The event itself was very successful, with good attendance, excellent music and a very good atmosphere. I very much enjoyed seeing some old translator friends, and making new acquaintances.
However, I understand the event was marred by the fact that at least one person was unable to find the venue. Firstly, may I say that I am genuinely distraught that people spent so much time travelling to and from central London, to be then unable to find the event. I really am more sorry than I can say, and am heartbroken that people should have expended so much effort to attend, only to be met with frustration and disappointment. So above all I would like to offer those people my profound and sincere apologies, though I do understand that they will probably be of very small comfort under the circumstances.
I would like to try to explain what went wrong, as best I can.
The location of the event was the Library of the Royal Society of Chemistry. This information was included on the web page at www.BreatheFreelyOpera.co.uk and also on the ticketing page on the EventBrite website, where people could register for free tickets for the event.
Because I do not live in London, I was not aware until I arrived on Tuesday that Burlington House encompasses much more than the Royal Society of Chemistry itself, and that many other organisations had their base their, including the Royal Academy of Arts.
When I did discover this, unfortunately I was overwhelmed by the practical demands of preparing for the concert in unfamiliar surroundings, and somewhat over-stretched, if I am completely honest. In that atmosphere I am afraid I did not recall that I had not included the precise location information on the Proz Powwow page - even if it was included on the website and the ticketing page. (In fairness, I had said on the Powwow page: "please book your free ticket at www.BreatheFreelyOpera.co.uk", where the more detailed location information was given).
I can only apologise profusely and sincerely, once again, for this omission. I acknowledge that I did not indicate clearly enough that booking was mandatory, and therefore the more detailed venue information could be missed by a visitor to the Proz page - as happened in at least one case.
To conclude, I am very, very sorry that fellow translators had a wasted journey and a frustrating evening. My sole intention in posting the event on Proz was to try to strengthen links with translators in London, as the events I have organised in Edinburgh have been so successful and positive. I am more sorry than I can say for the inconvenience I have evidently caused.
If anyone would like to correspond with me further on this matter, please do feel free to do so by email at [email protected], or by phone on 0131 208 5373, as I will no longer be monitoring the powwow page itself for updates.
Once again, my apologies, and thanks to everyone who supported the event and who have been in contact before or since.
Julian Wagstaff, 19 October 2015. |
: organizer 
: photos 
: report 
: host 
