I don’t know if it happens to anyone else but this year alone, it happened to me twice. I am referring to the retracted invitation. The first time was a few months ago, the invitation was to a ‘Buka Puasa’ event. I confirmed my attendance early and they sent me a confirmation email but just before the event, they told me they didn’t have enough space so I got disinvited. The worst thing is, to add salt to the wound, I received the press release on the event as if I had attended. It’s such a horrible feeling to be disinvited.
The second time it happened was a few days ago. The invitation was to what I presume would be a nice media briefing and luncheon at a 5-star hotel in town. Previously, I’d received a few press releases from the PR agency representing the organisation. Just as well I never put up any of those press releases otherwise it would have been even more infuriating. After rsvp-ing my attendance within half an hour of receiving the invitation, my attendance was confirmed.
Then out of the blue, they tell me that “after much effort made with the event team, we could not accept your RSVP due to limited seats.” Shouldn’t they look for a bigger venue to accommodate those whose attendance had been confirmed rather than axing people? Shouldn’t they have known exactly how many people could be accommodated at the venue before dishing out invitations? Of course sincere apologies were extended but I seriously cannot fathom how a reputable PR agency can do this to anyone whose attendance they had already confirmed. Am I supposed to believe their sincerity if I am issued another invitation from them in future?
