I was disappointed I couldn’t make it to the Most Interesting Academy yesterday…until I heard about it.
The event was at Falkenstein Castle and featured free food, music, food, and entertainment. 1793 people RSVP’d on Do512 but apparently only about 800 got in. That leaves 1000 people that were on an RSVP list without access. To add to the fact that they didn’t get in, they had to wait in line in 105 degree weather with no information coming from the organizers.
Just read the comments on the event listing on Do512 (scroll down the page).
Are events that hard to organize? Really? This was put on by a major company, this wasn’t the Rock for Independence Fest or Thunder of the Gods which were put on by clueless promoters. Get your shit together, learn what RSVP means, don’t make people park in a dung-covered cow pasture
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Read my take on the whole ordeal:
http://www.nitesblog.com/2009/07/i-dont-always-complain-about-free.html
get over it. bitter. its RSVP based on capacity. capacity was reached at 800 and there were plenty who enjoyed it. sometimes, ya just dont get in. have a plan b?
Apparently it was a big enough deal for Dos Equis to contact me personally. Apologies usually aren’t handed out when everything is fine.
There’s not getting in and then there is standing in line for hours when you are on an “RSVP” list and not getting in.
[...] Dos Equis props for quick and personal communication. I received the email below in response to the events at The Most Interesting Academy event. Time will tell if the apology and whatever they are planning to make it up to Austin will be [...]
I think people are overreacting, it was afterall a free event! If you’ve ever been to a large-scale party like this (think Fader Fort and a million other such parties every year at SXSW) you should realize that RSVP doesn’t guarantee you will get in, once a venue reaches capacity you’re SOL, so arrive early or be prepared to wait. Of course they have to accept more RSVPs than they can accept at once.
Unfortunately the situation was majorly exasperated by the extreme heat and distance from Austin. I was on the first wave of buses so I had an awesome experience and had friends arrive as late as 11pm (drove themselves) and were almost denied entrance but ended up getting in without much issue.
…sure…except Faulkenstein castle was claiming that 2000 people would be let in when people called, pre-event. I’m all about free events, but don’t overbook by 1200 people and have no way to coordinate th overflow…
I feel bad for the folks who had to wait around for hours just to be told to go home, but this is Austin, home of SXSW, the king of over-promoted parties for which an RSVP is no guarantee to get in.
I think the hundreds who got in, like myself, had an amazing time, and were too busy partying to tweet/blog/vent their frustrations. It could have been planned better, and logistics sucked, but let’s not go overboard here. For those of us who figured this would be a big deal and got there early, things worked fine.
[...] Here’s the latest from the corporate types at Dos Equis. I have to say that I am a little skeptical about their method of apology but I will retain a tinge of cautious optimism. I am impressed that they are taking this seriously; the communication has been swift and personal. We’ll see how much they have learned from their Most Interesting Academy logistical failures. [...]
[...] by now you’ve heard about the PR failure this event became and the subsequent apology. You may even be aware that they are planning a party to apologize. Good [...]
[...] Dos Equis announced it would be holding a “Most Interesting Apology” party after the organizational failings of the Most Interesting Academy, held at Falkenstein Castle. The announcement instructed people on the RSVP list who were unable to [...]
So if you think we didn’t do all we could to accomodate all the people who drove out here,ya think we wanted to leave them hanging.
Check out the pics and videos .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anewJntLrsc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vWIZNJYcvM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHB8GUqqI0U&feature=related
This is my front yard,people,my gardens,my ponds
.This was supposed to be a low key less than 1000 people party,well it was not to be so I had thousands in my front yard!!
And we let them in even though we were way past what I was comfortable with. We all had a great time.And the promoters went all out to make sure this was the coolest party for all.We never ran out of beer or food.I am sure that if we ever work together again we will not underestimate the power of free beer and a castle.
[...] sure everyone saw this recent comment from Kim over at Falkenstein Castle about the Dos Equis Most Interesting Academy mishap. Here it is along with videos she linked to (and the one below I found). Dos Equis did handle the [...]