Three rounds of in-person interviews involving six people total. The first round consisted of two interviewers asking standard questions about event management and general problem-solving. The conversation lasted roughly an hour. Throughout the interviewers repeatedly mentioned they still had other candidates to see before making a decision. That claim didn't hold up — conversations with people connected to the organization confirmed there were no other candidates for this role. They wrapped up and said they'd be in touch then reached out the next day to schedule round two. That turnaround speed was its own confirmation. The second round brought back the same two interviewers, now joined by the hiring manager. Much of the conversation covered familiar ground from round one, with a few personality-oriented questions added in. A colleague joined midway through and asked interesting questions — the kind of person you immediately recognize as someone worth working alongside. Two direct reports were also brought in briefly and both made a strong impression. What lingered after that second round though was a harder question: why hadn't they simply promoted from within? One of the direct reports had been doing this work in a supporting role for ten years. The other twenty-five years. The fact that neither had been elevated after that kind of tenure says something — and it lines up closely with the patterns described across multiple Glassdoor reviews. The interviewers again closed by citing other candidates still in process. A second check with well-placed sources confirmed again that no other candidates existed. The process ended with a phone call extending a verbal offer. No formal offer letter accompanied it — just a salary figure. Despite that, the excitement was genuine. A follow-up email covered the standard questions any candidate would reasonably ask: health insurance, 401k, cell phone reimbursement, and other logistics typically outlined in a written offer. They asked for a decision by close of business Monday, and got one. Monday morning, I replied expressing enthusiasm to work with the team and readiness to move forward — background check, references, drug test, whatever came next. The only additional ask was a modest $5,000 salary adjustment, something the Glassdoor reviews made feel less like a negotiation and more like a necessity given the organization's well-documented pattern of underpaying its staff. An hour later a template email arrived. No explanation. No conversation. Just a notification that they were "moving in a different direction" and a generic wish of good luck. Follow-up emails to both HR and the hiring manager were met with complete silence. And the position was reposted — confirming for the third time that there were never any other candidates.