The event industry is seeing some of its biggest disruptions in history and each day we learn about some of the world's largest gatherings being postponed or canceled. From SXSW to Coachella to entire sports seasons across the globe—event organizers and vendors are working tirelessly to regroup and pivot plans as seamlessly as possible.
While COVID-19 is certainly affecting daily lives, entire industries, and the economy as a whole, we at cred are very optimistic this will pass, and are looking forward to strong and busy summer and fall event seasons. We’ve pulled together a quick list of how event organizers can handle multiple event postponements across industries and how to best navigate these uncertain times.
1. Remember communication is key.
Communication with your speakers, sponsors, and attendees is key throughout any event process, but has become particularly important as things are changing by the hour.
Do your inbox a favor and try to be as proactive as possible so you can get ahead of incoming questions from attendees, vendors, and speakers. Timeliness is crucial. As soon as you have an update, share it so everyone knows you’re on top of the situation rather than scrambling to find a response. To stay ahead of an influx of emails and calls, share communications outlining your onsite processes via email and on social, and add an FAQ to your event website.
If proceeding with an event, let attendees know their health and safety is the top priority and share the plans for onsite precautions. Whether it’s hand sanitizer stations, body temperature screening, or new guidelines for attendees to follow (i.e. no handshaking), getting this message across will help put their minds at ease and maximize safety.
If canceling or postponing your event, it’s crucial to let attendees know as soon as possible so they can adjust their travel plans if necessary. Share a new date or plan of action for how they can still get access to content such as moving the event to a virtual platform (more on that below!). One of the most important things to address in this cancellation announcement is your refund policy. Be clear about what will happen to attendees’ tickets—if they’ll be applied toward the rescheduled event or refunded in full—and give them the resources to update their accommodations such as a hotel contact information.
2. Consider your contingency plans.
Here are some actions you can take to ensure attendees are still getting access to the content you’ve worked so hard to bring to life!
Event Postponement: Reschedule your event to later in 2020 and allow registered attendees to keep their tickets. Keep in mind fall is already a typically busy season for events and many other current events are seeking to rebook, so be sure to act quickly to secure your venue and vendors as soon as possible. Keep in mind, seasonality and demand could affect new pricing for your event. A summer or winter reschedule could have budget advantages.
Virtual Events: Convert your event online by hosting a virtual conference or digital summit. This allows speakers the opportunity to still share their presentations and attendees to join remotely all maintaining social distancing.
Smaller Events: Now that larger events and gatherings of a certain size are being limited, it may be beneficial to consider hosting a series of smaller events to reach targeted audiences and continue the brand of your event.
3. Review your contracts.
Generally, most contracts contain a force majeure clause excusing performance if certain “Acts of God” occur. If your contract has already been executed, work with your vendor to understand what is considered an “Act of God” and whether such events are covered. Also be aware of deadlines and changing regulations. Be sure to understand your location’s current climate and work with legal experts to make sure you stay protected during this time of uncertainty.
If your contract has not yet been signed, consult with your legal team for the best way to approach during this time.
With updates coming at us from all directions every hour, we know it can be overwhelming. As we continue to update a list of conferences impacted by COVID-19, both our speaker management and event management teams are staying in close touch with events and monitoring the situation closely.
While COVID-19 is certainly impacting events in the next few months, we are striving to ensure the upcoming summer and fall event seasons will be met with great success!
How can you stay up to date with everything surrounding COVID-19? The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are the most accurate and up to date resources we have at our disposal.
This post was written by members of cred’s event management team—Rene Camacho, Charlotte Heckard, Lauren Ronse, and Erin Shields.
