OWU/Hyatt class price gouging???

[mntdiver]

I've book a class room for seminars for two days at the Hyatt in relation to OWU and was just informed that I have to rent an extension cord from the hotel, can't use my own, for $35 a day! $70 for a $10 extension cord that I don't get to keep! It's not a matter of the money, it's not coming out of my pocket, but it is a matter of principle. Anyone else here have this experience there?

John
OTS

 

[greylion]

Sounds like the union is in control of the seminars too. That's one of the problems of exhibiting or attending shows in the Chicago area, the unions have a moblike control of all the expenses people are forced to pay. It's also the reason many of the larger trade shows are leaving the Ch-town area in favor of cities where the expenses are more reasonable.

I used to exhibit at the Rosemont exposition hall (Donald Stephens) and at McCormick place in Chicago and the ridiculous charges just drove me away. It's a shame really, good facilities, easy access but the expenses are out of line. Wait till you see what it costs to park!

 

[mntdiver]

Yep, it's union, she (the lady at the Hyatt) mentioned that. I gave her my opinion of that. We've had many experiences of this at shows. DEMA 2003 in Miami was a classic example. We paid about $800 with return freight guarantee from SoCal to Miami for our freight container, yet it cost us $1200 to have it moved one way from the sally-port door to our booth, about 150 yards or so. Still, $70 for a freak'n extension cord...

 

[Doc]

Public Safety Workshop?

Bring your own cord.

No one looking? Plug it in.

If you get caught, look dumb.

No, dumber than that.

And slip them $20 quietly.

I have done this at OWU and other shows at Rosemont. (And never had to pass the $20)

 

[mntdiver]

My thoughts too, I guess you had to be in on the conversation. It was interesting.

Two classes. Guardian full face mask tech on Friday and Interspiro Divator Tech class on Monday.

 

[Islandheart]

Our industry has stopped going to the Chicago area due to these rip off charges and fees.....
The exhibitors flatly told the promoters, you try to go there, we will not display, end of story.

 

[Doc]

Our industry has stopped going to the Chicago area due to these rip off charges and fees.....
The exhibitors flatly told the promoters, you try to go there, we will not display, end of story.

Looks like a pretty full show to me: Our World Underwater 2010 - Floor Plan

Chicago isn't alone, but we do set a high bar. In San Diego we dropped $335 on 4 cases of bottled water. They might have been warm, but they were delivered on a pallet- which we were not allowed to keep. Rosemont is nowhere near as bad as McCormick Place- not by a long shot.

My thoughts too, I guess you had to be in on the conversation. It was interesting.

I've previously done presentations at OWU and other venues. It's best to do what you gotta do and look like you should be doing it.

If all else fails, I start babbling Moscow subway stops in Russian. One time my wife cut loose in Armenian with what turned out to be a nursery rhyme she remembered from her youth.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

It is all a racket. I used to be a roadie and some venues were nuts about who could do what and when. We played a theatre in Detroit where you had one set of guys take the stuff off the truck, another carry it in to the stage, an electrician bring you the power( read he said "Here is where you plug your stuff in" DUH!). Then since we ran the mixer off the stage we had to have another electrician/house engineer run our snake from the mic box to the engineers booth because theirs did not have compatible ends for some of our stuff. Then they could only do so much and then had to have a 15 min break. Bunch of goldbricking morons is what they were. I never saw such lazy, whiny, crybabies! I had heard of union rules but never saw them. My uncle once worked for Ford in the design dept. When the time changed they had to have a union electrician come in and change the freakin clocks! I would just carry my own cord get your projector set up and casually plug it in. Cover it with duct tape. Make it look perfessional and up to union standards- ie put some crumbs on it and spill some coffee. And if they ask you where it came from say "What's it to ya? Lemme get my rep in here before I say another woid!" Then spit.

 

[StreetDoctor]

Union YES! <ducks for cover>