The object of this event was to get players to play together. You know.. community spirit, something that's sadly lacking it seems which is a shame.
I too have lost gold and yes, I was disappointed for..let me think..oh yes, around 5-10 mins. Swings and roundabouts, that's all it is.
I know that there are guilds that have entered into the spirit of the event and are running and crafting stuff, pure teamwork. It's not for creating gold either, it's because they are enjoying achieving something together.
There are aspects I don't like about this event but they are minor so I choose to ignore them.