I am rejecting this response because: I do not feel that [redacted] has made any attempts to resolve this issue based on the rejection of my application to the [redacted] Show I did not involve my attorney as [redacted] has mentioned, merely indicated that if the third party could not assist with resolving the issue then I would utilize my civil rights as a consumer I am requesting that the Revdex.com assist us in reaching a mutual agreement I believe that having a neutral party to mediate between [redacted] Games and [redacted] will benefit both parties The support [redacted] Games has received from customers and vendors at the [redacted] Show have been overwhelming and was evidenced at the most recent show "Gen-Con" which had 186,in attendance These customers are willing to report and file similar claims to the Revdex.com about the discrimination towards [redacted] Games from [redacted] and his staffI look forward to resolving this matter with you
[redacted] I called your office today and I was sorry I did not catch you in I got a second letter from you regarding this incident with C&C Bargains, but I wanted to make sure we had followed the correct steps In the event I did not, please grant us an extension so I can respondI will be honest, days is not a lot of time when I travel and this particular person is not a member of our trade association In response to this last letter: GAMA is a nonprofit association, comprised of manufacturers, distributors, retailers and other communicating members of the hobby games industry As such, my job as the Executive Director is to work for the membershipPart of that is running two annual events: a closed trade show for members only in Las Vegas and an open consumer show here in Columbus that C&C attended For the Columbus show, each exhibitor has to sign a form that states they will follow out show rulesPage clearly states we have the right to deny applications as we deem fit(Booth form and Show Rules; see attached) in those rules it simply states we can reject an application for any reasonWe have a family friendly game conventionIt stands to reason we would not want any company there that does not sell gaming products (I have denied companies that do roofing, bathroom remodeling etc in the past) nor do we want companies we feel are not a good fit for a variety of reasons In this case, I will disagree with MrButterfield about me not trying to resolve this matterAs you can see below, I have tried on several occasions to resolve this over emailMy bottom line remains from my last not to him on July : Since you still seem unwilling to give me any assurances regarding my concerns, you give me no choice but to deny your application to attend [redacted] in If you wish to retract your threats of legal action and want to start addressing my concerns, I would be happy to reconsider I am encouraged that C&C did not have alcohol in the hall this year (A clear violation of our rules) and I did not get any complaints from the other female exhibitors about the behavior of his team Regardless, I still want to see this process that seems like “auctioning” outlined in detail and I want to know how he is planning on addressing his staff not complying with our security teamThe problems with his booth taking up the aisle areas is not acceptable I have copied our counsel on this as well, but until C&C feels that they can address my concerns, my decision to deny their application to the show stands Sincerely, [redacted] Executive Director Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) [redacted] From: [redacted] Sent: Friday, August 01, 8:PM To: [redacted] Subject: Re: [redacted] Show [redacted] Thanks for the fast responseI'm sorry you did not read either of my emails addressing all of your concernsTell [redacted] if he wants to talk prior to my lawsuits I am open from Tue to ThurNext week to help you understand my responses to your concernsAs far as using my words unprofessional, that came from one of your staff members! I will have all documentation in court Thank you for being so unprofessional to not speak with me in person or on the phone after I have done this show starting in I look forward to my day in court as well as my new business ventures at your show! *** Sent from my iPhone On Aug 1, 2014, at 6:PM, [redacted] wrote: [redacted] I will apologize, but I really do not get much of this last email I am still waiting on you to address my concerns below I see no reference to C&C anywhere on our [redacted] Facebook page, so again I am unclear on what you are referencing Your comments about one of my staff being a "lady friend" are unprofessional at best I am a happily married man (whose wife works at GAMA) and [redacted] is a member of the staff I understand you two do not see eye to eye, that is why I have been dealing with you on this directly Frankly, I must not be clearly communication my intent and you continue to keep talking about moving this non discussion to a legal level As a result, Please direct all further communications to our legal counsel ( [redacted] Bowles; cc above) I am hopeful he will be able to get a more definitive response regarding my concerns with your application Sincerely, [redacted] Executive Director GAMA On Aug 1, 2014, at 12:PM, [redacted] wrote: Hi [redacted] I'm still out of the county but have net and wanted to update youI obviously wanted to work this out with you but you just do not want to talk despite saying you would re think I have this morning got two new wholesale accountsThey both are vendors with you and will have my products at Amazon prime and my great prices so my customers will be ok at your showFurther more I sold one the rights to use my "game castle, and raffle concepts" I also was offered a job for "shows" with one of them which I will negotiateof my former employees are also doing the same Further more, I will seek any loses my self and my company will lose because of you and your lady friend not allowing my company to set up, despite myself and my company doing "nothing" wrongI was hoping it did not come to legal action but as I've told you I will do everything I can to protect myself, my company and my stellar reputation with our customersObviously your customer satisfaction and mine differ a few degreesThat's fine because there is more than one way to do business as you know I am shocked that your Facebook account still has bashing of my company when I asked you to take it down when you told me the law on thatI will also look into this at the same time I seek my loses because of you and your lady friend If you would like to talk and try to come to some agreement that is good for you and I that would also be greatI return to the states on Tuesday and would love to talkI meet with my lawyer Thursday on an unrelated matter but will ask him for the best lawyer in Ohio pertaining to all of my issues with Gama, you, and your lady friend Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter! [redacted] Sent from my iPhone On Jul 21, 2014, at 7:AM, [redacted] wrote: ***, I went ahead and cut your last email into the existing one so we have everything togetherYou were right I was indeed on vacation last weekBetween our show and Gen con is really the only open time for me to do some things with me family As you mentioned on July 7th, since there were some issues with you and [redacted] these last two years, I will handle any discussions about Although I appreciate your courtesy email below, I am still a little confused that you have not addressed any of the items I mentioned in my July 2nd email response In addition, you continue to talk about seeking legal action and retaining counsel, and seem unwilling to discuss anything of substance regarding your presence at the show You mentioned wanting a credit for priority points, yet you have still not provided me any documentation that you own that previous company so I can adjust them for you I may have been mistaken, when I recalled from out May 5th conversation that you were thinking about not returning to [redacted] in 2014, but I am absolutely certain that I told you we were thinking of not have C&C back I believe you are confused about the reasons, but I outlined them on July 2nd below (1-3) Although there were not alcohol related issues nor problems with other exhibitors (our authors) there were still issues with auctioning of product New this year were some problems with your staff not following guidance of our sales / security team and invading the aisle space I personally stood at your booth during one of the “raffles” for about min and had these observations: 1) I still think you are auctioning productAs we talked, Ohio has a requirement that you have a licensed auctioneerI have provided you some suggestions on doing this differently, but that practice is on violation of our show rules 2) I personally witnessed one of our security volunteers asking one of your staff to clear the aisle during one of those timesThe response of your staff person was “it’s ok”Frankly, it is not okYou only purchased a 10xspaceNo exhibitor is permitted to use aisle space When I replied on July 2nd, I specifically told you that I would be happy to discuss your booth application, but was not inclined to do so while you continue to threaten legal action; seeking a court order ***, it has been my experience that those least familiar with litigation are most likely to threaten using that system as recourseFrankly, no one gains in that situation, but you are obviously free to make any decisions you feel are best Please remember that to attend [redacted] you fill out a booth applicationAs I stated on July 2nd, there are companies that we turn away every year that we decide are simply not a good fit for the show I find it interesting that you are giving me a deadline of tomorrow, when you are actually asking me to attend the show Since you still seem unwilling to give me any assurances regarding my concerns, you give me no choice but to deny your application to attend [redacted] in If you wish to retract your threats of legal action and want to start addressing my concerns, I would be happy to reconsider I would also encourage you to consult with your attorney regarding your implied threats of using social mediaMany jurisdictions have both civil and legal ramifications for those types of actions I have copied our counsel, [redacted] who can begin coordination with your attorney Sincerely, *** [redacted] Executive Director Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) [redacted] *** From Fri 7/18/6:PM Hi guys, I wanted to send a courtesy email in case your on vacation and have not had a chance to respond to my last email I am retaining legal council next Tuesday in order to protect my company as well as my customersI will wait until then in hopes that we can work something out on this bizarre situationI have also urged my customers and fellow vendors to not take this on social media, I think I've had success on that so far Thank you both for your time on this important matter to my company [redacted] Butterfield Sent from my iPhone From: [redacted] Sent: Monday, July 07, 4:PM To: [redacted] Cc [redacted] Subject: Response to email correspondence [redacted] Thank you for reaching out and replying to my email I wanted to address some of the responses in your email and hopefully come to a mutual agreement First I was unaware that you were on vacation following the show and when I had not received a response from you I contacted [redacted] I understand that you were researching the claims but I would have appreciated a quick response letting me know that was your intentions I was unaware of the transitions within [redacted] and GAMA Trade Shows staff It is understandable that in your position it would be challenging to speak with every exhibitor prior to the start of the show However knowing there were some issues between myself and ***, I would have expected a more formal contact to discuss the concerns and issues Regardless, [redacted] informed my staff that all present and future decisions regarding show participation would need to come through you Per our conversation, we discussed my priority points for the upcoming shows in order to have a better location for future shows If you would like I can forward you those email conversations following our phone callI was unaware of any trial period and would have appreciated a face to face conversation stating your intentions I did not mention nor allude to not attending any future shows I have reviewed the concerns you mentioned in the email and I would like to address them individually In regards to the alcohol at the show last year, you and I addressed and resolved the situation and as promised we had no alcohol at the show or in the booth Secondly, the issues with my staff and your female staff have grossly been misinterpreted and have you misinformed I have a text message sent from [redacted] to my employee containing advances on her part and when the advances were not reciprocated she became distant and unapproachable I am not the dating police and clearly have no control over two adult’s actions I did inform my staff that no communication via text messages between your staff would be acceptableThirdly, the