Based on the snarled traffic, it seemed as if every office in every business park from Cranberry to Irwin had emptied out, their denizens converging on Downtown yesterday morning to see former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, financial guru Suze Orman and "America's No. 1 Motivator," Zig Ziglar.

	Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette Dave McClelland of Pleasant Hills gets fired up during the "Get Motivated Seminar" at Mellon Arena yesterday. Attendees were dancing to the Beach Boys song "Surfin' USA." Click photo for larger image.

Motivation, in fact, was just one of many buzzwords, slogans and catch phrases whizzing around cavernous Mellon Arena, where the Get Motivated! Business Seminar, an event sponsored by Ziglar and Tampa, Fla.-based entrepreneur Peter Lowe, drew an estimated 15,000 people.

"I'm in the life-changing business!" exhorted Ziglar in his smooth-as-bourbon Southern accent, as the crowd roared back its approval. Among his other pieces of wisdom: "Leadership develops daily, but not in one day."

Giuliani, potential presidential candidate and a 9/11 hero, might be the household name, but Ziglar is widely considered the Mick Jagger of inspirational speakers, huge with the sales and small-business crowd that thrives on his message of self-reliance, wellness and salesmanship doused with religious fervor.

Yesterday was no exception: Many in the audience could be fairly described as charter members of the "strivers" culture -- hard-working, independent-minded and ambitious. It also was a group almost uniformly decked out for the day in business casual -- the men in Dockers khakis and golf shirts with cell-phone holsters hanging off their belts; the women in blazers, comfortable slacks and sensible walking shoes.

"He's a classic," said Valerie J. Robey, 52, of Cranberry, an independent beauty consultant with Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Robey noted that many people in sales are on their own every day and occasionally need a pat on the back or a morale boost. While she gets plenty of support from her colleagues at Mary Kay, others probably need a Ziglar in their lives every now and then.

But many unsuspecting commuters stuck in traffic yesterday morning probably wished they didn't have Ziglar in their lives.

The addition of so many extra people to the morning rush hour added 30 minutes or more to bus riders' and car drivers' commutes on the Parkway West and Parkway East.

"Virtually every bus headed Downtown was affected," Port Authority spokesman Bob Grove said. "Some routes were 45 or more minutes late because of the arena event."

Pittsburgh police dispatched 11 extra officers and police were posted at key intersections to help control traffic.

"Traffic backed up just waiting to get in many of the lots," said Tammy Ewin, police spokeswoman. "It was an issue of sheer volume, with the contributing factor of an influx of more than 10,000 people who are normally not a part of the morning commute."

Cars honked and tempers flared as parking lots and garages rushed to put out "Full" signs in front of entrances. Cars turned away from the 2,300 parking spaces at the arena that filled before 8:30 a.m. circled Downtown streets hunting for either two-hour parking meters or valet parking at hotels.

"Maybe what the traffic is telling us is that we need more programs like this," mused Robey.

The high turnout also may have been because many companies gave their employees the day off to attend the seminar. For $49 paid in advance, they could purchase as many tickets as they needed. Those walking in the door, however, paid a whole lot more -- $225.

While Lowe and Ziglar have their passionate followers, they're not taken all that seriously by management experts, said Robert E. Kelley, adjunct professor of organizational behavior at Carnegie Mellon University's business school.

"If it motivates you to get on the phone and make some more calls, maybe it's worth it to some people. But I've not seen any data showing a real rise in productivity," said Kelley.

"You can look at these seminars as a form of entertainment. People go to these and come away feeling good, and if they don't mind paying the money, there's no harm in it."

Giuliani, spiffy in a charcoal suit, light blue tie and gold cuff links, was introduced amid confetti and streamers and Frank Sinatra's rendition of "New York, New York," and proceeded to deliver an engaging speech that started with a question: Are leaders born or made?

The answer, he said quickly, is made.

"Everything is about what you learn, study and emphasize," he said.The best advice his father ever gave him, Giuliani added, was that when faced with a choice of going to a wedding or a funeral, "go to the funeral because that's when your friends need you most."

It was a message that seemed to resonate, even with those who had sat in traffic for several hours earlier that day.

Well, not quite everyone.

Jay Hamilton, morning parking manager for the Ramada Plaza Suites & Conference Center parking garage on Washington Place, said he had to usher regular parking customers through the garage's exit because a line of cars extended out of its entrance as early as 6:15 a.m.

"We were turning people away at 6:30 in the morning," said Hamilton. "The only thing they're motivating people to do over at the arena is kill someone."

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Correction/Clarification: (Published Aug. 26, 2005) Jay Hamilton is a morning parking manager for the Ramada Plaza Suites & Conference Center. An Aug. 24, 2005 story about traffic problems Downtown incorrectly identified him as an employee of another hotel.