Today, some friends and I went to the big Florida Home Show at the Tampa Convention Center in downtown Tampa, FL. The place was packed with people--it's quite a popular Labor Day weekend activity.
As we were working our way through the crowds up the first aisle, I heard a lady in front of me say to her husband "Do you BELIEVE they would let that CULT in here?" I looked in the direction she was pointing and there, in between the hardwood floors vendor and an antique furniture auction, was the ever familiar "STRESS TEST" sign.
I backed up and saw the hokey Dianetics posters and 2 tables with the E Meters set up. The real FREAK show part of this was that the 2 ladies working the EMeters in the booth were wearing white NURSE UNIFORMS!
I quickly checked the Show brochure listing all the exhibitors and looked for the DIANETICS listing. Not there. I asked the exhibitor in the booth next to them what his booth number was in order to ascertain that the cult booth was BOOTH #219. There under the catagory: BOOKS/GAMES/TOYS, booth 219 listed this name: "XXXXXXX".
Never having heard of this front group before, I asked the same exhibitor where the booth for XXXXXXXX was and before he could answer, a young guy with a DIANETICS sign hanging from his neck who obviously was eavesdropping pointed to the cultists' booth and said "there". I said: "Since when did you guys start hiding behind the name XXXXXXXX?" He said they weren't hiding.
The vendor I had been talking to said: "They're running off all my business.
They're so aggressive and creepy they're literally chasing people down the aisles. It's hurting my business because the people are rushing past my booth to get away from them!"
I asked him why he hadn't complained to the convention organizers. He said that he and several other exhibitors had complained----and the management had come down and asked them to stop chasing people down the aisles, but as soon as the management person had walked away , they went back to their usual tricks.
This obvious lapse in judgement is partially the fault of the Florida Home Show organizer for not screening his exhibitors, but mostly the fact that Scientology has once again hidden behind a name that cloaked their cult identity.
I would like to ask your help in making those in charge aware of this so it doesn't happen again.
Please contact the FL HOME SHOW organizer, John Turner of TURNER EXPOSITIONS, Tel: 813-677-6925 or Email: turnerexpo@aol.com. Their website is:
www.floridalargesthomeshow.com
Or contact the Manager of the Tampa Convention Center, John Moors at 813-274-5624. The convention center is owned by the city of Tampa.
Let these people know that now that Scientology has announced its intention to EXPAND into Tampa, that they should educate themselves in order to avoid allowing a CULT to do its recruiting at a family-oriented Home Show.
thank you.