concerns and questioning of our companies ‘auctioning of products’ during the show to our customers is grossly untrue and frankly offensive I want to make this very clear that over the last decade we have offered a raffle to our customers who make purchases Our customers receive a raffle ticket with purchase and during the raffle there is no ‘staring bid’ on product We have used this opportunity at [redacted] and Gen Con to offer our clients free games and promos and reduced prices on products similar to the coupon book The use of the word ‘auction’ came directly from ***’s mouth and her interpretation has her confused on the nature of a raffle During raffle one of two on Saturday this year, we were informed by security that we could not stand on stools or chairs as previously done in prior shows After the second and final raffle on Saturday, a woman approached one of my employees stating she was the Fire Marshall She thanked my employee for compliance with fire codes and remaining off the stools and chairs during the raffle and stated “Keep up the good work and good luck with the rest of the show.” John I would like to strongly encourage you to visit our booth and observe for yourself the way we conduct the raffle and business operations Finally, the complaints regarding our discounting process of games and products I appreciate the support on my behalf with offering discounts and feel that if it was problematic for the show that those concerns would not be relayed to customers but directly to me I have complete understanding of the exclusivity policy and will continue to comply with those policies I would like to thank you for the acknowledgment of the unprofessional behavior from [redacted] and feel that the nature of her position will inevitably encounter difficult situations and people For this reason, the frustration could have been eliminated had contacting you been easier and more convenient I apologize that I was unable to find your contact information but did inquire about contacting you from [redacted] and other vendors I am unable to leave my booth during the operating hours due to the volume and traffic of customers throughout the show In closing, I would like to inform you that in my email to [redacted] , I mentioned seeking a Court Order to participate in the show in the event we are unable to maintain a professional working relationship At no time have I mentioned a lawsuit or action outside of a court order to participate in the show in compliance with Ohio Laws and Rules of Statute and 4112.05- Filing a charge of unlawful discriminatory practice At this time I have not sought legal representation regarding my participation and I will only do so if an agreement cannot be reached Thank you for your timely response [redacted] From: [redacted] *** Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 3:PM To: [redacted] Cc: [redacted] Subject: RE: [redacted] Show ***, First, I apologize for not replying sooner, I too have been catching up after [redacted] and obviously the staff and I both take some vacation after the show I am aware that you sent an email to [redacted] with some concerns about [redacted] and some additional concerns that I had not responded to your note belowI did want to look into the issues you outlined below before I got back to you and I would think that days is a pretty reasonable response time with vacations factored in Typically, I do not find myself talking with each of the exhibitors as we did this year before a showBy and large, the line exhibitors usually work with the sales staff and I spend my efforts working with our sponsorsAs you know, this year was different since we had some transition with our sales person changing between the GAMA Trade Show and [redacted] If you recall when we talked before the show, you told me that you were unsure that C&C would be returning and I responded that I was unsure we were going to let you return I understand that there was tension last year and if I remember, your preshow concerns were more about our lack of coordination, your concerns with [redacted] and your actual sales while mine are outlined below: 1) Some of your staff had alcohol at the show last year 2) Similarly, there was the incident where one of our female authors was insulted by some advances from a member of your team 3) There were my concerns about the auctioning of product which we discussed in detailOhio law requires an auctioneer if you want to auction product at the show 4) Finally, there were complaints about your discounting process which I did say were completely fine within our show rulesI have not heard any complaints of your team violating the exclusivity policy and your business practices are yours to chooseI will always support you when anyone make this complaint My perspective was that we were going to see how this year went and then assess things after the show I did have the opportunity to investigate your concerns below regarding ***’s unprofessional behavior and I wanted to address themI did find that she used inappropriate language when talking with you and or your staff at the showI want to apologize for her language and I would never condone the use of foul language In her defense, I think that she was very frustrated by what she perceived as a lack of compliance from your teamAlthough I will not debate that here, it simply does not excuse her actions and I do apologize for her language I saw in your note below that you were unable to contact me during the showI know I sent you some correspondence before the show and my email and cell number are both on my signature blockI am also able to get mail on my phone during the show or the show office always is able to locate me in the event of an emergency Unfortunately, in your correspondence with ***, you mentioned that you are prepared to seek a court order to allow your company to participate in [redacted] next yearI am not sure you understand how our organization operates, but there are many companies that I simply do not allow to exhibit at [redacted] each yearRoofing companies, job placement services and a variety of others that I reject [redacted] has the ability to accept or reject applications from exhibitors at our discretion and these decisions are mine as the Executive Director Having served for many years in Ohio’s legal system, I am not inclined to discuss the matter further since you mentioned civil action If you care to retract that position, I am happy to talk with you further to see how we should proceed Sincerely, [redacted] [redacted] Executive Director Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) [redacted] *** From: [redacted] Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 6:PM To: [redacted] Subject: Fwd: [redacted] Show Hi [redacted] As a participant of the [redacted] show over the last years (minus some in the middle), I have found the show has been a great success for my company Despite our sales being down 35% this year, I still feel this show is a valuable asset to my consumers From our arrival at set up to the final day of the show, I encountered multiple verbal altercations with staff at the direction of [redacted] KaplanIn each of these encounters, myself or my employee [redacted] were informed of previous years violations at the show As I informed the staff, I was unaware of the violations they referred to and the only mentioned violation from this year was our signs were to high Per our conversation you stated that my signs were fine as long as I did not stack multiple games on top of the booth It was also brought to my attention from multiple vendors and attendees that [redacted] referenced my booth as the "vendor that is always violating the rules." My only encounter with [redacted] outside of picking up my parking pass that was left for me by [redacted] from [redacted] ***, occurred on Saturday afternoon when she came into my booth interrupted a line of customer's [redacted] proceeded to verbally abuse me and when I tried to ask her to please stop yelling at me, she told me that if I wanted to file a complaint against her to make sure I was not calling her number I received an auto reply response from what I assumed was you, reporting you were out of the office As you can imagine the contact from [redacted] caught me off guard and I tried to call you from a number in my phone to which I left a voice mail thinking it was a message to you The auto reply only had a number with no name or voice mail set up which shows unprofessional customer service I apologize for not emailing you sooner, however I have been very busy catching up from the show and have received multiple emails and calls from vendors and consumers expressing their gratitude for our products and excellent customer service I did attempt to get a hold of you at the show multiple times by asking ***(who refused to give me your contact information) and other vendors [redacted] at [redacted] gave me a detailed description of you and I attempted to locate you physically I am unsure of the content of the conversation between [redacted] and my co-worker ***, to which she informed him that future participation in this show would need to result in submitting an application directly to you This along with many other things that were brought to my attention by co-workers and vendors is a perfect example of the cowardly intention of [redacted] to not come directly to me and discuss these matters in person I am not sure what she has against me, but from the overwhelming response from vendors, including an encouraging 'Have a great show" from [redacted] ***s who as we know was not in attendance; this was very hurtful and slanderous to me I would like to discuss this in greater detail at your earliest convenience on how to move past this and continue our positive business relationshipI wanted to share with you the email I received from Ms [redacted] earlier todayI am in the process of contacting multiple people who have left voice mails and or texts involving the Saturday interruption that [redacted] caused Thank you for your time and prompt response to this matter! [redacted] Owner [redacted] [redacted] ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: [redacted] Date: Tue, Jun 17, at 10:AM Subject: [redacted] Show To: [redacted] ***- Just wanted to touch base with you following the show in Columbus First, I just wanted to thank you for the product and your continued dedication to the satisfaction of your customers You and your staff go above and beyond in customer service to ensure that we are equipped with the latest games and promos As expected [redacted] *** and [redacted] provided myself the customer an experience worth the time, money and energy spent to attend the showWe love the promos, add-ons and raffles you provided this year as you do in years past Your energy and passion for the industry are unmatched and it is for this reason that I wanted to contact you to inform you I will be sending an email to [redacted] with [redacted] expressing my concerns regarding the confrontation I witnessed by his staff [redacted] I will be letting him know that the lack of professionalism by his staff has left a bad taste for the reputation of [redacted] as well as other vendors and attendees who expressed their concerns and frustrations as well I hope this email finds you well and I am confident that [redacted] will respond to my concerns and I look forward to seeing you at [redacted] *** and hopefully you can save me a copy of [redacted] *** [redacted]
--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: *** *** ***
Date: Wed, Aug 20, at 12:PM
Subject: Complaint number ***
To: "*** ***
Cc: ***
*** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Mr***
I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me yesterday and explain the process for the Revdex.com
Regarding complaint # ***, we have tried several times over the past two months to resolve this issue with *** *** over email without successIf you need documentation of these discussions we can provide them
Unfortunately, *** continues to discuss pursuing legal action against us so we have had no choice but to deny their application to attend our event and have referred the issue to our legal counsel
Sincerely,
*** ***
Executive Director, GAMA
I am rejecting this response because:
I do not feel that [redacted] has made any attempts to resolve this issue based on the rejection of my application to the 2015 [redacted] Show. I did not involve my attorney as [redacted] has mentioned, merely indicated that if the third party could not assist with resolving the issue then I would utilize my civil rights as a consumer. I am requesting that the Revdex.com assist us in reaching a mutual agreement. I believe that having a neutral party to mediate between ** * Games and [redacted] will benefit both parties. The support ** * Games has received from customers and vendors at the [redacted] Show have been overwhelming and was evidenced at the most recent show "Gen-Con" which had 186,699 in attendance. These customers are willing to report and file similar claims to the Revdex.com about the discrimination towards ** * Games from [redacted] and his staff. I look forward to resolving this matter with you.
