I was once in charge of an extremely large social event having inherited the thing in a last minute snafu that left me being the guy to execute that "show must go on" encouragement everyone not included in the event committee gives so freely.
I toyed with the idea of canceling the thing but quickly realized I would be in hotter water with the press than the fans so I figured, what the heck... the show must go on.
Almost everything went flawlessly - except security and a "special announcement". Security, being the last layer in, had assumed the reasonable thing to do would be to call off the event. Security guys never have to hear "the show must go on" so what the heck did they know? They get to shrug their shoulders and look stupid when asked where all the opportunity for success went. When I asked them on the morning of the event how security was doing they said they would be there. They were not there. Still, "the show must go on".
Naturally security broke down and the event got flooded with freeby undesirables... which would have been a huge success anyway (I know it sounds anachronistic but such is the power of language spin that a large failure can be boosted as a huge success.) if the "unannounced announcement" had also happened. It did not.
No matter how nice our lineup and presentation and ultimate "good time had by all" the unannounced announcement not showing up (when it had been rumored by unofficial announcement for some time up to the event) broke the back of interest. Kaput. Zing. Poof... as they say in the stage biz... you're a frog.
There is a decided strangeness in the behaviour of the Microsoft marketing people. They don't look like a bunch who've had this all worked out for months and were just waiting for Security to wrap the thing up. Microsoft marketing looks like my lieutenants did when I finally told them the "special rumored unannounced announcement "would continue unannounced. The delicate genius had decided the Security failure was out of control and would not come out of the trailer with the star on the door.
Ah me. Those were fun times. How many pitchers of scotch and water did that take to drown?
Dear Microsoft Marketing. I know how you feel. I feel your pain. The special secret you guys had from 2001 that you thought was going to propel you into the heart of the 21st century never appeared in public. Maybe it got scared security wasn't up to snuffles! Maybe some petulant genius wanted TWO helicopters instead of one for his entourage and that ate up your budgets for inviting real technology journalists in to look. We all who have been kicked in the bedeviled eggs do mourn your misfortune.
I know all the excuses and "reasons" and justifications marketing types have to go through to patch a vision into the mushy-minded public's consciousness. But when the Security Team and the Special Guest don't show up, you know what they say?
The show must go on.
Want a pat on the back for a so-so job done so far?
