Rome was not built for our soup committee

The Rome group assembled at 09:00 to discuss its 09:15 departure. Gary wanted to confirm lunch. Linda wanted to know whether lunch meant a restaurant or ‘one of those little places.’ Ron asked whether soup could be unlimited in a country with such limited parking.

The guide pointed out that a remarkable amount of history was waiting outside. The group asked whether it would still be there after lunch. Regrettably, he had to concede that it probably would.

Form the working group

By 09:30, a soup committee had formed. Its first action was to appoint a breadstick liaison. The liaison requested a written definition of ‘refill’ that could survive translation.

At 10:10, the guide suggested a short walk while the food arrangements were confirmed. This was rejected because people might become hungry away from the meeting. A subcommittee began reviewing snacks.

Someone noticed an ancient ruin through the window. Ron asked whether it was the reason the bus had been late. The guide decided to save his explanation of the empire until everyone had eaten.

Protect the itinerary

At noon, lunch was served. Several guests said they would have preferred to eat later. Gary proposed that tomorrow's departure meeting begin earlier so the group would have more time to discuss this.

The afternoon tour was compressed to preserve the scheduled recovery period. The Colosseum received seven minutes. The soup received a written evaluation with separate fields for temperature, familiarity and whether there had been enough.

Record the outcome

On the final evening, guests complained that Rome felt rushed. Management agreed and removed a museum from the next itinerary to create a second lunch-planning session.

The guide resigned. His replacement's previous experience is coordinating committee dinners in suburban conference hotels. Bookings have improved.

Our brochure now promises ‘a pace that suits you.’ The bus remains parked. Gary is circulating an agenda.