[redacted]
I called your office today and I was sorry I did not catch you in.
I got a second letter from you regarding this incident with C&C Bargains, but I wanted to make sure we had followed the correct steps.
In the event I did not, please grant us an extension so I can respond. I will be honest, 10 days is not a lot of time when I travel and this particular person is not a member of our trade association.
In response to this last letter:
GAMA is a nonprofit association, comprised of manufacturers, distributors, retailers and other communicating members of the hobby games industry.
As such, my job as the Executive Director is to work for the membership. Part of that is running two annual events: a closed trade show for members only in Las Vegas and an open consumer show here in Columbus that C&C attended.
For the Columbus show, each exhibitor has to sign a form that states they will follow out show rules. Page 4 clearly states we have the right to deny applications as we deem fit. (Booth form and Show Rules; see attached) in those rules it simply states we can reject an application for any reason. We have a family friendly game convention. It stands to reason we would not want any company there that does not sell gaming products (I have denied companies that do roofing, bathroom remodeling etc in the past) nor do we want companies we feel are not a good fit for a variety of reasons.
In this case, I will disagree with Mr. Butterfield about me not trying to resolve this matter. As you can see below, I have tried on several occasions to resolve this over email. My bottom line remains from my last not to him on July 21 :
Since you still seem unwilling to give me any assurances regarding my concerns, you give me no choice but to deny your application to attend [redacted] in 2015.
If you wish to retract your threats of legal action and want to start addressing my concerns, I would be happy to reconsider.
I am encouraged that C&C did not have alcohol in the hall this year (A clear violation of our rules) and I did not get any complaints from the other female exhibitors about the behavior of his team.
Regardless, I still want to see this process that seems like “auctioning” outlined in detail and I want to know how he is planning on addressing his staff not complying with our security team. The problems with his booth taking up the aisle areas is not acceptable.
I have copied our counsel on this as well, but until C&C feels that they can address my concerns, my decision to deny their application to the show stands.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Executive Director
Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA)
[redacted]
From: [redacted]
Sent: Friday, August 01, 2014 8:19 PM
To: [redacted]
Subject: Re: [redacted] Show
[redacted]
Thanks for the fast response. I'm sorry you did not read either of my emails addressing all of your concerns. Tell [redacted] if he wants to talk prior to my lawsuits I am open from Tue to Thur. Next week to help you understand my responses to your concerns. As far as using my words unprofessional, that came from one of your staff members! I will have all documentation in court.
Thank you for being so unprofessional to not speak with me in person or on the phone after I have done this show starting in 1996. I look forward to my day in court as well as my new business ventures at your show!
[redacted]
Sent from my iPhone
On Aug 1, 2014, at 6:07 PM, [redacted] <[email protected]> wrote:
[redacted]
I will apologize, but I really do not get much of this last email.
I am still waiting on you to address my concerns below.
I see no reference to C&C anywhere on our [redacted] Facebook page, so again I am unclear on what you are referencing.
Your comments about one of my staff being a "lady friend" are unprofessional at best.
I am a happily married man (whose wife works at GAMA) and [redacted] is a member of the staff.
I understand you two do not see eye to eye, that is why I have been dealing with you on this directly.
Frankly, I must not be clearly communication my intent and you continue to keep talking about moving this non discussion to a legal level.
As a result, Please direct all further communications to our legal counsel ([redacted] Bowles; cc above)
I am hopeful he will be able to get a more definitive response regarding my concerns with your application.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Executive Director
GAMA
On Aug 1, 2014, at 12:23 PM, [redacted] wrote:
Hi [redacted]
I'm still out of the county but have net and wanted to update you. I obviously wanted to work this out with you but you just do not want to talk despite saying you would re think.
I have this morning got two new wholesale accounts. They both are vendors with you and will have my products at Amazon prime and my great prices so my customers will be ok at your show. Further more I sold one the rights to use my "game castle, and raffle concepts"
I also was offered a job for "shows" with one of them which I will negotiate. 7 of my former employees are also doing the same.
Further more, I will seek any loses my self and my company will lose because of you and your lady friend not allowing my company to set up, despite myself and my company doing "nothing" wrong. I was hoping it did not come to legal action but as I've told you I will do everything I can to protect myself, my company and my stellar reputation with our customers. Obviously your customer satisfaction and mine differ a few degrees. That's fine because there is more than one way to do business as you know.
I am shocked that your Facebook account still has bashing of my company when I asked you to take it down when you told me the law on that. I will also look into this at the same time I seek my loses because of you and your lady friend.
If you would like to talk and try to come to some agreement that is good for you and I that would also be great. I return to the states on Tuesday and would love to talk. I meet with my lawyer Thursday on an unrelated matter but will ask him for the best lawyer in Ohio pertaining to all of my issues with Gama, you, and your lady friend.
Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter!
[redacted]
Sent from my iPhone
On Jul 21, 2014, at 7:09 AM, [redacted] <[email protected]> wrote:
[redacted],
I went ahead and cut your last email into the existing one so we have everything together. You were right I was indeed on vacation last week. Between our show and Gen con is really the only open time for me to do some things with me family.
As you mentioned on July 7th, since there were some issues with you and [redacted] these last two years, I will handle any discussions about 2015.
Although I appreciate your courtesy email below, I am still a little confused that you have not addressed any of the items I mentioned in my July 2nd email response.
In addition, you continue to talk about seeking legal action and retaining counsel, and seem unwilling to discuss anything of substance regarding your presence at the show.
You mentioned wanting a credit for priority points, yet you have still not provided me any documentation that you own that previous company so I can adjust them for you.
I may have been mistaken, when I recalled from out May 5th conversation that you were thinking about not returning to [redacted] in 2014, but I am absolutely certain that I told you we were thinking of not have C&C back.
I believe you are confused about the reasons, but I outlined them on July 2nd below (1-3).
Although there were not alcohol related issues nor problems with other exhibitors (our authors) there were still issues with auctioning of product.
New this year were some problems with your staff not following guidance of our sales / security team and invading the aisle space.
I personally stood at your booth during one of the “raffles” for about 5 min and had these observations:
1) I still think you are auctioning product. As we talked, Ohio has a requirement that you have a licensed auctioneer. I have provided you some suggestions on doing this differently, but that practice is on violation of our show rules.
2) I personally witnessed one of our security volunteers asking one of your staff to clear the aisle during one of those times. The response of your staff person was “it’s ok”. Frankly, it is not ok. You only purchased a 10x20 space. No exhibitor is permitted to use aisle space
When I replied on July 2nd, I specifically told you that I would be happy to discuss your booth application, but was not inclined to do so while you continue to threaten legal action; seeking a court order.
[redacted], it has been my experience that those least familiar with litigation are most likely to threaten using that system as recourse. Frankly, no one gains in that situation, but you are obviously free to make any decisions you feel are best.
Please remember that to attend [redacted] you fill out a booth application. As I stated on July 2nd, there are companies that we turn away every year that we decide are simply not a good fit for the show.
I find it interesting that you are giving me a deadline of tomorrow, when you are actually asking me to attend the show.
Since you still seem unwilling to give me any assurances regarding my concerns, you give me no choice but to deny your application to attend [redacted] in 2015.
If you wish to retract your threats of legal action and want to start addressing my concerns, I would be happy to reconsider.
I would also encourage you to consult with your attorney regarding your implied threats of using social media. Many jurisdictions have both civil and legal ramifications for those types of actions.
I have copied our counsel, [redacted] who can begin coordination with your attorney.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
[redacted]
Executive Director
Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA)
[redacted]
From Fri 7/18/2014 6:49 PM
Hi guys,
I wanted to send a courtesy email in case your on vacation and have not had a chance to respond to my last email.
I am retaining legal council next Tuesday in order to protect my company as well as my customers. I will wait until then in hopes that we can work something out on this bizarre situation. I have also urged my customers and fellow vendors to not take this on social media, I think I've had success on that so far.
Thank you both for your time on this important matter to my company.
[redacted] Butterfield
Sent from my iPhone
From: [redacted]
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2014 4:52 PM
To: [redacted]
Cc[redacted]
Subject: Response to email correspondence
[redacted]
Thank you for reaching out and replying to my email. I wanted to address some of the responses in your email and hopefully come to a mutual agreement. First I was unaware that you were on vacation following the show and when I had not received a response from you I contacted [redacted]. I understand that you were researching the claims but I would have appreciated a quick response letting me know that was your intentions.
I was unaware of the transitions within [redacted] and GAMA Trade Shows staff. It is understandable that in your position it would be challenging to speak with every exhibitor prior to the start of the show. However knowing there were some issues between myself and [redacted], I would have expected a more formal contact to discuss the concerns and issues. Regardless, [redacted] informed my staff that all present and future decisions regarding show participation would need to come through you. Per our conversation, we discussed my priority points for the upcoming shows in order to have a better location for future shows. If you would like I can forward you those email conversations following our phone call. I was unaware of any trial period and would have appreciated a face to face conversation stating your intentions. I did not mention nor allude to not attending any future shows.
