Flat Earth Conference Held at Hotel Whose Lobby Features Giant Globe

The 9th Annual International Conference on Planar Earth Theory was held this weekend at the Marriott Grand Meridian, whose lobby prominently features a six-foot rotating globe, a detail organizers say they were 'fully aware of' and chose to 'lean into.' 'The globe in the lobby is actually a teaching moment,' said conference organizer Bradley Level. 'We walk past it every day and we say: look how normalized this lie is. They put it in a Marriott. In the lobby. Where everyone can see it. That's not science. That's propaganda at check-in.' The conference, attended by approximately 400 participants from twelve countries -- a geographical distribution that several attendees acknowledged 'makes more sense on a globe but can be explained' -- featured three days of presentations, panel discussions, and a vendor hall selling flat-earth merchandise. Keyword speaker Dr. Roland Horizon presented a paper titled 'Why All Photographs of Earth Are Fake,' illustrated with photographs. 'I'm aware of the irony,' Dr. Horizon said when asked about his use of the medium he had just spent forty minutes discrediting. 'But you have to use the tools of the system to dismantle the system. Even if the tools are lies.' The hotel's concierge, who asked not to be named, said several guests had asked whether the lobby globe could be 'covered or turned off' during the event. The hotel declined, noting the globe was 'a permanent fixture and honestly quite expensive.' One attendee was observed taking a selfie in front of the globe with the caption 'Know thy enemy.' The conference will return next year to the same venue, which offered a group rate. 'Follow the money,' Level said, before clarifying he meant this literally: 'They gave us a really good deal.'