I show up at the doors at around 1:30 expecting to purchase a ticket but am promptly shown the door by the ticket taker. He tells me that the venue is “at capacity” and he is not allowed to sell me a ticket. He tells me that I need to leave right away. He does give me the option of standing outside (in the pouring rain!) and waiting until a certain number of people leave. Then, he would be able to sell me a ticket. This represents very poor planning by whoever organized the event as they did not adequately prepare for the crowd. Last year’s open-air venue at the Brooklyn Flea Market worked out just fine.
Then, as I am walking out, I see that the ticket taker is allowing people in who have already purchased tickets. If the Penn Plaza Pavilion were really “at capacity,” then why would he allow these people in? Then, it got a little weirder: I saw a different group of people with tickets also get shown the door. The ticket taker explained to them that it was “policy” not to let anybody back in, if they had left. The people argued that they only left because it was unbearably hot inside the venue (Again bad planning by the organizers) and pleaded their case to get back in. The argument did not sway the gatekeeper and the people who paid their good money to attend the Expo were sent out into the pouring rain!
I love hot sauce. I was really looking forward to the expo and was really looking forward to seeing some friends and acquaintances, but am not going to wait outside in the pouring rain for an indeterminate length of time to see them.
To all of the vendors not getting my money today: Blame the organizers. It is their fault.
I don’t appreciate being turned away, especially on a day like today when the weather makes travel difficult and unpleasant. The NYC Hot Sauce Expo has lost my business forever. I will not attempt to attend another Expo.