How did the viral Willy Wonka experience go so wrong?

These people weren't scammed, they were defrauded. They were promised one thing and delivered another. The event organisers simply lied so as to inflate the price they could charge for a thing that was worth dramatically less (arguably nothing). The extent of that gap constitutes a form of theft, and the organisers should be charged accordingly.

The people who bought tickets weren't gullible or stupid, any more than you would be buying a ticket to a festival with your favourite bands only to rock up and find there are no bands. #fyrefestival

> While Generative AI can give everyone the confidence and the joy to create wonderful images, there is a big lesson in this story for all marketing teams: these tools must be used responsibly," she said

This is the most disgusting thing I've read all week.

No yes.

This happened to be an egregiously-bad example of these cheap, padded-out, pop-up shows that are everywhere.

Anything that isn't run by a major museum or gallery is highly suspect in my book. I recall a Tutankhamun show that I think had National Geographic's name slapped on it, somewhere in London Docklands, that was fairly lame, but nothing compared to the lameness of a Tutankhamun show going on in Hamburg right now which is mostly words printed on posters, with the main event being a large empty room with projections on all the walls. Barely amusing and mainly a good chance for a sit-down.

Similarly, there's a fake-o Body Worlds show going on, a bullshit Terracotta Army show on, and there's clearly money to be made.

The one experience I can remember that blew everything out of the water was the Millennium Dome in London, circa 2000, simply amazing and mind-blowing. I went twice. Truly amazing experiences like these cost a fortune and take a age, and require top-tier talent to put on. Just like a West End theatre production.