Spotlight: Masterbuilt and Kamado Joe Grills Tour

Client: Masterbuilt and Kamado Joe Grills
Program: Grills tour, two seasons (March to August)
Scope: 15,000 miles per season, 20 states
EMD services: Driver team, transport, set-up and tear-down, food purchasing and prep, cooking demos, sales support, maintenance and DOT compliance

The Program

Event Marketing Drivers just wrapped its second season running the Masterbuilt and Kamado Joe Grills tour, March through August, about 15,000 miles each season. The tour hit high-profile events like the Charleston Wine + Food festival, countless Home Depot and Lowe’s events, and regional shows like the Delta Waterfowl Duck Hunter Expo.

The route ran from Wisconsin to South Carolina, Nevada, California, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Minnesota and Iowa.

Masterbuilt and Kamado Joe tour trailer set up for an event
Sausages cooking on a large outdoor grill at an event

The Team and Equipment

  • A two-person EMD team that handled transport, set-up, tear-down and cleaning
  • A 26-foot drop trailer pulled by one of EMD’s F-350 dually trucks
  • A GenY hitch for better handling and less road stress on the trailer
  • Tools and equipment on board to handle just about anything on the road

At Every Stop

  • Shopping for all of the food cooked and sampled at each event
  • Buying sampling plates, utensils, napkins, charcoal and cleaning supplies
  • Menu creation, food prep, cooking and direct-to-customer sales
  • Working with each on-site contact to park the trailer where it best matched customer flow, with visitor safety first
  • Truck and trailer washed before every event day

Team favorites from the grill: smoked mac and cheese, cowboy beans, glazed pork loin and smoked chocolate chip cookies.

Slicing smoked meat for event sampling
Smoke rising from an outdoor grill at a cooking demo

On the Road

  • All trailer, vehicle and generator maintenance along the route
  • On-site handyman work on the trailer, from touch-up paint to sanding out scuffs
  • Toll passes, state permits and IFTA handled by EMD
  • Full FMCSA compliance for drivers and equipment (see our DOT compliance services)

Why It Worked

The brands got a tour team that could drive, cook, sell and fix, so one small crew covered what usually takes a driver, a chef, a brand ambassador and a mechanic. It’s the same model we bring to every experiential tour: experienced people who are as comfortable in front of a customer as they are behind the wheel.

Slicing smoked meat for event sampling

Planning Your Next Tour?

Tell us about your program and we’ll show you how we can run it.
Call 414.246.2819 or send us a note below.

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