ɐdˈɪʃənəli, nᵻɡˌoʊʃɪˈeɪʃənz wɪððə dˈeɪvɪd ˈɛl. lˈɔːɹəns kənvˈɛnʃən sˈɛntɚ, wˌɪtʃ hɐdbɪn ðə fˈɛstɪvəlz vˈɛnjuː fɔːɹ mˈɛni jˈɪɹz, tˈɜːnd dˈɪfɪkəlt wɛn sˈɛntɚ mˈænɪdʒɚz bɪɡˈæn pˈʊʃɪŋ fˈɛstɪvəl plˈænɚz tuː "ɛkspˈænd ðɪ ᵻvˈɛnt ˌɪntʊ ɐn ˈɛθnɪk fˈuːd fˈɛɹ," wˌɪtʃ ᵻvˈɛnt plˈænɚz fˈɪɹd wʊd ɹˈuːɪn ðə fˈɛstɪvəlz fˈuːd ɹˌɛpjuːtˈeɪʃən wɪð ɪŋkɹˈiːst pɑːɹtˈɪsɪpˈeɪʃən ʌv ɪnɔːθˈɛntɪk, kˈɑːɹnɪvəlstˈaɪl pˈiːtsə ænd ɪtˈæliən sˈɔːsɪdʒ stˈændz.
Additionally, negotiations with the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, which had been the festival's venue for many years, turned difficult when center managers began pushing festival planners to "expand the event into an ethnic food fair," which event planners feared would ruin the festival's food reputation with increased participation of inauthentic, carnival-style pizza and Italian sausage stands.