OLD FORGE — Max Cohen has a nose for business. He also has a nose for how to draw a crowd. To help drive attendance at the Old Forge Home Show held July 30-31, Cohen convinced KCBS to certify his Great Adirondack BBQ Festival, held on the grounds adjacent to the Home Show. 

The barbeque competition drew an unprecedented 24 teams from nine states and Canada — with monikers like Hellfire BBQ New York, Mike’s Bad Ash BBQ, and The Pig’s Pajamas — vying for the first prize of $10,250 and a chance to accumulate points for the state championship.

“I expected to draw a crowd of 1,700,” explains Cohen, “but we actually drew about 3,500. In addition to the barbeque, we had a number of vendors offering a variety of food; we provided live, musical entertainment; dancing; and activities for the entire family. All of this, plus perfect weather on Saturday, helped to keep a steady flow of visitors through the Home Show held in the [George T.] Hiltebrandt Recreation Center. This is only the second year of the event, and we filled the 15,000-plus square feet of the Center with 30 vendors.”

Cohen, who is director of hospitality marketing at Meyda Lighting (pronounced MY-DA) headquartered in Yorkville, created the event to attract both consumers and professionals to the latest designs in home products. 

“I see the Old Forge Home Show as a high-profile event that brings together vendors from a broad range of industries with consumers from the Central Adirondack region,” says the show’s owner. “This year, the vendors include builders, developers, remodelers, HVAC and plumbing contractors, material suppliers, lending institutions, and landscape architects. This show offers the perfect opportunity for anyone looking to build an Adirondack home and for those who need help remodeling. With just one stop, the show also provides help from companies specializing in real estate, boating, home entertainment, and more.”

Cohen — who organizes, finances, produces, promotes, and directs the show, the true definition of an impresario — incorporated on Nov. 25, 2015, as ADKNY Events, LLC. “I take a long-term view to build up this show,” intones the owner. “I want to keep the cost of exhibiting low to attract vendors, and I am reinvesting the income in promotions to make each year better. The Old Forge Home Show offers a unique way to market goods and services to a high-end market. I’m convinced I can grow this show and, in time, make it profitable.”

Looking ahead to 2017 show
Before the 2016 show closed, its impresario was already thinking about the 2017 successor. He wasted no time reserving the Hiltebrandt Recreation Center for the last weekend in July 2017. “I know we can double the attendance next year,” asserts Cohen. “Instead of 24 teams, my goal is to attract 70 KCBS teams, all eager for the prestige of competing. The event will provide more food- and beverage-vendor options with barbeque samplings. While the KCBS judges rate the professionals, we’ll have judges for the amateur ‘barbecuers,’ in other words a backyard or people’s choice. I also plan to reach out for different brands to add more variety to the mix of exhibitors. And I think to help drive traffic, I’ll split the promotional attractions and have the barbeque contest on one day and the festival activities on the other.”

Cohen has another idea for 2017. “I am reaching out to local charities to help ADKNY Events put on a successful show. I need help putting up and tearing down displays, controlling traffic around the Center, and acting as signage to guide visitors to our location. The Village of Old Forge won’t allow us to put up any signage, so I want some of the volunteers to be walking poster boards. For their help, I plan to share the revenue from the event entrance fee.”

Cohen’s optimism for 2017 is based on the success of the 2016 show, which sold out its vendor space quickly. He’s convinced that the increased value of the 2017 show will also lead to a quick sell-out. “There were some reluctant vendors in the first two years of the show,” avers Cohen, “but we have proven that the concept works and that ADKNY Events know how to manage this show.”

KCBS was formed in 1985 by three individuals whose only criterion for membership was that the idea should not be taken seriously. Annual dues in year one were set at $12 for the 20 people who joined. Today, the society boasts more than 20,000 members and annually sanctions more than 500 cook-off competitions worldwide. At the Great Adirondack BBQ Festival in Old Forge, the 24 contestants were rated in five categories: overall, chicken, pork ribs, pork, and brisket.

Cohen, 29, joined Meyda Lighting full time in January 2006, serving as the director of hospitality lighting and the manager of the factory showroom. He also represents the company at major trade events held nationwide. Cohen is the son of Ellie and Robert Cohen, Meyda’s principals, and the grandson of the company’s co-founders, Meyer and Ida Cohen. He works together with his father and brother Chet at the factory location in Yorkville and resides with his wife Meaghan in New Hartford. Meyda employs 75 people at the 170,000-square-foot manufacturing and retail facility in Yorkville and leases 1,600 square feet of space at its retail outlet in Old Forge.

Contact Poltenson at npoltenson@cnybj.com