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MVA on vacation in Russia?
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Posted on Mar 16 2012
When it was reported that MVA was making a trip to Russia to promote tourism in the CNMI the red flags went up. If history repeats itself, this is likely to be another failed taxpayer-paid vacation for local fearless leaders.
Here’s my suggestion. Make sure someone takes a video of the MVA group actually working and showing up at their CNMI promo booth every day. When I went to the big tourism fair in Shanghai, the CNMI booth was empty both days we were there. Another free trip paid for by taxpayers and nobody worked.
With prior attendance of 79,930 at this Moscow tourism event in 2011, the MVA staff will have to be doing a lot of talking all day long every day, and meetings all night long promoting the CNMI. Boy, we better see some confirmation that any of you even left your hotel rooms and showed up!
MVA says they are organizing “invitation only” presentations to selected groups to promote the CNMI. Hahaha, this “invitation only” approach sounds like a pile of crapola and is only a shrewd way of covering themselves for not having to work the floor every day and talk to hundreds of people at this event. You see if you organize “invitation only” presentations, then all you do is sit in your aircon room and wait for people to show up, dim the lights and hit the PowerPoint and DVD. If nobody shows up, well, “not our fault.” But if you’re there on the convention floor in the booth 10 to 12 hours every day and workin’ it, baby, you’ll get leads, make contacts, and you’ll come back with data that has some value.
I fear the MVA group again is going to fail and not maximize their best efforts for the CNMI, but will instead enjoy the vodka and a good hotel bed.
Chris West
Santa Monica, Calif.
