National Sales Manager, Craig Turton, has just returned from EGGtoberfest in Atlanta, Georgia, and writes about his travels…
“Having survived travelling in the donkey cart section of the plane from Joburg to Atlanta, I arrived eager to see how passionate the EGGheads in the US are. First stop was the Big Green Egg warehouse where at any one time, 7 000 Large Eggs await their new homes in a 10 000m2 impressive warehouse that runs like clockwork. I joined Big Green Egg founder, Ed Fisher, and his family and friends of a tour led by warehouse manager, Jeff west. The warehouse is run by 5 staff and is immaculately clean, even though they had apparently not cleaned for a few days in the run up to EGGtoberfest! I’d have gladly eaten a Big Green Egg meal off the floor.
Off we went to the new Big Green Egg headquarters. The plans look amazing and will include a gym, museum, cooking studios and more.
That evening we had a “meet and greet” for all guests and distributors, dealers and staff. Was inspiring to chat and meet a few dealers and distributors.
Saturday. Eggtoberfest……
WOW, 4 000 people all crazy about their Eggs and more than enough food to feed them all. Beer, hot sun, what more could we ask for.
How does EGGtoberfest work? Big Green Egg made available 250 large Eggs, which were booked by passionate EGGheads so that they could be a Big Green Egg chef for the day, feeding the masses. Each cook has his tips and ideas how to cook better than his competitor. We tasted desserts through to pork chops, drunken chicken, breads. You name it, people had cooked it.
After queuing in line for what seemed like hours, I enjoyed the fantastic views from a top Stone Mountain after which the venue is named. Breathtaking!
Monday saw some very productive meetings at HQ and the future for Big Green Egg SA is looking EGGstremely positive!
Having visited some authorised Big Green Egg dealers, one can see why the EGG is so popular there; their sales staff are extremely passionate and knowledgeable and many own an EGG themselves.
Feeling very impressed by my success at driving on the “wrong” side of the road, I boarded the flight home to SA, just to find the in-flight entertainment system didn’t work! Fortunately, the pilot found a great tail wind and we arrived in Johannesburg ahead of schedule.
#EGGcited for the future,
Craig Turton”