I have reviewed the concerns you mentioned in the email and I would like to address them individually. In regards to the alcohol at the show last year, you and I addressed and resolved the situation and as promised we had no alcohol at the show or in the booth. Secondly, the issues with my staff and your female staff have grossly been misinterpreted and have you misinformed. I have a text message sent from [redacted] to my employee containing advances on her part and when the advances were not reciprocated she became distant and unapproachable. I am not the dating police and clearly have no control over two adult’s actions. I did inform my staff that no communication via text messages between your staff would be acceptable. Thirdly, the concerns and questioning of our companies ‘auctioning of products’ during the show to our customers is grossly untrue and frankly offensive. I want to make this very clear that over the last decade we have offered a raffle to our customers who make purchases. Our customers receive a raffle ticket with purchase and during the raffle there is no ‘staring bid’ on product. We have used this opportunity at [redacted] and Gen Con to offer our clients free games and promos and reduced prices on products similar to the coupon book. The use of the word ‘auction’ came directly from [redacted]’s mouth and her interpretation has her confused on the nature of a raffle. During raffle one of two on Saturday this year, we were informed by security that we could not stand on stools or chairs as previously done in prior shows. After the second and final raffle on Saturday, a woman approached one of my employees stating she was the Fire Marshall. She thanked my employee for compliance with fire codes and remaining off the stools and chairs during the raffle and stated “Keep up the good work and good luck with the rest of the show.” John I would like to strongly encourage you to visit our booth and observe for yourself the way we conduct the raffle and business operations.
Finally, the complaints regarding our discounting process of games and products. I appreciate the support on my behalf with offering discounts and feel that if it was problematic for the show that those concerns would not be relayed to customers but directly to me. I have complete understanding of the exclusivity policy and will continue to comply with those policies.
I would like to thank you for the acknowledgment of the unprofessional behavior from [redacted] and feel that the nature of her position will inevitably encounter difficult situations and people. For this reason, the frustration could have been eliminated had contacting you been easier and more convenient. I apologize that I was unable to find your contact information but did inquire about contacting you from [redacted] and other vendors. I am unable to leave my booth during the operating hours due to the volume and traffic of customers throughout the show.
In closing, I would like to inform you that in my email to [redacted], I mentioned seeking a Court Order to participate in the show in the event we are unable to maintain a professional working relationship. At no time have I mentioned a lawsuit or action outside of a court order to participate in the show in compliance with Ohio Laws and Rules of Statute 4112.02 and 4112.05- Filing a charge of unlawful discriminatory practice. At this time I have not sought legal representation regarding my participation and I will only do so if an agreement cannot be reached.
Thank you for your timely response.
[redacted]
From: [redacted]
Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2014 3:42 PM
To: [redacted]
Cc: [redacted]
Subject: RE: [redacted] Show
[redacted],
First, I apologize for not replying sooner, I too have been catching up after [redacted] and obviously the staff and I both take some vacation after the show.
I am aware that you sent an email to [redacted] with some concerns about [redacted] and some additional concerns that I had not responded to your note below. I did want to look into the issues you outlined below before I got back to you and I would think that 15 days is a pretty reasonable response time with vacations factored in.
Typically, I do not find myself talking with each of the exhibitors as we did this year before a show. By and large, the line exhibitors usually work with the sales staff and I spend my efforts working with our sponsors. As you know, this year was different since we had some transition with our sales person changing between the GAMA Trade Show and [redacted].
If you recall when we talked before the show, you told me that you were unsure that C&C would be returning and I responded that I was unsure we were going to let you return.
I understand that there was tension last year and if I remember, your preshow concerns were more about our lack of coordination, your concerns with [redacted] and your actual sales while mine are outlined below:
1) Some of your staff had alcohol at the show last year
2) Similarly, there was the incident where one of our female authors was insulted by some advances from a member of your team
3) There were my concerns about the auctioning of product which we discussed in detail. Ohio law requires an auctioneer if you want to auction product at the show.
4) Finally, there were complaints about your discounting process which I did say were completely fine within our show rules. I have not heard any complaints of your team violating the exclusivity policy and your business practices are yours to choose. I will always support you when anyone make this complaint.
My perspective was that we were going to see how this year went and then assess things after the show.
I did have the opportunity to investigate your concerns below regarding [redacted]’s unprofessional behavior and I wanted to address them. I did find that she used inappropriate language when talking with you and or your staff at the show. I want to apologize for her language and I would never condone the use of foul language. In her defense, I think that she was very frustrated by what she perceived as a lack of compliance from your team. Although I will not debate that here, it simply does not excuse her actions and I do apologize for her language.
I saw in your note below that you were unable to contact me during the show. I know I sent you some correspondence before the show and my email and cell number are both on my signature block. I am also able to get mail on my phone during the show or the show office always is able to locate me in the event of an emergency.
Unfortunately, in your correspondence with [redacted], you mentioned that you are prepared to seek a court order to allow your company to participate in [redacted] next year. I am not sure you understand how our organization operates, but there are many companies that I simply do not allow to exhibit at [redacted] each year. Roofing companies, job placement services and a variety of others that I reject.
[redacted] has the ability to accept or reject applications from exhibitors at our discretion and these decisions are mine as the Executive Director.
Having served for many years in Ohio’s legal system, I am not inclined to discuss the matter further since you mentioned civil action.
If you care to retract that position, I am happy to talk with you further to see how we should proceed.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
[redacted]
Executive Director
Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA)
[redacted]
From: [redacted]
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2014 6:27 PM
To: [redacted]
Subject: Fwd: [redacted] Show
Hi [redacted]
As a participant of the [redacted] show over the last 16 years (minus some in the middle), I have found the show has been a great success for my company. Despite our sales being down 35% this year, I still feel this show is a valuable asset to my consumers. From our arrival at set up to the final day of the show, I encountered multiple verbal altercations with staff at the direction of [redacted] Kaplan. In each of these encounters, myself or my employee [redacted] were informed of previous years violations at the show. As I informed the staff, I was unaware of the violations they referred to and the only mentioned violation from this year was our signs were to high. Per our conversation you stated that my signs were fine as long as I did not stack multiple games on top of the booth. It was also brought to my attention from multiple vendors and attendees that [redacted] referenced my booth as the "vendor that is always violating the rules." My only encounter with [redacted] outside of picking up my parking pass that was left for me by [redacted] from [redacted], occurred on Saturday afternoon when she came into my booth interrupted a line of customer's. [redacted] proceeded to verbally abuse me and when I tried to ask her to please stop yelling at me, she told me that if I wanted to file a complaint against her to make sure I was not calling her number. I received an auto reply response from what I assumed was you, reporting you were out of the office. As you can imagine the contact from [redacted] caught me off guard and I tried to call you from a number in my phone to which I left a voice mail thinking it was a message to you. The auto reply only had a number with no name or voice mail set up which shows unprofessional customer service. I apologize for not emailing you sooner, however I have been very busy catching up from the show and have received multiple emails and calls from vendors and consumers expressing their gratitude for our products and excellent customer service. I did attempt to get a hold of you at the show multiple times by asking [redacted](who refused to give me your contact information) and other vendors. [redacted] at [redacted] gave me a detailed description of you and I attempted to locate you physically.
I am unsure of the content of the conversation between [redacted] and my co-worker [redacted], to which she informed him that future participation in this show would need to result in submitting an application directly to you. This along with many other things that were brought to my attention by co-workers and vendors is a perfect example of the cowardly intention of [redacted] to not come directly to me and discuss these matters in person. I am not sure what she has against me, but from the overwhelming response from vendors, including an encouraging 'Have a great show" from [redacted]s who as we know was not in attendance; this was very hurtful and slanderous to me.
I would like to discuss this in greater detail at your earliest convenience on how to move past this and continue our positive business relationship. I wanted to share with you the email I received from Ms [redacted] earlier today. I am in the process of contacting multiple people who have left voice mails and or texts involving the Saturday interruption that [redacted] caused.
Thank you for your time and prompt response to this matter!
[redacted] Owner
[redacted]
[redacted]
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: [redacted]
Date: Tue, Jun 17, 2014 at 10:35 AM
Subject: [redacted] Show
To: [redacted]-
Just wanted to touch base with you following the show in Columbus. First, I just wanted to thank you for the product and your continued dedication to the satisfaction of your customers. You and your staff go above and beyond in customer service to ensure that we are equipped with the latest games and promos. As expected [redacted] and [redacted] provided myself the customer an experience worth the time, money and energy spent to attend the show. We love the promos, add-ons and raffles you provided this year as you do in years past. Your energy and passion for the industry are unmatched and it is for this reason that I wanted to contact you to inform you I will be sending an email to [redacted] with [redacted] expressing my concerns regarding the confrontation I witnessed by his staff [redacted] I will be letting him know that the lack of professionalism by his staff has left a bad taste for the reputation of [redacted] as well as other vendors and attendees who expressed their concerns and frustrations as well. I hope this email finds you well and I am confident that [redacted] will respond to my concerns and I look forward to seeing you at [redacted] and hopefully you can save me a copy of [redacted].
