Sigh -- more ToBeCONtinued crap
So now the ToBeCONtinued website says this: "Due to cancelations Aaron Douglas, Robert Sawyer, and Weta will not be at the convention. Causing us to scale back our program somewhat." Again, WTF? I did NOT cancel.
Oh, and look here: an apology! What's that? You don't see it? Well, you must be using a screen resolution of 1024x768 or less, 'cause you have to scroll to the second page of a "Click image to enter" page to see it -- yup, there it is, in red type on a black background, hidden below the ads. Touched, I am.
Oh, and I guess a few details weren't properly ironed out with the hotel. The con website now says:
Due to space problems there will be no art show at To Be Continued this year. All art mailed in will be returned to Artists in the condition it arrived in.
Chicago Games Quest has been canceled this year due to space problems. Sorry for the trouble.
Due to space problems we have been forced to greatly reduce our film schedule to Saturday night starting at 5pm only. We will be showing the Movie Trailer Panel, Lego Film, Zathura, and Serenity. Sorry for the inconvienience.
Due to space problems we have had to cancel our Luau.
Due to hotel problems we regret the we have to cancel our consuite. The hotel has social areas to meet and gather as well as restaurants and bar. Sorry for any trouble this causes you.
Posted by Rob on Thursday, May 11, 2006
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7 comments
7 Comments:
It's not looking like much of a Con anymore, is it?
Not even hospitality.
Noted from LiveJournal, as posted by a Chicago fan:
Don't blame the hotel. This is in no way the hotel's fault. Some points; 1) TBC will be short on it's room block by almost 100 room nights. 2) The hotel knows about all the guests walking and knows why they walked. 3) The hotel is well aware of the situation and has been keeping track of the various discussions on the subject. 4)Bob straight out told the hotel he will not be able to meet the various payment and penalty terms spelled out in the contract.
Based on all this, the hotel was working under the assumption that TBC would cancel and pull out entirely. They are very concerned that "we" would say it was their fault. It would hurt their reputation and kill future business. In fact, if Bob had pulled out, the hotel seriously considered running the event on their own, to the best of their ability, in an attempt to reduce the damage to their rep.
The reduced room usage was negotiated as a compromise between Bob's inability to pay and the hotel's desire to keep their guests happy.
As for no con-suite, Bob never issued any funds so no supplies were bought.
"The hotel knows about all the guests walking and why they walked."
Just to be clear, though, I didn't walk. I offered to bow out, if that was what would make the most financial sense for the con -- but I never walked out. :)
Around 10:00 p.m. Chicago time on Friday, May 12, 2006, the reference to me having canceled disappeared from the ToBeCONtinued website -- which is good, because I emphatically did not cancel. It still says that Weta Workshop and Aaron Douglas (media guests) aren't coming "due to cancelations." See: http://www.2becontinued.com/about.htm
The apology to me, lame as it is, is still buried on what, for most users, will be the second screen of a "Click image to enter" page -- the kind of page nobody looks at the second screen of. Actually, it's moved somewhat higher -- because all of the sponsor logs (House of Bricks, and so on) are now gone. Interesting. See: http://www.2becontinued.com/
By "sponsor logs" I meant "sponsor logos." :)
I wasn't thinking of blaming the hotel. Apart from the fact that I don't believe in blame, I was going to lay the responsibility squarely upon the shoulders of Mr. Palmer.
From another LJ, a poster behind Registration listing the program changes @ http://mndigest.shadowdragon.net/LJ/2becon/ChangesPoster.jpg
"...due to an error on our part Robert J. Sawyer will not be in attendance. Our apology to him."
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