This is entirely not what I expected... to have to find this information via Local Guides Connect! There absolutely has to be some formal message or apology sent to all the Local Guides that have been invited to this event. The communication was not sufficiently clear, and I am glad that this aspect has been owned up to, however, there should have been a retraction of the invite that I've had on my phone indicating that I was confirmed for something that was supposed to be taking place.
I was really looking forward to this event, and changed my plans, work schedule and drove into Toronto specifically for this event, very disappointed at the moment. Given the amazing technological capability that you have and the fact that you had the opportunity to update the calendar invite or retract it OR send an email to Local Guides last Thursday saying - We're very sorry, but you didn't make the cut! Would that have been disappointing? sure it would have, but not nearly as bad as now looking at Google Maps, seeing the crazy traffic to leave Toronto, and having to make new arrangements for dinner and heading home.
You should make a list of all those whom you sent an RSVP Confirmed message to, with the secret location pin, and figure out a way to restore goodwill with you. It just unfortunately undermined all the great and happy feelings that you created by inviting me to this event in the first place, I was already enjoying being part of the greater community, as I'm sure many other Local Guides feel too. Please leverage your technological capability to the fullest with the next approach, event, planning or messages, because today, I really do feel that the execution was somehow left on "auto-pilot" or "set and forget".
It would have taken nothing to e-mail blast everyone who responded to the initial "RSVP". If they were concerned about differentiating between those who could attend and those who could not, they could have added language to the e-mail blast to the effect of "If you've received a confirmation with the address of the event, as opposed to "TBD", your attendance is confirmed. Otherwise, we apologize". Simple. They knew about this issue earlier today. Could have saved you the trip into town. Good luck on your trip out.
I too feel Google could have done a better job with the clarity of RSVPs. Typically, once an RSVP is replied to then that typically confirms your spot on the guest list. I get the frustration of those who made or changed plans only to be told they are on the wait list. I also think Google made it clear in their RSVP confirmation e-mail that you will receive another e-mail confirming whether you're on the list or not. The e-mail said: "We'll be in touch via email to confirm your place on the guest list."
Once I read that part I realised that my attendance would be tentative. If you RSVPed and didn't receive that e-mail then that's definitely an error that should be made up for. I also think we should keep in mind that I doubt anyone had any malicious intent in the wording. Google gains nothing from misleading contributors such as yourselves.
All in all, I think the Local Guides community that Google has set up is pretty great. I know it's difficult but for those who were let down by Google this time I recommend giving them another shot to make it up to you in the future. We all benefit everyday from the additional info everyone adds to Maps. Hopefully that can continue from all of you here who are clearly very passionate about this!
I had read
"We'll be in touch via email to confirm your place on the guest list." as part of the email and knew that it wasn't confirmed. The email that confirms that they received your email states Please note attendance will be prioritized based on the recency of your contributions to Google Maps. We'll be in touch via email to confirm your place on the guest list. so if they don't get in touch, there was nothing to be mad about since they full out stated their intentions.
Yes, google WAY offside here; they sent 'invitations' not 'click here to access waiting list'. Requested RSVPs, as in, confirmation of invitation acceptance.
I'm a relatively new Google Guide in comparison to most of you; I only started posting this past year...so I was surprised and delighted to get the initial invite for the Jan. 24th event on December 21st. I agree with others that the wording in the initial invite was poorly phrased.
"Congrats on Winning the Local Guides Challenge!....You and a guest are invited to join us at our exclusive event in Toronto."
It would have been more accurate to say "you and a guest MIGHT be invited...."
The invite also said "Priority is given on a first come, first served basis" but the RSVP that I received (I responded as soon as I got the email) contradicted this: "Please note attendance will be prioritized based on the recency of your contributions to Google Maps."
Didn't hear anything until a few days before the event --and like others, I had cleared my schedule for that evening--, at which point I was told that I'd be on their waitlist. If it's true that they were flooded with 3000+ RSVPs for an event that could only accommodate 300 (an aside: how many invites did they send out, knowing they could only accommodate 300?), why not let the rest of us know right away?
******** A simple "we're sorry, we screwed up" early on would have helped. ***** Those of us who had rearranged our calendars etc. could have just moved on, or chosen to keep that evening free, just in case. The lack of confirmation from Google until right before the event shows a lack of respect for us as well as our time. "You've been such a good little volunteer that I'd like to reward you by treating you to an evening out, you lucky thing. Oh wait, I've changed my mind. No, I didn't really promise I'd take you out. Keep the night free, though, just in case I change my mind again. Oops sorry, you didn't make the cut. But I still appreciate you!"
I understand that mistakes happen, but the lack of apology to those who didn't make the cut (I only stumbled across this thread by accident, when I did a search online to see what had happened with the event) is another big mistake. In my case, it wasn't as big an inconvenience as it was for some others -- I live in Toronto, I didn't have to arrange a babysitter etc. -- but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I would rather not have been invited to the event in the first place.
Wow after reading through everyone's shared experiences this is pretty bad. On reddit a user replied that every event hosted by Google is for PR, so it's not surprising that they will cherry pick the attendees. I have no issue with that but registration for an event such as this is not unexplored territory, I mean we all register for business webinars, conferences etc and wording for how the process is should be very clear. I'm going to chalk this up to millennial optimism and shortsightedness leading to incompetence.
The highlight was definitely access to the mystical landscapes exhibition. They have some very famous paintings and was nice to walk through it without the crowds. I think they could have improved the event by giving away more stuff and get more of the guests engaged. After all, we were in 4th in the world with contributing reviews and photos. Maybe give away some chromecasts, and grand prize of a pixel? The stations were understaffed."
2022
