Recently, my nephew Matt Parker and I were in downtown Minneapolis for the Minnesota Twins game against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday afternoon. Prior to the game, we took a tour of the MetroDome and talked to several players, including Matt Thornton who was also playing video games in the outfield.

Later, we wanted to watch the UFC Pay-Per-View on Saturday evening. We asked our hotel’s concierge where we could find the UFC PPV. She suggested a couple of bars close to our hotel. Then, she did the unexpected. She asked us, what is Pay-Per-View? This drove me crazy.

First, how could she suggest places if she didn’t even know what it was? Was she just throwing out random places? Actually, two of the three she mentioned didn’t even have TVs. Secondly, while I can’t say a concierge should know everything, the UFC Pay-Per-View was a pretty big event. The main event featured Brock Lesnar, a much-hyped former NCAA champ at the University of Minnesota.

We wandered the streets a bit and found the 8th Street Grill, a very nice sports bar, within blocks of our hotel and showing the PPV.  As the evening passed, several other people wandered in, all saying the same thing — they had been looking for a place to watch the fight.  Jermaine Dye and Brian Anderson of the Chicago White Sox joined the fun after their game.

Aside from my complaint about the concierge, I have to say that somewhere there was a lack of communication. I don’t know where the responsibility lies, but between the UFC, the PPV provider, the hotels and the restaurants, somehow the information should have been readily available. It was a bungled situation, a missed opportunity. People shouldn’t have to search hard to find out such information. When I rule the world, things will be different.

–John Wroblewski, distribution specialist