Which way is the Roller Coaster Going Now?
So, I as I try to figure out what comes next in my life, I thought I would put on another Dark Odyssey Event. We came up with a name ... Dark Odyssey: Winter Fire ... and I went on the big hotel hunt. I spent 3+ weeks going over details of hotels in PA, DE, MD, DC and WV. I checked out web pages, made phone calls and went on a bunch of hotel tours ... got some free lunches too. The real trick is convincing them that turning their ball room into a dungeon and letting us use their indoor pool and hot tub for our roman orgy is a good business decision for their nice "family" hotel.
The swingers have it easier .. they dont ask to be naked in the ballrooms .. no dungeons .. everything really happens back in their rooms. Not us, we want to let it all hang out. I remember saying to one sales manager, I believe that upstanding middleclass adults shouldn't have to go to the ghetto for their sexual education convention. She agreed, but wasn't sure that the US Postal Service wanted to be the host. I can see the headlines now, "Sadomasochists Go Postal!"
So I find a great hotel, 225 rooms, 40,000 sq ft of ballroom space, secluded, indoor pool, hot tub, not far from 95 in MD with good room rates PLUS they have a completely empty weekend that only conflicts with one national event in Texas. We hammer out details on the contract and I start getting excited. Then comes the dreaded call. Mr. Leshner, I was speaking to my Sr. Management and they have some concerns about the part in the contract where you've included that nudity be allowed in the ballrooms. (Mind you, I've been upfront the whole way ... but they don't really listen until its listed in the contract)
I have my usual conversations with the Director of Sales, I provided him with a big powerpoint presentation on what we would be doing, demographics, class topics (cleaned up of course), references ... and I move on because I know what comes next. Thanks but no thanks ... and I never heard from them again.
So I get in touch with another hotel who is managed by a GM I used to work with and he wants me to come take a look. 200 rooms, indoor pool, hottub, only 12,000 sq ft but I can make that work. It might feel a little crowded but... damn we could take this place over and he wont kill me with charges if I dont fill every room. He knows the game ... Everything is back on! Start the promotion machine.
Until ... another phone call ... "Um Greg ... it seems the hotel just went under contract for sale and the perspective new owner isnt interested in the business and they arent letting me finish the contract." "But" he says, "If the deal falls through we still want your business!" LOL
So hugely depressed I pick myself up, dust off and go back to the drawing board this morning. I break out the lists and start calling around. Then I decided ... what the hell, I pick up the phone and call back the Director of Sales from the first hotel.
"Hey Jeff", I say in a chipper mode, "I never heard back, how did things go with your owner?"
"Didn't Diane get in touch?" he replies, "She was supposed to send you a contract yesterday. There are a few extra clauses about security and no nudity in the public areas but we want to do the business!" (Ok ... maybe he didnt have an exclamation point at the end of the sentence... but I sure heard it that way.)
So ... Dark Odyssey: Winter Fire is back on ... even though none of you knew is was off or even on in the first place.
Up goes the coaster ...
The swingers have it easier .. they dont ask to be naked in the ballrooms .. no dungeons .. everything really happens back in their rooms. Not us, we want to let it all hang out. I remember saying to one sales manager, I believe that upstanding middleclass adults shouldn't have to go to the ghetto for their sexual education convention. She agreed, but wasn't sure that the US Postal Service wanted to be the host. I can see the headlines now, "Sadomasochists Go Postal!"
So I find a great hotel, 225 rooms, 40,000 sq ft of ballroom space, secluded, indoor pool, hot tub, not far from 95 in MD with good room rates PLUS they have a completely empty weekend that only conflicts with one national event in Texas. We hammer out details on the contract and I start getting excited. Then comes the dreaded call. Mr. Leshner, I was speaking to my Sr. Management and they have some concerns about the part in the contract where you've included that nudity be allowed in the ballrooms. (Mind you, I've been upfront the whole way ... but they don't really listen until its listed in the contract)
I have my usual conversations with the Director of Sales, I provided him with a big powerpoint presentation on what we would be doing, demographics, class topics (cleaned up of course), references ... and I move on because I know what comes next. Thanks but no thanks ... and I never heard from them again.
So I get in touch with another hotel who is managed by a GM I used to work with and he wants me to come take a look. 200 rooms, indoor pool, hottub, only 12,000 sq ft but I can make that work. It might feel a little crowded but... damn we could take this place over and he wont kill me with charges if I dont fill every room. He knows the game ... Everything is back on! Start the promotion machine.
Until ... another phone call ... "Um Greg ... it seems the hotel just went under contract for sale and the perspective new owner isnt interested in the business and they arent letting me finish the contract." "But" he says, "If the deal falls through we still want your business!" LOL
So hugely depressed I pick myself up, dust off and go back to the drawing board this morning. I break out the lists and start calling around. Then I decided ... what the hell, I pick up the phone and call back the Director of Sales from the first hotel.
"Hey Jeff", I say in a chipper mode, "I never heard back, how did things go with your owner?"
"Didn't Diane get in touch?" he replies, "She was supposed to send you a contract yesterday. There are a few extra clauses about security and no nudity in the public areas but we want to do the business!" (Ok ... maybe he didnt have an exclamation point at the end of the sentence... but I sure heard it that way.)
So ... Dark Odyssey: Winter Fire is back on ... even though none of you knew is was off or even on in the first place.
Up goes the coaster ...