I am rejecting this response because: I do not feel that [redacted] has made any attempts to resolve this issue based on the rejection of my application to the [redacted] Show I did not involve my attorney as [redacted] has mentioned, merely indicated that if the third party could not assist with resolving the issue then I would utilize my civil rights as a consumer I am requesting that the Revdex.com assist us in reaching a mutual agreement I believe that having a neutral party to mediate between [redacted] Games and [redacted] will benefit both parties The support [redacted] Games has received from customers and vendors at the [redacted] Show have been overwhelming and was evidenced at the most recent show "Gen-Con" which had 186,in attendance These customers are willing to report and file similar claims to the Revdex.com about the discrimination towards [redacted] Games from [redacted] and his staffI look forward to resolving this matter with you
[redacted] I called your office today and I was sorry I did not catch you in I got a second letter from you regarding this incident with C&C Bargains, but I wanted to make sure we had followed the correct steps In the event I did not, please grant us an extension so I can respondI will be honest, days is not a lot of time when I travel and this particular person is not a member of our trade association In response to this last letter: GAMA is a nonprofit association, comprised of manufacturers, distributors, retailers and other communicating members of the hobby games industry As such, my job as the Executive Director is to work for the membershipPart of that is running two annual events: a closed trade show for members only in Las Vegas and an open consumer show here in Columbus that C&C attended For the Columbus show, each exhibitor has to sign a form that states they will follow out show rulesPage clearly states we have the right to deny applications as we deem fit(Booth form and Show Rules; see attached) in those rules it simply states we can reject an application for any reasonWe have a family friendly game conventionIt stands to reason we would not want any company there that does not sell gaming products (I have denied companies that do roofing, bathroom remodeling etc in the past) nor do we want companies we feel are not a good fit for a variety of reasons In this case, I will disagree with MrButterfield about me not trying to resolve this matterAs you can see below, I have tried on several occasions to resolve this over emailMy bottom line remains from my last not to him on July : Since you still seem unwilling to give me any assurances regarding my concerns, you give me no choice but to deny your application to attend [redacted] in If you wish to retract your threats of legal action and want to start addressing my concerns, I would be happy to reconsider I am encouraged that C&C did not have alcohol in the hall this year (A clear violation of our rules) and I did not get any complaints from the other female exhibitors about the behavior of his team Regardless, I still want to see this process that seems like “auctioning” outlined in detail and I want to know how he is planning on addressing his staff not complying with our security teamThe problems with his booth taking up the aisle areas is not acceptable I have copied our counsel on this as well, but until C&C feels that they can address my concerns, my decision to deny their application to the show stands Sincerely, [redacted] Executive Director Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) [redacted] From: [redacted] Sent: Friday, August 01, 8:PM To: [redacted] Subject: Re: [redacted] Show [redacted] Thanks for the fast responseI'm sorry you did not read either of my emails addressing all of your concernsTell [redacted] if he wants to talk prior to my lawsuits I am open from Tue to ThurNext week to help you understand my responses to your concernsAs far as using my words unprofessional, that came from one of your staff members! I will have all documentation in court Thank you for being so unprofessional to not speak with me in person or on the phone after I have done this show starting in I look forward to my day in court as well as my new business ventures at your show! *** Sent from my iPhone On Aug 1, 2014, at 6:PM, [redacted] wrote: [redacted] I will apologize, but I really do not get much of this last email I am still waiting on you to address my concerns below I see no reference to C&C anywhere on our [redacted] Facebook page, so again I am unclear on what you are referencing Your comments about one of my staff being a "lady friend" are unprofessional at best I am a happily married man (whose wife works at GAMA) and [redacted] is a member of the staff I understand you two do not see eye to eye, that is why I have been dealing with you on this directly Frankly, I must not be clearly communication my intent and you continue to keep talking about moving this non discussion to a legal level As a result, Please direct all further communications to our legal counsel ( [redacted] Bowles; cc above) I am hopeful he will be able to get a more definitive response regarding my concerns with your application Sincerely, [redacted] Executive Director GAMA On Aug 1, 2014, at 12:PM, [redacted] wrote: Hi [redacted] I'm still out of the county but have net and wanted to update youI obviously wanted to work this out with you but you just do not want to talk despite saying you would re think I have this morning got two new wholesale accountsThey both are vendors with you and will have my products at Amazon prime and my great prices so my customers will be ok at your showFurther more I sold one the rights to use my "game castle, and raffle concepts" I also was offered a job for "shows" with one of them which I will negotiateof my former employees are also doing the same Further more, I will seek any loses my self and my company will lose because of you and your lady friend not allowing my company to set up, despite myself and my company doing "nothing" wrongI was hoping it did not come to legal action but as I've told you I will do everything I can to protect myself, my company and my stellar reputation with our customersObviously your customer satisfaction and mine differ a few degreesThat's fine because there is more than one way to do business as you know I am shocked that your Facebook account still has bashing of my company when I asked you to take it down when you told me the law on thatI will also look into this at the same time I seek my loses because of you and your lady friend If you would like to talk and try to come to some agreement that is good for you and I that would also be greatI return to the states on Tuesday and would love to talkI meet with my lawyer Thursday on an unrelated matter but will ask him for the best lawyer in Ohio pertaining to all of my issues with Gama, you, and your lady friend Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter! [redacted] Sent from my iPhone On Jul 21, 2014, at 7:AM, [redacted] wrote: ***, I went ahead and cut your last email into the existing one so we have everything togetherYou were right I was indeed on vacation last weekBetween our show and Gen con is really the only open time for me to do some things with me family As you mentioned on July 7th, since there were some issues with you and [redacted] these last two years, I will handle any discussions about Although I appreciate your courtesy email below, I am still a little confused that you have not addressed any of the items I mentioned in my July 2nd email response In addition, you continue to talk about seeking legal action and retaining counsel, and seem unwilling to discuss anything of substance regarding your presence at the show You mentioned wanting a credit for priority points, yet you have still not provided me any documentation that you own that previous company so I can adjust them for you I may have been mistaken, when I recalled from out May 5th conversation that you were thinking about not returning to [redacted] in 2014, but I am absolutely certain that I told you we were thinking of not have C&C back I believe you are confused about the reasons, but I outlined them on July 2nd below (1-3) Although there were not alcohol related issues nor problems with other exhibitors (our authors) there were still issues with auctioning of product New this year were some problems with your staff not following guidance of our sales / security team and invading the aisle space I personally stood at your booth during one of the “raffles” for about min and had these observations: 1) I still think you are auctioning productAs we talked, Ohio has a requirement that you have a licensed auctioneerI have provided you some suggestions on doing this differently, but that practice is on violation of our show rules 2) I personally witnessed one of our security volunteers asking one of your staff to clear the aisle during one of those timesThe response of your staff person was “it’s ok”Frankly, it is not okYou only purchased a 10xspaceNo exhibitor is permitted to use aisle space When I replied on July 2nd, I specifically told you that I would be happy to discuss your booth application, but was not inclined to do so while you continue to threaten legal action; seeking a court order ***, it has been my experience that those least familiar with litigation are most likely to threaten using that system as recourseFrankly, no one gains in that situation, but you are obviously free to make any decisions you feel are best Please remember that to attend [redacted] you fill out a booth applicationAs I stated on July 2nd, there are companies that we turn away every year that we decide are simply not a good fit for the show I find it interesting that you are giving me a deadline of tomorrow, when you are actually asking me to attend the show Since you still seem unwilling to give me any assurances regarding my concerns, you give me no choice but to deny your application to attend [redacted] in If you wish to retract your threats of legal action and want to start addressing my concerns, I would be happy to reconsider I would also encourage you to consult with your attorney regarding your implied threats of using social mediaMany jurisdictions have both civil and legal ramifications for those types of actions I have copied our counsel, [redacted] who can begin coordination with your attorney Sincerely, *** [redacted] Executive Director Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) [redacted] *** From Fri 7/18/6:PM Hi guys, I wanted to send a courtesy email in case your on vacation and have not had a chance to respond to my last email I am retaining legal council next Tuesday in order to protect my company as well as my customersI will wait until then in hopes that we can work something out on this bizarre situationI have also urged my customers and fellow vendors to not take this on social media, I think I've had success on that so far Thank you both for your time on this important matter to my company [redacted] Butterfield Sent from my iPhone From: [redacted] Sent: Monday, July 07, 4:PM To: [redacted] Cc [redacted] Subject: Response to email correspondence [redacted] Thank you for reaching out and replying to my email I wanted to address some of the responses in your email and hopefully come to a mutual agreement First I was unaware that you were on vacation following the show and when I had not received a response from you I contacted [redacted] I understand that you were researching the claims but I would have appreciated a quick response letting me know that was your intentions I was unaware of the transitions within [redacted] and GAMA Trade Shows staff It is understandable that in your position it would be challenging to speak with every exhibitor prior to the start of the show However knowing there were some issues between myself and ***, I would have expected a more formal contact to discuss the concerns and issues Regardless, [redacted] informed my staff that all present and future decisions regarding show participation would need to come through you Per our conversation, we discussed my priority points for the upcoming shows in order to have a better location for future shows If you would like I can forward you those email conversations following our phone callI was unaware of any trial period and would have appreciated a face to face conversation stating your intentions I did not mention nor allude to not attending any future shows I have reviewed the concerns you mentioned in the email and I would like to address them individually In regards to the alcohol at the show last year, you and I addressed and resolved the situation and as promised we had no alcohol at the show or in the booth Secondly, the issues with my staff and your female staff have grossly been misinterpreted and have you misinformed I have a text message sent from [redacted] to my employee containing advances on her part and when the advances were not reciprocated she became distant and unapproachable I am not the dating police and clearly have no control over two adult’s actions I did inform my staff that no communication via text messages between your staff would be acceptableThirdly, the