Chaos Ensues at Baltimore Book Event: Attendees Recount Disorganization and Frustration
In the heart of Baltimore, a much-anticipated book convention dubbed the A Million Lives Book Festival turned out to be a far cry from the promised romantic-fantasy ball. Instead of stepping into a enchanting ballroom, attendees found themselves standing under harsh overhead lights in a dreary, under-decorated space that resembled more of a concrete warehouse than their dream venue.
The first-time event quickly gained notoriety on social media as disappointed attendees vented about the barren rooms, poor programming, and significantly fewer attendees than advertised. Perci Jay, a romance fantasy author who attended, summed up the event as, "If the bar for events was on the floor, A Million Lives Festival sent the bar straight to hell."
This botched event joined the ranks of infamous disasters such as the widely-mocked Fyre Festival, the Willy Wonka-themed "Chocolate Experience" in Glasgow, and the "Bridgerton"-inspired ball in Detroit.
Organizer Grace Willows issued an apology on her event planning company's social media pages, admitting there were issues with setup and expressing regret. Archer Management, the event planning company behind the festival, promised refunds by May 31. However, some attendees claimed a refund wouldn't be enough to cover their financial losses, especially given the significant expenses incurred for flights, event fees, and food.
After spending over $2,000 on attending from Texas, Jay, who's pregnant with twins, felt she and her friends had been "completely misled" about the event they had eagerly anticipated for a year and a half. What was advertised online as "the perfect event to make more bookish friends," turned out to be a disappointment with merely pink flower petals lining tables, a small portable speaker in lieu of the DJ, and an empty room instead of the planned "content creation room."
Many authors, including debut writers for whom this was a life goal, found themselves eating losses as they had to order books in bulk and pay fees for tables to sell them at, only to be left with unsold stock. Reports suggest that only about 100 people showed up at the event, leaving many authors in the lurch.
Some attendees created an online page to seek public support for the financial recovery of authors who were left with "financial debt due to flights, hotels, shipping their merchandise, and table fees." As word spread and attendees banded together online, the event sparked a wave of public outrage and calls for accountability from organizers.
In the aftermath, several authors share their stories and speak up for accountability from the organizers, highlighting the financial, reputational, and emotional impact of the festival on emerging writers.
- The attendees of the A Million Lives Book Festival, disgruntled by the event's drastic contradiction to the promised romantic-fantasy ball, began calling for refunds, ready to cover their debts incurred from flights, event fees, and food.
- Some attendees, including Perci Jay who had spent over $2,000 from Texas, felt they had been misled, as the event, which was advertised as a perfect opportunity to make bookish friends, turned out to be a disappointment with insufficient entertainment.
- In Baltimore, the A Million Lives Book Festival, like the Fyre Festival and other infamous disasters, saw attendees and authors accrue significant debt due to the event's poor organization.
- After the botched event, several authors shared their stories, highlighting the detrimental financial, reputational, and emotional effects on emerging writers, calling for accountability from the organizers, Archer Management.
