Yes the Ottawa Wine and Food show was a lot of fun and there were some great wines to be tasted but for some people it was not that fun. It left a bitter taste in their mouth like a bad chardonnay.
So lets get to the ugly part and yes there's an ugly part. Ticket sales and accessing the show was not pretty this year and this is not an isolated incident. It happens almost every year that I've gone and dates back to the days when the event was at the Civic Centre. It's an area
that needs immediate improvement or people will simply stop going to the show out of sheer frustration. So let me address this part to the people who
organize the Ottawa Wine and Food Show.
First. Buying an
online ticket for entrance to the Wine and Food Show is not a lottery.
You can't just take peoples money and then make them stand outside for 3
hours while you sell walk-up tickets at inflated prices. There's a level of commitment to the consumer when
you sell tickets on line and there must be a reasonable time frame for accessing the show. They have committed their money to go to the show so you must commit to providing access to the show. It's that simple. 3 hours outside on Colonel By Drive in November weather is not reasonable.
Second. If your organization cannot guarantee access to the show in a reasonable time frame, the consumer is entitled to a full refund without a fight. You can't just take the money and run. It's not professional, it's not good public relations for future shows and it gives the Ottawa Wine and Food show a bad name.
I've talked to a number of people at the show and some who have stopped going because they refuse to attend another wine and food show where there's a good chance that they will not get in and lose their money.
Like the old saying goes "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice and I'll go some place else to drink wine. (or something like that).
Cheers !
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