concerns and questioning of our companies ‘auctioning of products’ during the show to our customers is grossly untrue and frankly offensive I want to make this very clear that over the last decade we have offered a raffle to our customers who make purchases Our customers receive a raffle ticket with purchase and during the raffle there is no ‘staring bid’ on product We have used this opportunity at [redacted] and Gen Con to offer our clients free games and promos and reduced prices on products similar to the coupon book The use of the word ‘auction’ came directly from ***’s mouth and her interpretation has her confused on the nature of a raffle During raffle one of two on Saturday this year, we were informed by security that we could not stand on stools or chairs as previously done in prior shows After the second and final raffle on Saturday, a woman approached one of my employees stating she was the Fire Marshall She thanked my employee for compliance with fire codes and remaining off the stools and chairs during the raffle and stated “Keep up the good work and good luck with the rest of the show.” John I would like to strongly encourage you to visit our booth and observe for yourself the way we conduct the raffle and business operations Finally, the complaints regarding our discounting process of games and products I appreciate the support on my behalf with offering discounts and feel that if it was problematic for the show that those concerns would not be relayed to customers but directly to me I have complete understanding of the exclusivity policy and will continue to comply with those policies I would like to thank you for the acknowledgment of the unprofessional behavior from [redacted] and feel that the nature of her position will inevitably encounter difficult situations and people For this reason, the frustration could have been eliminated had contacting you been easier and more convenient I apologize that I was unable to find your contact information but did inquire about contacting you from [redacted] and other vendors I am unable to leave my booth during the operating hours due to the volume and traffic of customers throughout the show In closing, I would like to inform you that in my email to [redacted] , I mentioned seeking a Court Order to participate in the show in the event we are unable to maintain a professional working relationship At no time have I mentioned a lawsuit or action outside of a court order to participate in the show in compliance with Ohio Laws and Rules of Statute and 4112.05- Filing a charge of unlawful discriminatory practice At this time I have not sought legal representation regarding my participation and I will only do so if an agreement cannot be reached Thank you for your timely response [redacted] From: [redacted] *** Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 3:PM To: [redacted] Cc: [redacted] Subject: RE: [redacted] Show ***, First, I apologize for not replying sooner, I too have been catching up after [redacted] and obviously the staff and I both take some vacation after the show I am aware that you sent an email to [redacted] with some concerns about [redacted] and some additional concerns that I had not responded to your note belowI did want to look into the issues you outlined below before I got back to you and I would think that days is a pretty reasonable response time with vacations factored in Typically, I do not find myself talking with each of the exhibitors as we did this year before a showBy and large, the line exhibitors usually work with the sales staff and I spend my efforts working with our sponsorsAs you know, this year was different since we had some transition with our sales person changing between the GAMA Trade Show and [redacted] If you recall when we talked before the show, you told me that you were unsure that C&C would be returning and I responded that I was unsure we were going to let you return I understand that there was tension last year and if I remember, your preshow concerns were more about our lack of coordination, your concerns with [redacted] and your actual sales while mine are outlined below: 1) Some of your staff had alcohol at the show last year 2) Similarly, there was the incident where one of our female authors was insulted by some advances from a member of your team 3) There were my concerns about the auctioning of product which we discussed in detailOhio law requires an auctioneer if you want to auction product at the show 4) Finally, there were complaints about your discounting process which I did say were completely fine within our show rulesI have not heard any complaints of your team violating the exclusivity policy and your business practices are yours to chooseI will always support you when anyone make this complaint My perspective was that we were going to see how this year went and then assess things after the show I did have the opportunity to investigate your concerns below regarding ***’s unprofessional behavior and I wanted to address themI did find that she used inappropriate language when talking with you and or your staff at the showI want to apologize for her language and I would never condone the use of foul language In her defense, I think that she was very frustrated by what she perceived as a lack of compliance from your teamAlthough I will not debate that here, it simply does not excuse her actions and I do apologize for her language I saw in your note below that you were unable to contact me during the showI know I sent you some correspondence before the show and my email and cell number are both on my signature blockI am also able to get mail on my phone during the show or the show office always is able to locate me in the event of an emergency Unfortunately, in your correspondence with ***, you mentioned that you are prepared to seek a court order to allow your company to participate in [redacted] next yearI am not sure you understand how our organization operates, but there are many companies that I simply do not allow to exhibit at [redacted] each yearRoofing companies, job placement services and a variety of others that I reject [redacted] has the ability to accept or reject applications from exhibitors at our discretion and these decisions are mine as the Executive Director Having served for many years in Ohio’s legal system, I am not inclined to discuss the matter further since you mentioned civil action If you care to retract that position, I am happy to talk with you further to see how we should proceed Sincerely, [redacted] [redacted] Executive Director Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) [redacted] *** From: [redacted] Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 6:PM To: [redacted] Subject: Fwd: [redacted] Show Hi [redacted] As a participant of the [redacted] show over the last years (minus some in the middle), I have found the show has been a great success for my company Despite our sales being down 35% this year, I still feel this show is a valuable asset to my consumers From our arrival at set up to the final day of the show, I encountered multiple verbal altercations with staff at the direction of [redacted] KaplanIn each of these encounters, myself or my employee [redacted] were informed of previous years violations at the show As I informed the staff, I was unaware of the violations they referred to and the only mentioned violation from this year was our signs were to high Per our conversation you stated that my signs were fine as long as I did not stack multiple games on top of the booth It was also brought to my attention from multiple vendors and attendees that [redacted] referenced my booth as the "vendor that is always violating the rules." My only encounter with [redacted] outside of picking up my parking pass that was left for me by [redacted] from [redacted] ***, occurred on Saturday afternoon when she came into my booth interrupted a line of customer's [redacted] proceeded to verbally abuse me and when I tried to ask her to please stop yelling at me, she told me that if I wanted to file a complaint against her to make sure I was not calling her number I received an auto reply response from what I assumed was you, reporting you were out of the office As you can imagine the contact from [redacted] caught me off guard and I tried to call you from a number in my phone to which I left a voice mail thinking it was a message to you The auto reply only had a number with no name or voice mail set up which shows unprofessional customer service I apologize for not emailing you sooner, however I have been very busy catching up from the show and have received multiple emails and calls from vendors and consumers expressing their gratitude for our products and excellent customer service I did attempt to get a hold of you at the show multiple times by asking ***(who refused to give me your contact information) and other vendors [redacted] at [redacted] gave me a detailed description of you and I attempted to locate you physically I am unsure of the content of the conversation between [redacted] and my co-worker ***, to which she informed him that future participation in this show would need to result in submitting an application directly to you This along with many other things that were brought to my attention by co-workers and vendors is a perfect example of the cowardly intention of [redacted] to not come directly to me and discuss these matters in person I am not sure what she has against me, but from the overwhelming response from vendors, including an encouraging 'Have a great show" from [redacted] ***s who as we know was not in attendance; this was very hurtful and slanderous to me I would like to discuss this in greater detail at your earliest convenience on how to move past this and continue our positive business relationshipI wanted to share with you the email I received from Ms [redacted] earlier todayI am in the process of contacting multiple people who have left voice mails and or texts involving the Saturday interruption that [redacted] caused Thank you for your time and prompt response to this matter! [redacted] Owner [redacted] [redacted] ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: [redacted] Date: Tue, Jun 17, at 10:AM Subject: [redacted] Show To: [redacted] ***- Just wanted to touch base with you following the show in Columbus First, I just wanted to thank you for the product and your continued dedication to the satisfaction of your customers You and your staff go above and beyond in customer service to ensure that we are equipped with the latest games and promos As expected [redacted] *** and [redacted] provided myself the customer an experience worth the time, money and energy spent to attend the showWe love the promos, add-ons and raffles you provided this year as you do in years past Your energy and passion for the industry are unmatched and it is for this reason that I wanted to contact you to inform you I will be sending an email to [redacted] with [redacted] expressing my concerns regarding the confrontation I witnessed by his staff [redacted] I will be letting him know that the lack of professionalism by his staff has left a bad taste for the reputation of [redacted] as well as other vendors and attendees who expressed their concerns and frustrations as well I hope this email finds you well and I am confident that [redacted] will respond to my concerns and I look forward to seeing you at [redacted] *** and hopefully you can save me a copy of [redacted] *** [redacted]
--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: *** *** ***
Date: Wed, Aug 20, at 12:PM
Subject: Complaint number ***
To: "*** ***
Cc: ***
*** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Mr***
I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me yesterday and explain the process for the Revdex.com
Regarding complaint # ***, we have tried several times over the past two months to resolve this issue with *** *** over email without successIf you need documentation of these discussions we can provide them
Unfortunately, *** continues to discuss pursuing legal action against us so we have had no choice but to deny their application to attend our event and have referred the issue to our legal counsel
Sincerely,
*** ***
Executive Director, GAMA
I am rejecting this response because:
I do not feel that [redacted] has made any attempts to resolve this issue based on the rejection of my application to the 2015 [redacted] Show. I did not involve my attorney as [redacted] has mentioned, merely indicated that if the third party could not assist with resolving the issue then I would utilize my civil rights as a consumer. I am requesting that the Revdex.com assist us in reaching a mutual agreement. I believe that having a neutral party to mediate between ** * Games and [redacted] will benefit both parties. The support ** * Games has received from customers and vendors at the [redacted] Show have been overwhelming and was evidenced at the most recent show "Gen-Con" which had 186,699 in attendance. These customers are willing to report and file similar claims to the Revdex.com about the discrimination towards ** * Games from [redacted] and his staff. I look forward to resolving this matter with you.
