Conference Center at the Main Library

process. Their attentiveness was one of the few highlights of working with this venue. Unfortunately, the actions of other staff completely undermined their efforts. Some of our guests were yelled at by venue staff, which was embarrassing and caused a few to leave early. The worst incident was when a staff member openly spoke negatively about us to someone who seemed to be a manager. Instead of addressing the behavior, the manager looked at us with what felt like contempt. For a venue that cost over $12,000+ for 1.5 days, this was both shocking and unacceptable. Samantha did her best to step in and apologize, and we appreciated her effort, but by that point, the damage was done. The hostile and unprofessional behavior created an atmosphere that felt unwelcoming and uneasy for the remainder of our event. Even though we had the space until a certain time, the negative energy made it hard to enjoy what was left of the experience. Adding to the frustration, another manager, David G., made things unnecessarily difficult as the event approached. Less than two weeks before our event, he sent an email questioning our programming (The first time we heard from him during a months long process), asking who was really in charge, and reminding us that the venue would only take information from us. While we understand their policy, we had already been corresponding directly with Samantha and we are the ones who paid the money for the space. The tone of his email added stress during an already busy planning period. Overall, this venue has potential, but the unprofessionalism of some staff and the inaction from those in supervisory roles need to be addressed. Clients paying such a premium should never feel unwelcome or treated with contempt. I hope they make improvements, as the experience could have been great if these issues hadn’t occurred.