Invited in, then shown the door

Imagine being invited to an event. You accept, set aside the time, and arrive at the correct time. You’re welcomed in, find a seat, and things get underway. Then someone asks you to leave. You explain that you were invited. They apologise, let you back in, and you sit down again. A few minutes later, you’re forceably removed. At that point it’s clear it’s not a misunderstanding. Someone has decided you shouldn’t be there, despite the invitation. It would feel awkward — and rather unprofessional. This actually happened Last week, this actually happened to me. A colleague and I were both contacted by a competitor and invited to a webinar they were running. We were completely open about who we worked for and there was no suggestion that this was an issue. In fact, they actively encouraged me to attend, suggesting there could be potential partnership opportunities. We both signed up and, when the time came, we joined the event. As the speaker started the presentation, we were both removed…