Greater New York Dental Meeting: Waiting On Line for the Prizes

This past Sunday, I did my annual Jersey Shore to Manhattan Island shuttle to attend the Greater New York Dental Meeting. The planets appeared to be in perfect alignment.

It was a beautiful mild day with hardly any traffic - was Will Smith filming Legend Part II?

I discovered an empty parking lot on the corner of 11th ave and 28th - 8 bucks for the whole day! Sweet! 

As soon as I walked into the world's largest terrarium otherise known as the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, I realized the attendee registration lines were unreasonably long.

Unfortunately, I had to take my place at the end of the que because although I registered online months ago, I never received my badge via snail mail in advance of the meeting.

Neither did hundreds of other people waiting in this line who were grousing about the same thing. This was free online advance registration glitch #1.

Last week when I first realized that I never received my badge in the mail, I attemped once again to register online. I printed out the confirmation form with the bar code that would enable me to pick up my badge at the "express registration counter".

The only problem was that there was no express registration counter. The convention center employee actually laughed when she told me there was no such line despite what the GNYDM web site and confirmation form said - Not funny! Let's count this as free online advance registration glitch #2.

As I shuffled along the maze of velvet ropes that eventually lead to the non-express registration counter, I couldn't help overhear the woman behind me obsessing over the potential prizes she may win on the exhibit floor.

She asked the laughing convention center employee, "Is this the line for the badge they scan to win the prizes?"

At one point she was standing at my side and silly me for making eye contact. "My freind gave me her badge, but I don't want the prizes sent to her house, so I have to ait in line for my on badge." Er-r-r, that's nice.

I was saved by the door bell ring tone of her cell phone. She told the caller, "I'm waiting in line to get a badge for a dental show at Javitts. Once I get that, I'll be eligible to win prizes."

Call me suspicious, call me skeptical, but I don't think this woman had any connection whatsoever to the dental industry. In fact, I'll bet any prizes I might win on that. Let's count this as free online advance registration glitch #3.

So although the Greater New York Dental Meeting was well attended, how many of those attendees were qualified dental professionals and how many were swag-seeking stroller pushers and prize junkies?

Do you ever wonder?