[redacted]
I called your office today and I was sorry I did not catch you in.
I got a second letter from you regarding this incident with C&C Bargains, but I wanted to make sure we had followed the correct steps.
In the event I did not, please grant us an extension so I can respond. I will be honest, 10 days is not a lot of time when I travel and this particular person is not a member of our trade association.
In response to this last letter:
GAMA is a nonprofit association, comprised of manufacturers, distributors, retailers and other communicating members of the hobby games industry.
As such, my job as the Executive Director is to work for the membership. Part of that is running two annual events: a closed trade show for members only in Las Vegas and an open consumer show here in Columbus that C&C attended.
For the Columbus show, each exhibitor has to sign a form that states they will follow out show rules. Page 4 clearly states we have the right to deny applications as we deem fit. (Booth form and Show Rules; see attached) in those rules it simply states we can reject an application for any reason. We have a family friendly game convention. It stands to reason we would not want any company there that does not sell gaming products (I have denied companies that do roofing, bathroom remodeling etc in the past) nor do we want companies we feel are not a good fit for a variety of reasons.
In this case, I will disagree with Mr. Butterfield about me not trying to resolve this matter. As you can see below, I have tried on several occasions to resolve this over email. My bottom line remains from my last not to him on July 21 :
Since you still seem unwilling to give me any assurances regarding my concerns, you give me no choice but to deny your application to attend [redacted] in 2015.
If you wish to retract your threats of legal action and want to start addressing my concerns, I would be happy to reconsider.
I am encouraged that C&C did not have alcohol in the hall this year (A clear violation of our rules) and I did not get any complaints from the other female exhibitors about the behavior of his team.
Regardless, I still want to see this process that seems like “auctioning” outlined in detail and I want to know how he is planning on addressing his staff not complying with our security team. The problems with his booth taking up the aisle areas is not acceptable.
I have copied our counsel on this as well, but until C&C feels that they can address my concerns, my decision to deny their application to the show stands.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Executive Director
Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA)
[redacted]
From: [redacted]
Sent: Friday, August 01, 2014 8:19 PM
To: [redacted]
Subject: Re: [redacted] Show
[redacted]
Thanks for the fast response. I'm sorry you did not read either of my emails addressing all of your concerns. Tell [redacted] if he wants to talk prior to my lawsuits I am open from Tue to Thur. Next week to help you understand my responses to your concerns. As far as using my words unprofessional, that came from one of your staff members! I will have all documentation in court.
Thank you for being so unprofessional to not speak with me in person or on the phone after I have done this show starting in 1996. I look forward to my day in court as well as my new business ventures at your show!
[redacted]
Sent from my iPhone
On Aug 1, 2014, at 6:07 PM, [redacted] <[email protected]> wrote:
[redacted]
I will apologize, but I really do not get much of this last email.
I am still waiting on you to address my concerns below.
I see no reference to C&C anywhere on our [redacted] Facebook page, so again I am unclear on what you are referencing.
Your comments about one of my staff being a "lady friend" are unprofessional at best.
I am a happily married man (whose wife works at GAMA) and [redacted] is a member of the staff.
I understand you two do not see eye to eye, that is why I have been dealing with you on this directly.
Frankly, I must not be clearly communication my intent and you continue to keep talking about moving this non discussion to a legal level.
As a result, Please direct all further communications to our legal counsel ([redacted] Bowles; cc above)
I am hopeful he will be able to get a more definitive response regarding my concerns with your application.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Executive Director
GAMA
On Aug 1, 2014, at 12:23 PM, [redacted] wrote:
Hi [redacted]
I'm still out of the county but have net and wanted to update you. I obviously wanted to work this out with you but you just do not want to talk despite saying you would re think.
I have this morning got two new wholesale accounts. They both are vendors with you and will have my products at Amazon prime and my great prices so my customers will be ok at your show. Further more I sold one the rights to use my "game castle, and raffle concepts"
I also was offered a job for "shows" with one of them which I will negotiate. 7 of my former employees are also doing the same.
Further more, I will seek any loses my self and my company will lose because of you and your lady friend not allowing my company to set up, despite myself and my company doing "nothing" wrong. I was hoping it did not come to legal action but as I've told you I will do everything I can to protect myself, my company and my stellar reputation with our customers. Obviously your customer satisfaction and mine differ a few degrees. That's fine because there is more than one way to do business as you know.
I am shocked that your Facebook account still has bashing of my company when I asked you to take it down when you told me the law on that. I will also look into this at the same time I seek my loses because of you and your lady friend.
If you would like to talk and try to come to some agreement that is good for you and I that would also be great. I return to the states on Tuesday and would love to talk. I meet with my lawyer Thursday on an unrelated matter but will ask him for the best lawyer in Ohio pertaining to all of my issues with Gama, you, and your lady friend.
Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter!
[redacted]
Sent from my iPhone
On Jul 21, 2014, at 7:09 AM, [redacted] <[email protected]> wrote:
[redacted],
I went ahead and cut your last email into the existing one so we have everything together. You were right I was indeed on vacation last week. Between our show and Gen con is really the only open time for me to do some things with me family.
As you mentioned on July 7th, since there were some issues with you and [redacted] these last two years, I will handle any discussions about 2015.
Although I appreciate your courtesy email below, I am still a little confused that you have not addressed any of the items I mentioned in my July 2nd email response.
In addition, you continue to talk about seeking legal action and retaining counsel, and seem unwilling to discuss anything of substance regarding your presence at the show.
You mentioned wanting a credit for priority points, yet you have still not provided me any documentation that you own that previous company so I can adjust them for you.
I may have been mistaken, when I recalled from out May 5th conversation that you were thinking about not returning to [redacted] in 2014, but I am absolutely certain that I told you we were thinking of not have C&C back.
I believe you are confused about the reasons, but I outlined them on July 2nd below (1-3).
Although there were not alcohol related issues nor problems with other exhibitors (our authors) there were still issues with auctioning of product.
New this year were some problems with your staff not following guidance of our sales / security team and invading the aisle space.
I personally stood at your booth during one of the “raffles” for about 5 min and had these observations:
1) I still think you are auctioning product. As we talked, Ohio has a requirement that you have a licensed auctioneer. I have provided you some suggestions on doing this differently, but that practice is on violation of our show rules.
2) I personally witnessed one of our security volunteers asking one of your staff to clear the aisle during one of those times. The response of your staff person was “it’s ok”. Frankly, it is not ok. You only purchased a 10x20 space. No exhibitor is permitted to use aisle space
When I replied on July 2nd, I specifically told you that I would be happy to discuss your booth application, but was not inclined to do so while you continue to threaten legal action; seeking a court order.
[redacted], it has been my experience that those least familiar with litigation are most likely to threaten using that system as recourse. Frankly, no one gains in that situation, but you are obviously free to make any decisions you feel are best.
Please remember that to attend [redacted] you fill out a booth application. As I stated on July 2nd, there are companies that we turn away every year that we decide are simply not a good fit for the show.
I find it interesting that you are giving me a deadline of tomorrow, when you are actually asking me to attend the show.
Since you still seem unwilling to give me any assurances regarding my concerns, you give me no choice but to deny your application to attend [redacted] in 2015.
If you wish to retract your threats of legal action and want to start addressing my concerns, I would be happy to reconsider.
I would also encourage you to consult with your attorney regarding your implied threats of using social media. Many jurisdictions have both civil and legal ramifications for those types of actions.
I have copied our counsel, [redacted] who can begin coordination with your attorney.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
[redacted]
Executive Director
Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA)
[redacted]
From Fri 7/18/2014 6:49 PM
Hi guys,
I wanted to send a courtesy email in case your on vacation and have not had a chance to respond to my last email.
I am retaining legal council next Tuesday in order to protect my company as well as my customers. I will wait until then in hopes that we can work something out on this bizarre situation. I have also urged my customers and fellow vendors to not take this on social media, I think I've had success on that so far.
Thank you both for your time on this important matter to my company.
[redacted] Butterfield
Sent from my iPhone
From: [redacted]
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2014 4:52 PM
To: [redacted]
Cc[redacted]
Subject: Response to email correspondence
[redacted]
Thank you for reaching out and replying to my email. I wanted to address some of the responses in your email and hopefully come to a mutual agreement. First I was unaware that you were on vacation following the show and when I had not received a response from you I contacted [redacted]. I understand that you were researching the claims but I would have appreciated a quick response letting me know that was your intentions.
I was unaware of the transitions within [redacted] and GAMA Trade Shows staff. It is understandable that in your position it would be challenging to speak with every exhibitor prior to the start of the show. However knowing there were some issues between myself and [redacted], I would have expected a more formal contact to discuss the concerns and issues. Regardless, [redacted] informed my staff that all present and future decisions regarding show participation would need to come through you. Per our conversation, we discussed my priority points for the upcoming shows in order to have a better location for future shows. If you would like I can forward you those email conversations following our phone call. I was unaware of any trial period and would have appreciated a face to face conversation stating your intentions. I did not mention nor allude to not attending any future shows.
