Have you ever been to a meeting that ended in disaster? What about one that was just plain weird? But what about one that was... frightening?
Our "Meetings Horror Stories" series is back for a special Halloween edition. We’ve compiled some of the best horror stories from our readers just in time for spooky season. Check out some of these frightening (and sometimes accidentally hilarious) tales about meetings that went horribly wrong.
And listen to the companion Meetings Today podcast where Taylor Smith and Logan Pratt read and react to these stories!
It's Best to Befriend the Fire Marshal
From Anonymous
I was doing a launch for a prominent new brand that was about to release new locations.
The kitchen at the venue, due to some last-minute construction, ended up being too small for all the chefs to service the food prep that was needed. We asked the owner of the parking lot across the street if we could use their lot for additional kitchen space. They said, “Sure, but there's only one way in and out.”
We really needed the space, so we asked him if we could hire a welder to cut his iron fence open just for the night so we had better access, and the welder would solder it back together after the event. He said if we paid for it, and returned it the same way, that would be OK.
Yahtzee! Crisis averted.
We then had another problem with the local fire marshal about having enough space on the street for fire vehicles. We were going back and forth about where the distance started and ended. Was it at the curb, was it at the sewer line, where was it?
We thought the fire marshal was going to close us down because we didn't have it worked out until the morning of the event. We ended up agreeing on a start and end point that complied with city ordinances and fire codes for fire lanes.
Yahtzee! Another crisis averted.
The day of the event, the guests arrived, the music was great and all the activations were going well. I got a call on my walkie talkie to meet with one of the security guards. When I got there, one of the executives had too much of “something” and was completely passed out in a corner where he had "relieved himself.” We had to get him out of there discreetly and tend to what appeared to be a serious medical emergency.
We tried to get him out but realized this situation was too big for us to handle alone and it would be in his best interest to call the paramedics. We called 911, asked if the ambulance could turn off their sirens and arrive in the back so the other guests could not see who we were putting in there. They arrived, took him down the service stairs and loaded him in.
Later that night, when the fire marshal stopped by to check on the event, I had to eat crow and thank him for being so diligent with the curb lane versus sewer line location, because the ambulance fit perfectly in the lane. Mostly no one at the event knew what happened, and we got the exec to the hospital safely.
When he came to, we realized he was totally fine, just dehydrated and had too much to drink. The rest of the event went off without a hitch.
Moral of the story: Be ready for everything! If you run out of space, look for an open parking lot and don't be afraid to creatively cut that thing open, and always listen to the fire marshal.
Too Much on the Throne!
From Tyler Davidson, VP and Chief Content Director, Meetings Today
This one was from an MPI WEC yeeears ago.
The final night social event was going swimmingly! Everyone was having so much fun networking, having a toast or two…. or maybe a toast or five or six?
This became apparent when there was a commotion in the men’s room, as it seemed someone was in a stall and hadn’t come out for some time.
Concerned bathroom-goers finally decided to abandon any ideas of privacy to see if the person inside was okay.
Turns out it wasn’t a man at all, though, but a female attendee, passed out on the throne!
The attendees alerted security, who thought the best idea was to call for an ambulance to take the person for help.
While overconsumption of alcohol is no laughing matter, and especially when it involves losing consciousness—scary!—when I returned from the event and told my publisher at the time about it, the expression on his face remained stoic.
He simply said: “Planner or supplier?”
Tropical Tree Troubles
From Michael Owen, Managing Partner, EventGenuity
It was a high-profile event at a luxury beachfront hotel that had spent millions renovating its interior and outdoor spaces, including the massive pool, beach access and restaurant/bars. The occasion was multi-fold. In addition to the hotel’s grand re-opening, there was the anniversary of the locale, a fundraising element and the North American debut of a world-famous fashion designer’s new line. Add fireworks from a barge off the beach! To quote Ron Burgundy, “It was kind of a big deal.”
We were contracted to provide a big-name celebrity concert and deliver a first-class event and mainstage production—lighting, sound, stage, etc. We even lit the entire building like the famous CenTrust Tower in Miami, so people driving up from any direction could see the building from miles away. The main stage was set on the beach, facing the lush tropical outdoor space.
The morning of the event, our final walk-through with the general manager went well. He was pleased (not an easy task). He said, as we started to return to the hotel, “I’m happy. Michael, are you happy?”
I said, “Yes, except for one thing—the crew has planted a row of palm trees directly in front of the stage.”
As he went pale, he summoned his landscaping manager and asked, “Who ordered this?”
“You did, sir,” the landscaping manager answered.
The general manager then asked how we were planning to deal with this.
“You just planted the trees yesterday afternoon, so I suggest you dig them up, place them on the beach, and replant them in the morning,” I said.
So, that’s what they did.
The event was a massive success for all the stakeholders and brought a sigh of relief from my hotel contact (still a dear friend) and I. It made the news the following day, with tons of photos of A-list actors and musicians, sports celebrities and local glitterati.
