The ongoing dilemma of false promises from another bad promoter. This time the location was “The Martin County seafood nautical flea market festival”. Larry Burdgick Promoter misleads numerous vendors from the start.

Claimed he had numerous years experience of festival promotions. Lured vendors in with a very nice touch of offering them a prime spot and exclusivity to the 3 day event. To find out that the festival was over booked with fellow vendors (277) to be exact. Expected crowds of 10-20k visitors daily. Numerous duplications of multiple vendors, Ice Cream,snow ice,fried dough,funnel cakes to name a few. vendors packed together and not utilizing the fair grounds space was a dead ringer of promotional inexperience. The promoter obviously over sold the event.

When vendors complained he told them to leave. He got in peoples faces and verbally lashed them. One vendor stated there were 5 different people selling hot dogs with in feet of each other. One vendor came from a twenty hour round trip commute to find his spot was given to another vendor who sells the same exact product as him. A very experienced vendor was so disgusted packed up and exited on Sunday before opening. Many vendors were displaced to be re situated regardless of having there booth location number. Utter dismay one vendor claimed. There has to be something done to inform other vendors of the bad promoters out there. This was to be seafood family festival. Over booking seafood vendors who bought fresh product based on exclusivity, phony presold tickets and expectations of the number of vendors selected to be a part of the festival.

The general public was so angry they were being charged $7 to enter a flea market. One paying customer was saddened to learn that many people were coming in and not being charge a fee through the back vendor entranced. Majority of the time it was not being guarded by staff. Here is the best part. There was a Budweiser beer truck. Which is fine? on Friday is was beer only. But the promoter decided to become a vendor as well and set up a full bar in front of the beer stand. There is further investigating to see if full liquor licensed was obtained for this event. If not a full criminal investigation could be initiated. By the Florida Alcohol and tobacco. Vendors information association will continue to inform and strive nationally to update our fellow vendors of the bad promoters out there who have mislead others of obtaining there lively hood in the vendor industry.

I ask that you share other experiences with us. Post your experience. Please let others know of your experiences either good or bad. Thank you.

*Please forward this to other vendors you know and ask them to share there story with us so we could inform and protect our future. Vendors really do care and protect one another best interest.

Thank you for your time