The Daily Record (Baltimore, MD) May 9, 2010
By Liz Farmer
Daily Record Business Writer

The drumbeat of dire warnings began a month earlier.

"Traffic will be a major issue. ... Please begin preparation now!" cried the weekly e-mails to city office workers from the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, forecasting a doomsday-like scenario for May 4.

The lines for the Get Motivated! seminar began forming that day at 7 a.m. - an hour before show time - outside the 1st Mariner Arena. A diverse crowd of men and women of all ages dressed in everything from suits to jeans and T-shirts, they were all waiting for a day-long dose of inspiration.

Police did their best to keep traffic moving. Many seminar attendees parked at M&T Bank Stadium and took a shuttle to the arena. But by 7:45 a.m. the streets were clogged.

While the sounds of traffic cops' whistles and honking horns outside the arena conveyed mounting frustration, there was a concert-like feel inside - long lines at the concessions and bathrooms and an excited hum in the crowd.