As one of the people involved in the New Year’s Eve party at the National Airline History Museum, I am truly sorry that so many guests left dissatisfied. And I’m disappointed that it has taken so long for guests with complaints to hear from anyone involved. For that, I apologize. I hope what follows provides you with the most current information about the event: My sole responsibility was to market and promote the event and I was not responsible for the event’s logistics (i.e., financials, paying vendors, printing tickets, hiring of staff, physical layout, security, crowd control, ticket checks, coat checks, shuttle transportation, etc.). Those responsibilities belonged to Michelle Sedighi and Sundee Pickering of KC Connections connectinkc. From being involved with this event two years ago, I knew it would need an event planning company and I felt that the contract between the Museum and my friends at KC Connections was a good fit. I have asked for this contract for months and have not been successful. I had a contract personally with Michelle & Sundee that soon became null and void after the museum reputed my maximum involvement. Because of my commitment, it didnt matter, however the event planners will not come forward to address their responsibilities or profits. Nevertheless, because I was the marketing/media contact and therefore the “public face” of the event before it occurred, I naturally received the brunt of the negative guest feedback and inquiries from reporters and bloggers based on the logistical failures at the event. I was fine with this status because someone needed to make things right with the guests. Because I was passionately involved in the marketing of the event, I felt terrible that people were complaining about their experiences and thus initially did my absolute best to respond to each and every individual guest, reporter or blogger via phone, email or social media. Per the Museum’s request, I was asked to make a statement that I feel was not my responsibility, but did it in good faith to help and ultimately hoped the Museum would assist the guests who were upset. But when I couldnt keep up with the increasing number of calls, emails, texts and posts from guests and reporters, I tried contacting Michelle and Sundee at KC Connections as well as the Museum so that together we could make a collective and proactive plan to quickly respond to complaints and inquiries. Unfortunately, the Museum has yet to return my repeated calls and Michelle and Sundee are uncooperative and will not disclose any of the financial information to me. Furthermore, all cash proceeds from pre-event ticket sales were remitted to Michelle and Sundee at KC Connections, for which I asked for a receipt, but they refuse to provide. And any credit card sales transacted online were sent directly to an account in Michelle’s sole control. In short, I am not in possession of any proceeds from the event and therefore cannot offer restitution to any guests with complaints. I have received zero cooperation from Michelle and Sundee in trying to obtain all the financial documents from the event, which would begin the process of assisting any guests asking for refunds. And I mentioned earlier, the Museum will not return my calls. I have asked for the agreement between the Museum and KC Connections but have been unsuccessful because the contract does not include me. There are also other contracts that show I was only allowed minimal involvement in the event, all per the Museum’s request. I have requested these documents as well. Despite all of this and to the extent that I have any say in the matter, I sent an email just now to the Museum suggesting that all proceeds from the event be donated to the Museum after all expenses and retributions are paid. But I alone cannot ensure that happens. I am disappointed that so many guests had a poor experience and it’s paramount that they have an outlet for airing their grievances and requesting refunds or reimbursements. To that end, please contact Michelle or Sundee at KC Connections so you can discuss your concerns. Thank you-Joe
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 20:44:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015