What makes a good Jackpot ?

Looking to organise a jackpot show over here we don't have any and looking for some help on what to do. What works and what doesn't?  Any tips? Is all money paid in to pool and winner takes all ?

Pay at least breed Champs, or division winners if you're putting all cattle together (entry fee+5ish dollars). Pay at least grand and reserve, maybe over all top 5 if you get enough numbers.

Decent concession stand/food truck.

Supply trailer/booth. 

I started a Jackpot Show three years ago and have found that you are better to pay as many placings as feasible.  Class winners get a prize and I pay top 3.  That way more people are happy at the end of the day and more likely to come back another year.

The most common negative comment about jackpots is something like, "Why would I enter.  "Insert Name here"" always wins these shows so why should I make a donation."

I think by spreading the money around you avoid that donation feeling.

Here is a Jackpot in Ada, OK that I've worked with several years. We added a $1000 scholarship last year


Exhibitors must be an active member of an active FFA or 4-H Chapter, located in one of the following 24 Oklahoma Counties:
Atoka Bryan Carter Choctaw Cleveland Coal Garvin
Haskell Hughes Johnston Latimer LeFlore Love Marshall
McClain McCurtain McIntosh Murray Pittsburgh Pontotoc Pottawatomie
Pushmataha Seminole Sequoyah   

Attention:  Bob May, Mineral Point, WI will present our Grooming, Feeding, Clipping & Showmanship Clinic Friday evening.  He will also Judge the Cattle Show.
FRIDAY NIGHT UNDER THE LIGHTS  Feb. 11, 2011
Free Hamburger Fry Sponsored by Citizen's Bank- Ada, OK
FITTING CLINIC & FITTING CONTEST
**PRIZES** Clippers, Show Halters, Combs for top 3 teams

THE SATURDAY BIG SHOW  Feb. 12, 2011 
**HEIFERS**  **PROSPECT STEERS**  **PROGRESS STEERS
SHOWBOXES FOR ALL GRAND CHAMPIONS - CHAIRS FOR ALL BREED CHAMPIONS
ADDED MONEY******ADDED MONEY*****ADDED MONEY 
$500 to all Supreme Champions  $250 to all Reserve Supreme Champions  $100 to all Breed Champions
100% Payback of Entry Fees  *****  Everyone, in Every Class recieves a $5 bill


Our Show has now merged with the Farm & Ranch Show. More to do, More to see, and More to eat!  Last year we had 186 entries, and expect even more this time.
Come early for Friday Night Under the Lights - Free Hamburger Feed, Fitting clinic with Bobby May, and then a Fitting Contest with over $500 in prizes to the Top 3 Teams.

http://www.seokbeefexpo.com/index.html

We took over a show for 2014 that in 2013 had around 75 entries and this year with 2 months of planning we had 195 entries.

I honestly think the biggest thing that helped us was Facebook and advertising like crazy. Every time we had a prize come in or a decision was made we posted on Facebook and shoved it in peoples faces.

We had some awesome prizes to hand out and paid the top 5 well. (I attached some pics for you. The green squares are vinyl banners) We really tried to do some things that other shows in our area have not done before. I think that is what had people super excited to get them, they weren't the norm.

We also put a TON of thought into our judge and made sure to get one that we thought would be good, we hate the politics game and wanted a straight shooter. The kids and families appreciated this greatly, for once after a show I didn't hear any of the normal finger pointing.

One thing that really got people excited for our show besides the prizes were the shirts we gave out, we made them a shirt you would like to wear instead of a sponsor shirt and through the sales and every exhibitor getting one we have over 350 walking billboards for the show. As a bonus it was also a HUGE fundraiser for us.

The last thing I suggest is make sure your sponsors get shoutouts and not just on show day. I made a new collage of all the sponsors every week for 3-4 weeks and posted it on facebook and tagged everyone I could in it. Made the sponsors happy and made kids see who the 'big name" sponsors were.

I by no means think our show was perfect but with only 2 months to take a show from not happening to having about 120 head more than the previous year I was ecstatic at the way it turned out.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

Below is the link for our Facebook page, not much has been added since the show in April. (planning is starting this month for next year)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bedford-County-Open-Jackpot-Show/539889342774890?ref=bookmarks

Thanks everyone for some great tips. Very handy (thumbsup)