SmokeSlam
SmokeSlam is an annual BBQ festival and competition held at Tom Lee Park in Memphis, Tennessee, organized by Mempho Presents. It serves BBQ competition teams and festival attendees with live fire cooking, music, and food experiences, and is paused in 2026 for a 2027 unified event with Memphis In May.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersMemphis, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What SmokeSlam does
SmokeSlam is an annual barbecue festival and competition held at Tom Lee Park on the Mississippi River waterfront in Memphis, Tennessee. The event brings together approximately 50+ competitive BBQ teams across multiple categories including Whole Hog, Ribs, Pulled Pork, Duck, Bacon, Beef, Wings, Poultry, Seafood, Dessert, Dry Rub, Cocktail, T-Shirt, and Booth, alongside live music performances, live fire demonstrations, pulled pork eating contests, and VIP experiences. The event is organized by Mempho Presents, a division of Forward Momentum, LLC, with Kevin McEniry serving as CEO of the parent organization.
SmokeSlam generates revenue through two primary streams: one-time ticket sales for festival attendance and commemorative merchandise (apparel and branded accessories) sold through the Mempho Presents e-commerce store. The go-to-market motion is exclusively event-driven, with audience development handled through email newsletters, video recaps on Vimeo, the smokeslam.com website, and a photo gallery. There is no recurring subscription model, no enterprise sales motion, and no software or technology product.
Strategically, the company announced a full pause of its 2026 event to coordinate with Memphis In May / World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest on a single unified BBQ festival at Tom Lee Park in 2027, responding to community feedback from sponsors, the business sector, and city leaders. RiverBeat Music Festival, also organized by Mempho Presents, will serve as the May 2026 anchor event during the gap year. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, the company is privately held, and there are no external investors, funding rounds, or acquisitions in the public record.
SmokeSlam firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SmokeSlam
- Legal name
- Forward Momentum, LLC
- Website
- https://smokeslam.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- SmokeSlam is an annual BBQ festival and competition held at Tom Lee Park in Memphis, Tennessee, organized by Mempho Presents. It serves BBQ competition teams and festival attendees with live fire cooking, music, and food experiences, and is paused in 2026 for a 2027 unified event with Memphis In May.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SmokeSlam industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Food and Music Festival Events
- NAICS
- All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (71399), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries (713)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Food, Wine & Beverage Festivals/Expos (MPAGAFAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Food, Drink & Culinary Community Festivals (Community-Led) (MPAGAEAF)
Keywords
Where SmokeSlam is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Memphis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
SmokeSlam business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Event Attendance/Tickets: Revenue generated from ticket sales to the annual BBQ festival event. The event features BBQ competitions, live music performances, and food experiences.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of SMOKESLAM commemorative merchandise including apparel and branded items through the Mempho Presents merchandise store.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
SmokeSlam product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SmokeSlam is an annual barbecue festival and competition held at Tom Lee Park in Memphis, Tennessee, featuring BBQ teams competing across roughly 14 categories (Whole Hog, Ribs, Pulled Pork, Duck, Bacon, Beef, Wings, Poultry, Seafood, Dessert, Dry Rub, Cocktail, T-Shirt, Booth), live music performances, live fire cooking demonstrations, pulled pork eating contests, VIP experiences, and on-site food vendors. The event is organized by Mempho Presents (a division of Forward Momentum, LLC) and supported by an online merchandise store selling SMOKESLAM-branded commemorative apparel and accessories.
Product overview
SmokeSlam is a unified BBQ festival offering as a single core product — the annual SmokeSlam BBQ Festival event. The product portfolio consists of the main festival event featuring competitive BBQ cooking competitions across multiple meat categories (Whole Hog, Ribs, Pulled Pork, Duck, Bacon, Beef, Wings, Poultry, Seafood, Dessert), live music performances, and food experiences. Supporting offerings include commemorative merchandise (SMOKESLAM branded apparel and accessories), official team rankings and competition results, and a photo gallery documenting event highlights. The event is organized by Mempho Presents and held at Tom Lee Park in Memphis, Tennessee.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SmokeSlam BBQ Festival Annual multi-day BBQ festival and competition held at Tom Lee Park on the Mississippi River in Memphis, Tennessee, featuring competitive BBQ cooking teams across approximately 14 categories, live music performances, pulled pork eating contests, VIP experiences, and food vendors. Open to BBQ competition teams and general festival attendees.
- SMOKESLAM Commemorative Merchandise Commemorative apparel and accessories branded with the SMOKESLAM logo, sold online through the Mempho Presents merchandise store to festival attendees and BBQ enthusiasts.
Companies that use SmokeSlam
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
SmokeSlam technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
SmokeSlam partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Memphis In May / World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest (WCBCC)coreSmokeSlam is coordinating with Memphis In May/World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest to plan and organize a combined/unified BBQ festival event in 2027 at Tom Lee Park. Community feedback from sponsors, the business sector, and city leaders has reinforced the need for a single unified BBQ celebration. Discussions are underway with multiple Memphis stakeholders to explore options for one unified event.
