I say the festival rocked because I am no longer there. The management company decided to stop honoring VIP wrist bands for the VIP area (which was not the organizers fault). Like I always do with bad customer service, I asked to speak to the supervisor but was told no. He was only 10 feet away so I walked towards him to straighten everything out. Before I even got to him I was physically assualted by the staff - attempting to break my arm by pushing it up behind my back - and physically threatened further by the staff. The staff also refused to give me their names etc. so that I could file a formal complaint with the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission (who run RFK) and the police. That is unacceptable, but typical cover your ass behavior by the type of uneducated people who work these jobs and realize their in the wrong. (To quote the asshole professor from Real Genius "[they're] laborers ... that's what you get for not having an education").
I was visibly upset by their unwarranted assault and called the police on 911. Someone came very promptly, and I was escorted out of the event. I don't blame the police - they were doing their job and in their situation I would take the management company's word over mine since the management company is also part of DC government. I was very tense and the officers kept commenting on it and asked me to relax as we walked out. They were very professional the whole time and I appreciate their difficult jobs. I also believe that law enforcement at any level is second only to military servicen in terms of noble callings and professions deserving respect. Kudos to the DC police for handling this well.
However, if I were the guys who sponsored the event and the D.C. Sports & Entertainment Commission stopped honoring the tickets I had sold (as well as vendor passes - many of whom also were barred from the VIP area despite the fact they were supposed to have access), I would stop having Shamrock Fest and Blocktober Fest at RFK. They did not provide acceptable customer service to the festival promoters.
Instead, I would do like the HFStival and do the events at Ravens stadium in Baltimore. In addition to better management, there is more to do around the stadium than at RFK, and it's just a better environment for having a good time than the RFK area. Of course, there will be a new Nationals stadium, so maybe they can do it there in the future.
RFK deserves to close due to poor management and inability to resolve customer service issues. Maybe the DC United (our excellent soccer team that not enough people see) could play at the new stadium too. For a WaPo article that mentions previous management problems at the stadium, click here.I worked in customer service for over five years service is a big thing for me.
Despite all the drama the festival was fun. The Connells aren't quite as good as they were 15 years ago, but still put on a solid show, as did all the Dewey Bands and Kelly Bell. I'm bummed I'm missing DJ AM and Carbon Leaf, but that's what happens for sticking up for yourself with the government (you can't fight city hall). I'm sure they'll both put on excellent performances.
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Ah. Sounds like you had a run-in with CSC. They're notorious for hiring thugs and wanna-be bouncers to run security and usually end up causing more problems than they resolve. You'll have a hard time getting anything to stick to CSC, they tend to be very good at keeping their story straight and readily lie to cover each other. The incidents between CSC and fans at D.C. United games alone could fill a small book.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of United (since you mentioned it), they're planning to build their own stadium across the river from the baseball stadium, hopefully to be opened in 2009.