In a Word, RUDE!

June 16th, 2007 at 10:06am Post Staff 43

By Casey McConnell and Sarah Kochlis

Friday was the official kick off to Food and Wine here in Aspen. I love the people who come to town to have a good time and all of those lovely vendors who come to share their passion and work with us. But the security and the folks running the event are some of the rudest people I have ever met! What gives? You are an ambassodor for the City of Aspen and the Food and Wine event. We don't treat people like that here in Aspen or anywhere for that matter.

Having tickets to the event is no help when it comes to being treated with respect and diginity. We attended one of the seminars at the St. Regis, immediately we were escorted into a back hall way because we lacked the right color on our pass. Volunteers of the event I feel even worse for. It's a class system with in a class system. The yellow passes, the red passes and all the rest of you.

Finally after standing in line for 45 minutes we were "allowed" in one of the afternoon's events which was not really even our second choice. We were there to drink some wine not watch from the back of a packed room a cooking demonstration. Finally, one of the main people in charge came up to us and in a very abrupt manner said "Sit down, Move ,  Quickly, hurry up, the doors are shutting." We looked at her half shocked half appalled. replying there  are no more seats , as we all scambled along the wall standing, She proceeded to tell us how the Fire Marshall this and that. You are in charge, why did you let us in the room if it wasn't ok? I understand events sell out or there isn't room. I can comprehend that, but courtesy and politness would be more appropriate in this circumstance, since we are paying to be there in the first place.

We left trying to get into another seminar before the doors were locked. Of course to no eval, people just like us were being turned away at every event we went to.

So we decided to go get a drink and try to put a smile back on our face.  After relaxing at the Sky pool we headed over to the big tent for the 4:30 Grand Tasting to arrive to a line the size of Wagner park. After standing in line for 45 more minutes we finally got in.

I am sorry but it is hard to support an event where the people in charge are so full of their own self importance and make all of us feel like we are lucky to even attend the event.! Last year we volunteered and we were treated disrespectfully. After that we decided there was no way we would ever volunteer for this event again. This year we had passes. And we won't be doing that again either! I hope the people running this event take a look at this blog and hear all of the other people with complaints and make changes to this event so it is a positive event for the community of Aspen. 

Entry Filed under: Media, Aspen, Colorado, Business, Pitkin County