A Disaster of a Banquet
May 13, 2018 12:58 Book stuff | Food for Thought
What a Royal Screw-up!
A Bad Banquet
It has taken me two weeks to write about this because it was painful on a number of levels. But I need to put an end to it and if I hear Press Women again, it will be too early.
I went to the New Mexico Press Women Awards Banquet at the Lodge of Santa Fe. I was getting an award as were a number of our authors. There was no surprise. We had been to Press Women banquets for years. I went a little early because I wanted to check out the auction and the reception before. I shouldn’t have hurried because there was no reception. The hotel “forgot?” to do it. I should have known this was an indication of things to come.
The Awards Banquet was jammed into the Maria Benitez Theater. Large banquet table were put in and people were sardined around them. I chose a seat next to the exit just in case. To get to the table you had to go down some make-due steps with a railing. To go to the VIP Reserved tables you had to go down another set of steps with a railing. And to get your award on stage and to thank folks with the microphone you had to go up a set of stairs with no railing. There was no ramp. This violated the Americans With Disabilities Act all over the place. I blew out my knee so I look for ramps. Others had bad hips, other handicaps, and were senior citizens.
When it came to my turn to get my award, I went to the base of the stage steps and said loudly, I am not going up there. A face-plant would not have been cool. I had no opportunity to use the microphone. Luckily, Loretta Hall got my award and handed it down to me. There were no accidents but discomfort by some. The hotel should have known better.
The exits were blocked and the set-up violated the Fire Code. If there had been a fire, the VIPS would not have gotten out. Others, besides me, complained to the Fire Marshall. The hotel should have known better.
There was food and drink missing BESIDES the entire reception – rolls, ice tea, coffee, and dessert. The hotel caterer said when I called that the slabs of butter on the table with no rolls were for people who wanted to eat butter. WHO DOES THAT?
During dinner, the just announced, Pulitzer Prize winner, Caroline Fraser spoke. Quite a get. But the waiters were so confused that they talked loudly through it. There was also loud music from another venue and attendees talking loudly - they were rude. It was hard to hear the speaker and other presenters.
The aftermath was beyond terrible. The hotel manager and catering manager accused the Press Women of having in their contract to ignore the Fire Code, ignore ADA, and cut backs on food. You have to remember, that people paid $75 a head to have a full dinner. It took two weeks for PW President to resolve the problem but it was a secret. The allegations by the hotel, of course, were not in the contract.
What makes me mad about all of this is Press Women made women in general look like a bunch of air-heads. There were enough educated women in the audience to say NO! and educated women before the event to say “Stick to the CONTRACT!” There was also one lawyer. There was no respect for people having to use ADA compliant facilities – like all public facilities. There was also no awareness for the Fire Code.
Maybe air-heads is an appropriate term?
Barbe Awalt