- Mempho PresentscoreMempho Presents organizes SmokeSlam BBQ Festival. Mempho has deep roots in Memphis, music and barbecue, and is dedicated to creating world-class experiences. Mempho Presents is a division of Forward Momentum, LLC.
- RiverBeat Music FestivalminorRiverBeat Music Festival will return to Tom Lee Park from May 1-3, 2026 for its third year as the largest music festival in the mid-south. RiverBeat will serve as the anchor event in May programming under Mempho Presents in 2027.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
SmokeSlam competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo World Championship Bar-B-Que Contest: A major BBQ cook-off held in Houston, Texas, as part of the larger Livestock Show and Rodeo. Comparable to SmokeSlam as a large-scale BBQ competition event drawing competitive teams and enthusiast attendees with significant prize purses.
- Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue: An invitation-only BBQ competition held in Lynchburg, Tennessee, attracting top BBQ teams globally. Directly comparable as a high-prestige BBQ competition event focused on elite competition teams in the same competitive BBQ category as SmokeSlam.
- American Royal World Series of Barbecue: Kansas City-based BBQ competition and event series featuring hundreds of competing teams across multiple categories. Directly comparable as one of the largest annual BBQ competitions in the U.S., serving the same BBQ competition team and enthusiast segments as SmokeSlam.
- Big Apple BBQ Block Party: An annual NYC-based BBQ event featuring top pitmasters and live music. Comparable to SmokeSlam as a destination BBQ festival that combines competitive-style BBQ with music and family entertainment in a major U.S. city.
- RiverBeat Music Festival: A sister event under Mempho Presents at Tom Lee Park in Memphis, focused on live music. Directly comparable as a Memphis-based destination festival using the same venue, organizational structure, and target attendee demographic as SmokeSlam.
- Memphis In May / World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest: The long-established premier BBQ competition held in Memphis and now SmokeSlam's unification partner for 2027. Directly comparable as the largest BBQ cooking contest in the U.S., featuring competitive BBQ teams across multiple meat categories at Tom Lee Park.
- Hogs for the Cause: A premier BBQ and music festival in New Orleans combining competitive BBQ cook-offs with live music and a charitable mission. Comparable to SmokeSlam in combining BBQ competition, live entertainment, and a destination-event format for enthusiasts.
Emerging players
- Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS): The largest BBQ sanctioning organization in the world, certifying competition teams and sanctioning hundreds of BBQ events annually. Comparable to SmokeSlam as the institutional backbone of the competitive BBQ circuit that SmokeSlam draws its competing teams from.
Regional players
- Beale Street Music Festival: A long-running Memphis music festival on the Mississippi River waterfront. Comparable to SmokeSlam as a Memphis-based destination festival combining live music and food culture for tourist and regional attendees.
- Lowcountry Oyster Festival / Charleston Food Festivals: Regional destination food festivals in Charleston featuring live music, vendor booths, and food competitions. Comparable to SmokeSlam as a regional food-themed destination festival in the Southeastern U.S. that combines competitions, music, and family entertainment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
SmokeSlam social profiles
Digital presenceSmokeSlam financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SmokeSlam leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
SmokeSlam funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SmokeSlam M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SmokeSlam
What does SmokeSlam do?
SmokeSlam is an annual barbecue festival and competition held at Tom Lee Park in Memphis, Tennessee, featuring BBQ teams competing across roughly 14 categories (Whole Hog, Ribs, Pulled Pork, Duck, Bacon, Beef, Wings, Poultry, Seafood, Dessert, Dry Rub, Cocktail, T-Shirt, Booth), live music performances, live fire cooking demonstrations, pulled pork eating contests, VIP experiences, and on-site food vendors. The event is organized by Mempho Presents (a division of Forward Momentum, LLC) and supported by an online merchandise store selling SMOKESLAM-branded commemorative apparel and accessories.
Is SmokeSlam a public or private company?
SmokeSlam is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SmokeSlam founded?
SmokeSlam was founded in -1.
Where is SmokeSlam based?
SmokeSlam is headquartered in Memphis, United States, in the North America region.
How does SmokeSlam make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Event Attendance/Tickets are the primary driver. The others are merchandise Sales.
Who are SmokeSlam's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo World Championship Bar-B-Que Contest, Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue, American Royal World Series of Barbecue, Big Apple BBQ Block Party, RiverBeat Music Festival, Memphis In May / World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest and Hogs for the Cause. Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) is listed as an emerging player. Regional players are Beale Street Music Festival and Lowcountry Oyster Festival / Charleston Food Festivals.
Does SmokeSlam have an API?
No public API is recorded for SmokeSlam.
What industry is SmokeSlam in?
SmokeSlam's product category is Food and Music Festival Events. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAFAE, Food, Wine & Beverage Festivals/Expos, with a secondary code of MPAGAEAF, Food, Drink & Culinary Community Festivals (Community-Led). Its NAICS code is 71399 and its SIC code is 7900.