Making as grand of an entrance that one can make, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani seemed to appear out of thin air at the Bakersfield Business Conference.

“I figured that someone charted a jet stream and flew him in,” said F.C. Waldron, a retiree at the conference.

“It was a heck of a surprise no doubt about that,” said Chris Brown, a supply manager.

Giuliani was able to give his speech at the conference in person after it was publicly announced that he would be appearing via satellite.

But he evidently had plans elsewhere in California, that weekend.

After appearing at the conference, he later appeared at three Bill Simon fund-raisers in San Jose, San Diego and Fresno that weekend, according to the Los Angeles Times.

He also appeared in San Francisco and Pasadena to promote his book, “Leadership,” the Times reported.

“When he showed, everyone was thrilled and happy about it, including me,” said Edith Scott, a homemaker.

Toward the end of the day, some who attended made their way to the exits. Tickets for the event cost up to $350 per person.

“A lot of (people) just took off. I saw them walking out,” said Brown.

When it was announced that Giuliani would actually speak in person following singer Lee Greenwood’s presentation, numerous people could be seen running back across the conference grounds at California State University, Bakersfield.

“We were sitting out here and once he came up on the screen a bunch of people were running outside,” said David Chance, a construction worker.

Some, like Katherine Race, lucked out. Arriving in town Saturday for the conference, Race believed Giuliani was going to be there regardless.

“I didn’t hear all that other hype,” she said. “I didn’t know all that other stuff was going on.”

Debbie Mann suspected something was up.

“I had a feeling he was coming since they moved his time,” said Mann, a clerical worker at CSUB, “I was betting that he would be here.”

While some considered themselves lucky to catch the last-minute appearance, others believed it was all part of the show and Giuliani’s late arrival was staged as a way to end the day.

“They were kind of playing if off like he wasn’t going to be here. I thought it was a neat way to do it. It kind of brought a close to the end. It made me a lot more interested. It ended on a high note,” said Chance.

“It was the whole surprise that counts to keep people here and keep them coming back next year,” said Brown. “As soon as he showed up, we weren’t going anywhere.”

Those who stuck around said those that left early only had themselves to blame.

“They shouldn’t have left. If they were willing to invest the price of (this event), then they shouldn’t have left. You shouldn’t miss anything at this price,” said Maxine Palacios.