Idaho Potato Lovers Display Contest gives out triple sweepstakes prizes in 33rd year
Three grand prize winners are grilling in style this summer, after taking home high-end Traeger meat smokers and smoking kits in the 2024 Idaho Potato Lovers Display Contest.
the 2024 Idaho Potato Lovers Display Contest. Matt Zapczynski
(right), IPC’s retail promotions director for the Northeast and
Midwest, is shown with store owners Larry and Ranee Yoder, and
Grand Prize winner Amy Kaser.
For the first time ever, the 33rd annual Idaho Potato Commission competition presented a sweepstakes prize to one random winner in each region of the country as part of the $150,000-plus in cash and prizes awarded through the contest, according to Ross Johnson, vice president of retail and international of the IPC.
The number of retail display entries jumped by nearly a third this year, too, as produce managers nationwide let their creative juices flow in support of stellar spuds.
“We’re spreading the wealth with three grand prizes instead of one, but everyone who enters the annual display contest is a winner,” said Johnson. “Each entrant this year received a free BBQ grill tool kit, and every year these imaginative Idaho potato displays generate sales lifts for produce departments across the country.”
In fact, IPC research has found that test stores with secondary displays of Idaho russets deliver a nearly 10 times growth advantage, while comparison stores with no secondary display achieve an average category growth of only 2.5 percent.
Retailers competed with other same-size stores in one of three categories: one to five cash registers, six to nine cash registers, or 10-plus cash registers. Within each store category, entrants were eligible to win these cash prizes: first place – $1,500; second place – $1,000; third place – $750; fourth place – $500; fifth place – $250; Honorable Mention – $100 (100 selected from remaining entries).
The Category Manager Match Program awarded equivalent prizes to corporate category managers for stores that qualified for a first through fifth place prize or the sweepstakes Traeger set.
In-store displays were required to incorporate fresh Idaho potatoes (bag, bulk or both) with a clear label showing the Idaho name and the “Grown in Idaho” seal, along with a clearly marked Idaho dehydrated potato product.
The display also had to use IPC 2024 special themed point-of-sale materials: two double-sided Idaho Potato Lovers logo display signs, one large and two small double-sided signs with an appetizing photo, and three inflatable Mylar Idaho potato balloons. Displays were required to be in the store’s produce section for at least one week between Feb. 1 and March 31.
To see the 2024 winning displays, visit www.IdahoPotato.com/Retail.
