Well, to bring a speaker all the way from Manchester is not cheap and the symposium deserved my support. I prepared a cheque for P3,900 and sent off the application form for the two-day symposium.
Most people checked in on time and, unlike other symposiums in Botswana, we actually got started at the stipulated time. The first guest was from Wits University and although he had not organised any activities for the group I must say he was fairly interesting to listen to. From teatime onwards things took a turn for the worse. One of the speakers had failed to turn up - panic stations. Then it turned out that the speaker from Manchester had not flown out from England - he is married to a Motswana and has a residence in Gaborone. Apparently, he occasionally flies to Manchester to deliver a few lectures. What a deceiving advertisement that was! He too had prepared not a single exercise for the group or any individual. You know the saying - "I do and I understand."
Anyway, after listening to a load of rhetoric for two and a half hours (delivered by someone who likes to walk around and have his audience sitting dead still) we were released for lunch. During this time a plan had to be made for the lack of appearance of the other invited speaker. In the depths of his computer the man from "Manchester" found a presentation that he decided, "just might be interesting" because all HR managers use consultants. Well, this one does not and I did not need to spend another two and a half hours listening to a topic totally unrelated and totally unprepared.
By close of play on the first day I decided to quit. The following morning I approached the convener of the symposium and outlined my disappointment. I also asked for half of the fees to be returned to my employers, but I knew secretly that would never happen. Needless to say the second "free" lunch went out of the window and P3,900 went down the drain.
