GOP Convention 2008: Final Remarks For Now

GOP Convention 2008, Minneapolis, MN:

The executive in charge of the event told the vendors that their concerns "felt personal." She went on, "If any of you don't like it, you can leave!" Then turning on her heal she huffed away leaving a crowd of stunned, open mouthed vendors.

Booth fees started at $2,500. Expensive. Yet the was barely advertised. No one showed up. Many of the delegates told us they hadn't even heard about the until late in the week.

Bizarrely, the event promoters put up an enormous memorabilia store between us and the exhibits. The store was as big as a castle. Huge walls were surrounded it blocking us off from the visitors. And visitors rarely ventured beyond it.

By Wednesday, the anger had reached a boiling point. Vendors flew to the local media with information about an incompetence so thorough and complete it could be fraud.

You might ask how such an easy win as selling to delegates desperate for tourist trinkets and a local crowd eager to participate in history could be kept AWAY from such an event. But somehow, someone screwed up.

Several of the vendors took out bank loans to purchase product in anticipation of the usual 150,000 person attendance. With little advertising and a huge entrance fee (even just to get into the marketplace), the crowds never materialized. Did 10,000 show up? Eventually, the promoter threw away the entrance fee. By then it was too late. Too late for visitors. Too late for sales. Some of the vendors may now go bankrupt.

Epic fail. What the hell happened? At every level, who's to blame?

The pastor from Texas needs to know.