John Dilley’s Defcon Sauces and Chip Hearn’s Peppers Team Up For Peppers At The Beach Event

Update: 5/8/10 – Check out the latest podcast from HotSauceWeekly.com where we talk with Chip Hearn of Peppers.com and John Dilley of DefConSauces.com about this big event!

Update: 5/1/10 – Due to the Race in Dover, Delaware, rooms are filling up fast. We are lucky to live in Ocean City, MD and we have a few contacts that may be able to get you a room for the weekend. OC is about 35-40mins away from Peppers. Shoot us an email or hit the Contact tab up there if you need help.

John Dilley sent out the following press release announcing what will be a major event for us here on the East Coast!
While it won’t be a formal trade show, it will be a gathering of hot sauce manufacturers and chileheads over the 2 day weekend.

“This won’t be a formal trade show, but more of a large-scale demo, where manufacturers can sample their products to the masses, join in a few eating competitions, and just hang for a weekend and have a lot of fun. All products shown at this event will be available for sale inside the Peppers store, so bring extra stock in case they run out. This is also a great way for newer companies to get their name out and to get on the shelves at this very well-known location. We are also toying with the idea of getting sponsors and making up some very cool t-shirts for the event.”

“The plans are to have this 2-day event in and around Peppers, in the parking lots outside. It’s only going to be mid-May, so the temperatures should be quite nice. There will also be a Blogger Booth setup for those that are part of the Chilehead Nation, and for specific hot sauce blogsites to get their names out as well. There will be no charge for setting up for this event, unlike the larger trade shows. There will also be discounted rooms at a nearby hotel, and Saturday night, there will be a big party for everyone in attendance at a nearby drinking establishment. Myself and Chip are in contact with various TV networks, and are trying to get a couple food personalities to join in the fun as well, as there will be a few eating competitions throughout the days. Chip is also contacting many local news stations and will be promoting this gig very well.”

“This is a good chance to get some cool exposure, not to mention having just a plain old-fashioned fun weekend. I’m trying to get an idea of the number of people/companies that are interested, so please email me at [email protected] or give Chip a call at Peppers, 800-998-3473 if you are interested, and we’ll put you on the list. If things go as well as I think they will, this may turn into an annual event. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. If interested, I will be sending out updates from time to time, as I find out more information.”

Peppers At The Beach

Who: Defconsauces.com and Peppers.com
What: Gathering of Hot Sauce Manufacturers and Chileheads
When: May 15th and 16th, 2010 10am – 5pm
Where: Peppers 18701 Coastal Hwy Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

I’m very lucky to live about 30 minutes from Peppers, so you can be sure I’ll be there, and I hope you will too!
Leave a comment below and let me know if you are planning to attend.
Of course I’ll post further updates as they become available.