Do I blame the venue or the promotion company?
I'm leaning towards the promotion company. In this case, that would be Overtime Group. For a company that promotes happy hour events at such beautiful metropolitan venues, I'm surprised by how poorly organized they are.
I RSVP'd for this "Vodka Open Bar" event at the Empire Hotel Rooftop. The ONLY information stated on the website and the confirmation invite is that the open bar times are: 6:00-6:30pm and 8:00-8:30pm. No other information. That would be fine if the staff at the Empire Hotel Rooftop were better informed, but they weren't.
We showed up a little after 5:45pm. No line. The Elevator-Button-Pusher-ID Checker let us up with no questions or information for us. We get up there and see no set up, no sign of Overtime. We randomly sit down and waved down a server to ask about the "Vodka Open Bar" procedures. She said she didn't know how the promotion company was doing it, but we may have to look for the Overtime staff lingering around the bar to give us a wristband. I got up to walk around. I see nothing. I approached the bar and asked them the same question. Bartender wasn't sure, but thinks we have to go downstairs to get a stamp. We go back downstairs and ask the same Elevator-Button-Pusher-ID Checker about the event. He pointed to the line in the lobby. We see two guys (Overtime staff, obviously) working the line with a check list and marking people's hands with a black permanent marker. We attempted to approach them to tell them we've been here this whole time with no instruction, but security stopped us and pointed to the line outside the door.
Are you kidding?!
We did not know that we needed to stand in line to get marked off, because we were not informed.
We were not told which vodka drinks were included in this "Vodka Open Bar" event. Well only? Shelf? Specialty cocktails? We didn't know! (BTW, the "Overtime Special" price on wells is eight bucks here! That's a special?!)
So it wasn't worth waiting...
But it was definitely worth writing about.
Sloppy.
Disorganized.
Not well-informing to neither patrons nor the business.
Black-marker-on-the-hand-confirmation? GHETTO! read more