An invitation to a trade conference and exhibition in Jeju next week came three weeks ago, and since lead time was so short, I quickly said yes.
It was only early last week that I got a copy of the programme. Turns out, the event comprised just a day's conference and business meetings, and another day of tour around Jeju to see a couple of hotels and event venues.
However, for some strange reason, the organisers arranged for me to fly home the afternoon after the conference/exhibition day, which leaves me hardly enough time to see the destination's hardware.
I wouldn't have minded, but I realised yesterday that the flight from Singapore to Jeju would take almost 12 hours because of the lack of direct flights! I'd have to fly to Seoul's Incheon airport, transfer to Gimpo airport, and from there, take a domestic flight to Jeju. Horrible.
And all that painful travelling for only one day of activity.
It is terrible planning and a true waste of resources. Since the organisers are flying me in, they should make full use of me by showing me around and opening avenues for more press coverage.
I tried to maximise my time in Jeju by requesting for an interview with the tourism board in the late afternoon on the day I arrive. That request was turned down, so I can only conduct the interview the next day, which means I have lesser time to attend the conference and interview people at the exhibition.
Bah. So much for trying to help people who don't want to help themselves.
Ah well, the up-side to this is that I will be home on Friday night, allowing me to enjoy the full weekend with the darling husband.
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