KANSAS CITY, MO. – The World Series of Barbecue run by the Kansas City, Mo.-based American Royal remains one of the country’s biggest barbecue competition events every year. Teams from across the United States descend on the Kansas Speedway for top prizes in barbecue cooking.
But like many other major meat events, the Royal could not risk the safety of the competitors and thousands of spectators by holding its event in 2020.
In this week’s podcast, MEAT+POULTRY talked to Glen Alan Phillips, president and chief executive officer of the American Royal, about the process of trying to hold the Royal and ultimately having to cancel and start planning for 2021.
Phillips shared what the American Royal will have to do for the rest of the year to possibly hold some of their smaller livestock events in person while maintaining local guidelines.
There is also a short discussion on the American Royal’s new complex in Kansas City, Kan., that was scheduled to break ground earlier in 2020, but has been delayed due to the pandemic. Phillips talked about the vision for this new agricultural center in the heartland.
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