Red Tape Stinks.

Recently I got the great idea to serve fresh Northwest coffee out of our booth at the Youth Specialties Convention. I was pumped about it, especially in talking to Fidalgo Bay Coffee, my favorite local roaster. They offered me a great deal on providing iced coffee drinks in YD logo cups! How cool! And how Northwest...

Today, I called Youth Specialties to ensure there were no food restrictions. They were like, "Great idea!" but said I should check with the convention center.

So I call the convention center and the catering director says, "You are not allowed to serve any food unless it's the nature of our business." What do I say, "Ummm....yes....we sell 'Youth Dynamics blend.'" Raaaaargh.

"But we can cater your booth for you!" she says.

I said, "That would defeat the point--which is to give the attendees a taste of something distinctly Northwest." I don't think she understood how we feel about good coffee. I couldn't even consider replacing the amazing Fidalgo Bay Coffee with $40/gallon catered convention coffee.

So, a grand idea has just panned out into nothing, and I'm back to the world of bumper stickers and stupid plastic breakables for promotional items.

We're going to the convention to recruit staff, and we're in the business of relationships. Coffee is a means to developing relationships. Seriously. And I can't believe the capitalism of convention centers can deny us that.