May 2001

The following letters are in regards to the choice of former Vice President Al Gore as keynote speaker at Communications Solutions Expo Spring 2001:

To the editor:

I am taking the time to express my sincere displeasure with your choice of keynote speaker for the Communications Solutions Expo. I understand that Al Gore takes credit for inventing the Internet, but really! I gave your company more credit than to select him as a speaker.

He is just a politician with nothing technical nor credible to contribute to an event at the level of your Expo. It hurts your credibility to have him representing your fine organization. Even the faxed special announcement of his qualifications was quite a stretch to come up with anything substantial. Give me a break -- can't you do better than that?

Melinda Stone

Dear Sir,

I received a fax from your publication announcing that Al Gore will be speaking at Communications Solutions Expo. Thanks for the warning. This man is far from honorable. You claim he was instrumental in gaining passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Possibly, but Al Gore would help pass anything for the right price.

I believe you have made a poor choice for guest speaker, and my guess is that many will not attend the Expo because of it. I know that I won't be there.

Wayne LeBrun

Rich Tehrani responds:

The decision to have Al Gore as a speaker at Communications Solutions Expo has been extremely controversial. We have received many comments from both supporters and detractors.

Regardless of what your opinion is of Mr. Gore, you must acknowledge that he is one of the most famous people in the world. As you can imagine, trade show promoters look to find keynote speakers who draw attendees and that is exactly what Mr. Gore has done for this event.

We've received many comments about Mr. Gore "inventing the Internet." I'd love to respond but what's the point? We're hiring a keynoter here, not supporting a political candidate. As far as I know Mr. Gore isn't even running for office and even if he was planning to, I am not on his IM or MSN Messenger buddy list so I wouldn't know.

I am responsible for picking Mr. Gore as a keynoter. Perhaps this is selfish of me. I will be proud to tell my kids that I was in the same room as a former Vice President of this great country of ours. I am not sure if I will ever have this opportunity again and you may not either.

Do I agree with everything Mr. Gore has said or done? No. Does this statement hold true for any keynote speaker we could choose? Yes. So in the end, Mr. Gore was a great choice for TMC.

To set the record straight, Mr. Gores' selection is not politically motivated. I am a registered Republican but our company is filled with people from all political parties. Do any of us mix our political views with business? No. We at TMC are always looking for the edge against our competition. Isn't everyone? There are many shows to choose from and we do everything we can to make sure that TMC shows are as unique as they can be so people will attend and be happy about their decision to come.

Did we offend some people? Yes. Is it possible to make everyone happy? No.

In the end, the people who understand that our trade shows are about technology and helping you choose the best communications solutions for your organization will attend this trade show and realize that TMC has done everything in their power to provide them with a unique experience available nowhere else.

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