Controversial promoter Bonnie Marshall, already in trouble with the law in her native US, is also believed to have left at least one Government Minister seething at this year's World Conference of Mayors convention.

And The Royal Gazette has also learned that, despite her claim that the conference marked "an historical day in Bermuda'', just a few weeks ago Ms Marshall was urging World Conference of Mayors leaders to scrap the troubled convention completely.

On Monday, acting Tourism Minister Terry Lister, invited to speak at a tourism workshop being organised by Ms Marshall, was left waiting for several hours while dignitaries enjoyed an extended lunch.

The Minister's wait was only cut short when he was finally told that the planned workshop had been scrapped. Mr. Lister was said to be furious about the stand-up.

Organisers rescheduled the workshop for a 90-minute slot starting at 1.30 p.m.

yesterday. This time newly appointed Minister of Tourism David Allen, who had just flown in from a fact-finding mission in London, was present and arrived well before the workshop was due to start.

But he said that, with a heavy timetable, he would only have time to make some welcoming remarks before dashing off to another appointment and had nothing to do with the workshop.

Lister left `fuming' after conference stand-up But the Minister, along with about 30 delegates, then had to wait until 2 p.m.

before Ms Marshall finally arrived and the seminar could begin -- 30 minutes late.

After being introduced, Mr. Allen spent ten minutes giving a highly informative, colourful and entertaining account of the Island's tourism industry, both past and present.

But if he was hoping for a quick exit the Minister found none. He then spent a further 30 minutes taking questions from the floor, before finally leaving the conference at about 2.30 p.m. -- more than one hour behind schedule.

The workshop, scheduled to last 90 minutes, then wrapped up, having taken less than 45 minutes.

Despite repeated attempts last night, Ms Marshall could not be contacted to comment on the mix up or on allegations that, up until recently, she was calling for the conference to be scrapped.

A conference insider claims that Ms Marshall wrote to World Conference of Mayors director general Johnny Ford asking him to cancel the convention.

The insider was unable to say why Ms Marshall wanted to scrap the event.

When first appointed to organise the conference, Ms Marshall promised that the event would attract a host of international celebrities along with some 3,000 delegates from all over the world.

She also said that, as well as the various business, trade and cultural seminars and workshops, delegates would be kept entertained with fashion shows, concerts, a golf tournament and talent show.

But fewer than 100 of the promised 3,000 delegates have actually arrived on the Island.

And, apart from a day trip to St. George's, the itinerary offers no other entertainments or celebrity appearances to the handful of conference participants.

COURTS CTS