t want to talk into a microphone, etc.)
- Ability to think/adjust on the fly
- Charismatic on microphone
- Aware of the importance of the event
Pigs
Checklist and things to consider:
- Will the pigs be used in other shows throughout the event?
- either the day(s) prior or after
- Pigs should be calm and have adequate level of training
- Whose pigs will be used for the event? Are 4-H or FFA pigs already on-site?
Class size and duration
Checklist and things to consider:
- No matter the show ring size, we suggest no more than four or five “teams” in a class
- This allows the participants to stay engaged
- We suggest the entire “show” should last no longer than an hour
Public relations
Checklist and things to consider:
- Photography and/or videography
- Advertising
- Use hashtag #BaconBuddiesIowa to showcase your event on social media
- Consider social media, print, radio, television
- Media requests
- Before, day of, during, and after event
Sponsorship
Checklist and things to consider:
- Participant awards (ribbons for all Buddies)
- T-shirts
- Photo backdrop
- Meal/refreshments/snacks