Glenlivet Nights of Passage

Several of the major whisky brands have been sponsoring tasting events in an attempt to introduce whisky to new consumers and increase brand awareness among regular drinkers. Glenlivet’s «Nights of Passage» event in Boston was a very poorly executed variant on this theme.
My biggest complaint is that, in spite of requiring a reservation and requesting that participants arrive by 9:00pm, Glenlivet overbooked the event and locked the doors around 8:45pm, leaving dozens of registered guests shivering on the sidewalk (some of whom were part of groups that were split apart when the doors closed). The rude and aggressive attitude of the company hired to run security for the event didn’t help the situation any.
Once inside, the event was aesthetically pleasing, but lacking in much subsistence; there were a few vendors and some snack food floating about, but it was hard to appreciate because it was so crowded.
When it was time for the presentation we had to queue up to be seated, and again it seems Glenlivet overbooked, as we were left standing in the back without a chair or a clear view of the presentation.
It was very difficult to hear the presenter (poor quality AV system, it would seem), so after about 5 minutes most people began talking among themselves, drowning out what little you could hear in the first place. We made the best of it with the three small drams we were given, but it was hard to tell what we were drinking or why.
Afterward the presenter seemed too busy flirting with a small group of guests to answer any serious questions, and no one else working the event seemed able to answer even the most basic of questions.
I was really looking forward to an opportunity to taste, or at least discuss some of Glenlivet’s less common expressions, especially the new Nadurra, but the three people I asked had no idea what I was talking about.
It was implied by the presenter that there would be more to the event afterward, but we were quickly pushed out of the venue by the aggressive security staff. We were met on the sidewalk outside by a rather angry crowd of registered participants who were apparently told there would be an opportunity to get in later in the evening, and had been waiting patiently for over an hour. They were sent home empty handed. I reassured them that they didn’t miss much.