I have reviewed the concerns you mentioned in the email and I would like to address them individually. In regards to the alcohol at the show last year, you and I addressed and resolved the situation and as promised we had no alcohol at the show or in the booth. Secondly, the issues with my staff and your female staff have grossly been misinterpreted and have you misinformed. I have a text message sent from [redacted] to my employee containing advances on her part and when the advances were not reciprocated she became distant and unapproachable. I am not the dating police and clearly have no control over two adult’s actions. I did inform my staff that no communication via text messages between your staff would be acceptable. Thirdly, the concerns and questioning of our companies ‘auctioning of products’ during the show to our customers is grossly untrue and frankly offensive. I want to make this very clear that over the last decade we have offered a raffle to our customers who make purchases. Our customers receive a raffle ticket with purchase and during the raffle there is no ‘staring bid’ on product. We have used this opportunity at [redacted] and Gen Con to offer our clients free games and promos and reduced prices on products similar to the coupon book. The use of the word ‘auction’ came directly from [redacted]’s mouth and her interpretation has her confused on the nature of a raffle. During raffle one of two on Saturday this year, we were informed by security that we could not stand on stools or chairs as previously done in prior shows. After the second and final raffle on Saturday, a woman approached one of my employees stating she was the Fire Marshall. She thanked my employee for compliance with fire codes and remaining off the stools and chairs during the raffle and stated “Keep up the good work and good luck with the rest of the show.” John I would like to strongly encourage you to visit our booth and observe for yourself the way we conduct the raffle and business operations.
Finally, the complaints regarding our discounting process of games and products. I appreciate the support on my behalf with offering discounts and feel that if it was problematic for the show that those concerns would not be relayed to customers but directly to me. I have complete understanding of the exclusivity policy and will continue to comply with those policies.
I would like to thank you for the acknowledgment of the unprofessional behavior from [redacted] and feel that the nature of her position will inevitably encounter difficult situations and people. For this reason, the frustration could have been eliminated had contacting you been easier and more convenient. I apologize that I was unable to find your contact information but did inquire about contacting you from [redacted] and other vendors. I am unable to leave my booth during the operating hours due to the volume and traffic of customers throughout the show.
In closing, I would like to inform you that in my email to [redacted], I mentioned seeking a Court Order to participate in the show in the event we are unable to maintain a professional working relationship. At no time have I mentioned a lawsuit or action outside of a court order to participate in the show in compliance with Ohio Laws and Rules of Statute 4112.02 and 4112.05- Filing a charge of unlawful discriminatory practice. At this time I have not sought legal representation regarding my participation and I will only do so if an agreement cannot be reached.
Thank you for your timely response.
[redacted]
From: [redacted]
Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2014 3:42 PM
To: [redacted]
Cc: [redacted]
Subject: RE: [redacted] Show
[redacted],
First, I apologize for not replying sooner, I too have been catching up after [redacted] and obviously the staff and I both take some vacation after the show.
I am aware that you sent an email to [redacted] with some concerns about [redacted] and some additional concerns that I had not responded to your note below. I did want to look into the issues you outlined below before I got back to you and I would think that 15 days is a pretty reasonable response time with vacations factored in.
Typically, I do not find myself talking with each of the exhibitors as we did this year before a show. By and large, the line exhibitors usually work with the sales staff and I spend my efforts working with our sponsors. As you know, this year was different since we had some transition with our sales person changing between the GAMA Trade Show and [redacted].
If you recall when we talked before the show, you told me that you were unsure that C&C would be returning and I responded that I was unsure we were going to let you return.
I understand that there was tension last year and if I remember, your preshow concerns were more about our lack of coordination, your concerns with [redacted] and your actual sales while mine are outlined below:
1) Some of your staff had alcohol at the show last year
2) Similarly, there was the incident where one of our female authors was insulted by some advances from a member of your team
3) There were my concerns about the auctioning of product which we discussed in detail. Ohio law requires an auctioneer if you want to auction product at the show.
4) Finally, there were complaints about your discounting process which I did say were completely fine within our show rules. I have not heard any complaints of your team violating the exclusivity policy and your business practices are yours to choose. I will always support you when anyone make this complaint.
My perspective was that we were going to see how this year went and then assess things after the show.
I did have the opportunity to investigate your concerns below regarding [redacted]’s unprofessional behavior and I wanted to address them. I did find that she used inappropriate language when talking with you and or your staff at the show. I want to apologize for her language and I would never condone the use of foul language. In her defense, I think that she was very frustrated by what she perceived as a lack of compliance from your team. Although I will not debate that here, it simply does not excuse her actions and I do apologize for her language.
I saw in your note below that you were unable to contact me during the show. I know I sent you some correspondence before the show and my email and cell number are both on my signature block. I am also able to get mail on my phone during the show or the show office always is able to locate me in the event of an emergency.
Unfortunately, in your correspondence with [redacted], you mentioned that you are prepared to seek a court order to allow your company to participate in [redacted] next year. I am not sure you understand how our organization operates, but there are many companies that I simply do not allow to exhibit at [redacted] each year. Roofing companies, job placement services and a variety of others that I reject.
[redacted] has the ability to accept or reject applications from exhibitors at our discretion and these decisions are mine as the Executive Director.
Having served for many years in Ohio’s legal system, I am not inclined to discuss the matter further since you mentioned civil action.
If you care to retract that position, I am happy to talk with you further to see how we should proceed.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
[redacted]
Executive Director
Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA)
[redacted]
From: [redacted]
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2014 6:27 PM
To: [redacted]
Subject: Fwd: [redacted] Show
Hi [redacted]
As a participant of the [redacted] show over the last 16 years (minus some in the middle), I have found the show has been a great success for my company. Despite our sales being down 35% this year, I still feel this show is a valuable asset to my consumers. From our arrival at set up to the final day of the show, I encountered multiple verbal altercations with staff at the direction of [redacted] Kaplan. In each of these encounters, myself or my employee [redacted] were informed of previous years violations at the show. As I informed the staff, I was unaware of the violations they referred to and the only mentioned violation from this year was our signs were to high. Per our conversation you stated that my signs were fine as long as I did not stack multiple games on top of the booth. It was also brought to my attention from multiple vendors and attendees that [redacted] referenced my booth as the "vendor that is always violating the rules." My only encounter with [redacted] outside of picking up my parking pass that was left for me by [redacted] from [redacted], occurred on Saturday afternoon when she came into my booth interrupted a line of customer's. [redacted] proceeded to verbally abuse me and when I tried to ask her to please stop yelling at me, she told me that if I wanted to file a complaint against her to make sure I was not calling her number. I received an auto reply response from what I assumed was you, reporting you were out of the office. As you can imagine the contact from [redacted] caught me off guard and I tried to call you from a number in my phone to which I left a voice mail thinking it was a message to you. The auto reply only had a number with no name or voice mail set up which shows unprofessional customer service. I apologize for not emailing you sooner, however I have been very busy catching up from the show and have received multiple emails and calls from vendors and consumers expressing their gratitude for our products and excellent customer service. I did attempt to get a hold of you at the show multiple times by asking [redacted](who refused to give me your contact information) and other vendors. [redacted] at [redacted] gave me a detailed description of you and I attempted to locate you physically.
I am unsure of the content of the conversation between [redacted] and my co-worker [redacted], to which she informed him that future participation in this show would need to result in submitting an application directly to you. This along with many other things that were brought to my attention by co-workers and vendors is a perfect example of the cowardly intention of [redacted] to not come directly to me and discuss these matters in person. I am not sure what she has against me, but from the overwhelming response from vendors, including an encouraging 'Have a great show" from [redacted]s who as we know was not in attendance; this was very hurtful and slanderous to me.
I would like to discuss this in greater detail at your earliest convenience on how to move past this and continue our positive business relationship. I wanted to share with you the email I received from Ms [redacted] earlier today. I am in the process of contacting multiple people who have left voice mails and or texts involving the Saturday interruption that [redacted] caused.
Thank you for your time and prompt response to this matter!
[redacted] Owner
[redacted]
[redacted]
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: [redacted]
Date: Tue, Jun 17, 2014 at 10:35 AM
Subject: [redacted] Show
To: [redacted]-
Just wanted to touch base with you following the show in Columbus. First, I just wanted to thank you for the product and your continued dedication to the satisfaction of your customers. You and your staff go above and beyond in customer service to ensure that we are equipped with the latest games and promos. As expected [redacted] and [redacted] provided myself the customer an experience worth the time, money and energy spent to attend the show. We love the promos, add-ons and raffles you provided this year as you do in years past. Your energy and passion for the industry are unmatched and it is for this reason that I wanted to contact you to inform you I will be sending an email to [redacted] with [redacted] expressing my concerns regarding the confrontation I witnessed by his staff [redacted] I will be letting him know that the lack of professionalism by his staff has left a bad taste for the reputation of [redacted] as well as other vendors and attendees who expressed their concerns and frustrations as well. I hope this email finds you well and I am confident that [redacted] will respond to my concerns and I look forward to seeing you at [redacted] and hopefully you can save me a copy of [redacted].
[redacted]