How to Postpone Your Event
The events industry has been significantly impacted now that we are living in a Post COVID world and (as I am writing this) it is still uncertain as to when we will resume with large in-person events. To protect the safety of attendees and city populations, several events were cancelled and postponed. As an industry, we are very appreciative to the companies, organizations and individuals that are able to postpone rather cancel their events. With that being said, postponing an event can be (or should be) almost as detailed as planning an event. As we venture into these uncharted waters, here are a couple tips to help you in postponing your event.
Be sure to have a process in place.
Accurate and effective documentation and record keeping is key to a successful postponement. You are placing all of the planning you’ve done on hold to resume planning at a later (and potentially undetermined) date. When it is time for you to resume planning you will need to rely on these records to resume planning.
Your process should:
Determine where you will be holding all of the information relating to the event. Use a system that works best for your team; project management software, Google Docs, Excel spreadsheet, etc.
Ensure all team members and contractors are documenting where they left off in the planning phase. Be sure to plan ahead and prepare should your team have different or less members. These records should have; contact information for all external points of contact, last correspondence with vendors, correspondence with the venue and event shareholders and links to any relevant email chains.
Analyze and document the financial status of the event. List what money have you spent so far, status of deposits, if deposits or payments are transferable to a later date and cancellation policies of your vendors.
Remove emotion from your decision regarding the event.
I know it's hard as we put our all into the events we plan. Take the time to mourn the event and then consciously approach this adjustment with facts rather than wishful thinking.
Take a poll of your attendees and determine:
Dates in which attendees would be comfortable to attend in-person.
What attendees need to feel comfortable to attend your event.
Aspects of the event that are most important to attendees.
It will not help you or your stakeholders to utilize statistics or feedback from an event pre COVID.
Keep in mind the variables that will affect attendees comfort level and make decisions based on the facts:
Being in crowds will make several attendees uncomfortable.
Travel, in general, will be a challenge.
Companies have implemented new policies in traveling.
Companies have adjusted budget allowances.
Make the appropriate changes to your event.
Based on your research don’t be afraid to adjust your event. The reality is, it WILL look different now post COVID. And that's ok! Changes that you may need to make are:
Reduction in scope
Preparation for less attendees
Make it a hybrid event
Make the event virtual
Adjusting budget allocations
Removing/ adding features
Remember these adjustments you make are key to your event’s success and your attendees and stakeholders will understand and appreciate the proactive steps.
Decisiveness in Planning Details
It's integral to be decisive regarding the event. Make quick and urgent decisions then take immediate action. Get final decisions regarding the event as soon as possible so your vendors, exhibitors, attendees and planning team know exactly what to expect and plan for. This is key to help you avoid losing deposits and expedited booking or rush fees
Decisiveness will enable:
Attendee confidence in attending the event
Exhibitor turnout
Venue’s ability to organize and plan for your event
Confidence in sponsors
Vendors ability to participate
Communicate with your guests
Once the decisions are made be sure to communicate the adjustments to your attendees and exhibitors… In fact OVER communicate.
Increase onboarding and pre event emails
Send specific communication on adjustments to the program
Communicate procedures your event will be taking due to COVID
Share procedures your vendors and partners will be taking due to COVID
Ensure to have a cohesive FAQ page on your website and keep updated
Include event adjustments in your event marketing and social media plan
Communicate with your vendors
Reach out to your vendors and communicate your adjustments and needs as soon as decisions are made. Vendors have been greatly affected by COVID as well.
Check with vendors to see if services, inventory, or labor has been affected
Give them as much lead time as possible
Be sure not to place items or services on hold - again decisiveness
To recap, the steps to an efficient event postponement are:
Have a procedure in place
Remove emotions from your decisions
Make changes to your event
Decisiveness
Communication with guests
Communication with vendors
If you are postponing your event, remember the resilience of the meeting and events industry and being apart of this industry I know you will be successful in this postponement. This is the perfect opportunity to put your creativeness to task and think outside of the box as you make adjustments within your events and contribute to our industry.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance in postponing your event.