I was asked if I had a chance to meet any of the celebrities. My response: “Heck no, I was too busy walking the headliner to the stage down an alley ankle-deep in trash to make sure they didn’t hit the buffet line before the mayor!”
Just Make the Room Bigger!
From Sandy Biback, Founder, Meeting Professionals Against Human Trafficking
An association contacted my independent planning company just before their annual conference. I realized this was too large of a conference/tradeshow for me alone, so I partnered with another senior independent planner. We signed a contract to review the upcoming conference, help solve the issues with it and produce the next two years of conferences/tradeshows. We were working with the association’s board of directors and their executive director.
The event was expecting around 800 attendees, with a 60-booth tradeshow.
At the review meeting, we learned about a variety of issues and put together a plan to address them. At the event, everything pretty much went as it should, and we signed the contracts for the following year. But then, the executive director—and I’m paraphrasing her words here—said she “knew how to plan/execute a conference because I've attended many of them with my spouse.”
Just like that, everything we had planned and put into place disappeared. That’s where the real issues began.
The executive director (we’ll call her the ED) said she didn’t want a separate room for food and beverage service, so we carefully designed the general room to accommodate that request. We also figured, wrongly, that maybe 30 people would register onsite. Turns out, over 100 did.
As the proceedings started, it became very evident that the room we were in was not large enough to accommodate everyone who had registered. So, we began working with the venue staff to see what we could do.
As my partner and I were working all this out, the ED came out and said—and I quote— “Make the room bigger.” We all just looked at each other, but instead of getting snarky, we simply told her we were working on a plan.
So, what did we do? We decided to have an early break where we served coffee and cookies and set up small tables and chairs in the lobby to accommodate as many people as we could.
Our host hotel was able to help us get extra rooms at the hotel next door, and the attendees that had to go there got two free drinks.
At the final meeting, we were told our contract would not be renewed, but honestly, my partner and I were not going after it anyway—because the Executive Director was now going to do it herself with the in-house admin.
A Not-So-Lil' Disappointment
From David T. Stevens, Co-Founder, Olympian Meeting
I was managing MTV's Spring Break event in Panama City, and we had artists scheduled to play each day. Usually a "rock" band and a hip-hop artist. Well, a fun fact about Spring Break is the artists don't get paid in cash but with "airtime." Anyway, one of the artists who was up-and-coming found out that out of the eight songs they were set to perform, only the best two would make it on air.
He was so upset that when he found out, he went on stage, did the two songs and then got back on his tour bus and just left. I'm not going to name names, but his name started with “Lil.”
So, we had to scramble to find a replacement for him. Fortunately, we had an emcee and a DJ who were able to fill in between the sets. So, we had them come up, play some games with the crowd and the band that was up after the up-and-comer was able to come on and perform a few minutes early.
Also, the up-and-coming guy left his green room completely untouched, so I got to try Cristal wine for the first time (for free!)
Never Trust a Drunk Carny
From Anonymous
The event was held in the World Market Pavilions in Las Vegas. It was inside a football field-sized tent which has since been demolished. It was a closing night corporate party for 15,000 people. The theme was “Carnival”. Because it was June and a high-demand season for carnival rides, we weren’t able to get our first choice in ride providers. We had to settle for the B team (or in this case, the D team.) The Carneys provided a “Hurricane” ride that spins and lifts off the ground. They came to work drunk each day and insisted that because they were alcoholics, they needed to keep a certain level of alcohol in their systems in order to function. It took them three days to set up a ride that should have been set up in one day.
They finally finished setting it up at 5:00 pm the day before the show and... the ride didn’t work. There was a missing part they needed. But that part was in Los Angeles and we were in Las Vegas. I began to prepare the speech to the client explaining that due to unforeseen circumstances (and drunk Carneys) they wouldn’t be riding the “Hurricane” during the event. Meanwhile, one Carny left Los Angeles with the part, heading to Las Vegas. At the same time, another Carny left Las Vegas to retrieve the part. The two Carneys met in the desert halfway between LA and Vegas in the middle of the night to hand off the part.
Back in Las Vegas on show day at 9:00 am – the Carneys install the part, but say they need to test the ride. Many of my co-workers ran to the ride to test it. Due to the my previous experiences with the Carneys, I did not. However, much to my surprise, a miracle occurred and the ride actually worked!
One bullet was dodged but there was one more in the chamber. Two days later the Carneys were packed and ready to leave the building. They were still maintaining the alcohol level required to function as they got into their truck and headed for the roll-up door. As they approached the roll-up door, we could see that it wasn’t all the way up. It became clear that the Carneys’ truck was not going to clear the door. It became clear that they were going to take out the door and the tent wall. All three of our technical directors fired up their golf carts and started driving as fast as they could while yelling “Nooooooooooo” at the top of their lungs. The Carneys drove on, destroying the roll-up door and part of the tent. Ironically, we still owed the Carneys $1,500 and that was exactly the amount it took to replace the door and repair the tent.
Moral of the story? Don’t pitch carnival rides to your client for a summer event.
Read this next: 3 Meetings Horror Stories: Wild Horses, Dead Doves and a Near-Disastrous Lunch
