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Manufacturers, Innovators and Inventors
Heading for a Date with Destiny at Mandalay Bay
December 13, 2011
The Tailgating Industry Association (TIA) has forged an agreement with TVGoods, Inc. and its Chairman, Kevin Harrington, to produce a Tailgating Pitch Tank at the Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show this January. Harrington—one of the stars of the ABC show Shark Tank—will be among the judges on the Pitch Tank panel. The pre-qualifying process is being handled by Hakan & Associates.
Tailgating Pitch Tank participants will receive invaluable feedback from a panel of experts, as well as great exposure through attending media. The competition is open to manufacturers of any and all items related to tailgating, including:
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- cooking, grilling, serving & storing
- food, beverage & sauces
- automotive & electronics
- novelties, games & souvenirs
- licensed apparel & accessories
On TV, the "winners" often walk away with a check in their pockets and a new business partner. At the Tailgating Pitch Tank, the winners will be among the companies invited to have their products sold on a TIA Tailgating Show, which will air on one of the major home-shopping channels.
"The home-shopping program is our ultimate goal from an industry standpoint," says TIA Executive Director Mark Stewart. "Imagine a retail space entirely devoted to tailgating, where people can tune in and see the newest products on the market—and get great deals on the products they already buy. The Tailgating Industry Association promised to hit the ground running in 2012, and this is an example of the kind of opportunities we have been working to create for the last six months."
What happens to the companies who pitch their products in Las Vegas but aren't selected for the home-shopping shows?
"Everyone participating wins," Stewart points out. "The judges we are assembling normally charge thousands of dollars for the marketing, design and product-development advice they give as consultants. Regardless of the outcome, the five minutes or so you spend pitching your product—and the feedback you receive—may turn out to be the most valuable five minutes of your life."
The ground rules for the Tailgating Pitch Tank are straightforward. There is some basic paperwork to fill out, including a release, as the "pitches" will be filmed. The product must be related to tailgating—or appeal to tailgaters—in some way. The product must actually exist. A prototype is fine; a "concept" is not. However, products picked to populate the Tailgating home-shopping shows must be in production, with adequate inventories, before they go on-air.
There is a nominal $200 fee to cover a portion of the production expenses at the Tailgating Pitch Tank. If for some reason a product does not qualify to be "pitched," that fee will be refunded. Slots will be available on a first-come, first-served basis until they are all filled.
Two more crucial pieces of information: 1) The Tailgating Pitch Tank will be held at Mandalay Bay but is not part of the Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show. Admission to the show floor is restricted to exhibitors and registered buyers. 2) Companies do not have to be TIA members to participate in the Tailgating Pitch Tank in Las Vegas. Those companies invited sell on the TIA Tailgating Show later in 2012 will have to become members.
"This is not a membership-building program per se," explains Stewart. "TIA is focused on creating opportunities for tailgating manufacturers and suppliers to reach a wider audience. From there, everything else flows. Stronger retail relationships, a better dialogue with consumers, and an industry that runs more efficiently for everyone up and down the line."
"Tailgating is a dynamic, multibillion-dollar cultural phenomenon without a central purchasing point," adds Kevin Harrington. "There is no such thing as a 'tailgating store,' a convenient place where people can find the basics for a tailgating or home-gating party—or a place where they go to see the coolest new products debut. That is what we are going to build in 2102."
For more information on the Tailgating Pitch Tank, contact Brian Hakan of Hakan & Associates at brian@hakan.com. For more information on the Tailgating Industry Association, log onto www.tiassn.org.
