Major events such as SXSW, TED Conference and the physical portion of the Adobe Summit have been canceled or postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Companies are instructing employees to stay local and in some cases and not attend events with more than 100 attendees. At Pink Social Strategies, we have been working with our clients to make the best decisions for their conferences, events, and large meetings. Based on our many conversations, we’d like to share with you a few actions you can take if you have an upcoming event that is likely to be impacted by COVID-19.
Educate yourself-- Check the CDC website and your local government sites to get the latest and accurate information. You do not want to get caught up in the mass hysteria. Without the proper information, you can’t make a rational and informed decision.
Not only do you need to educate your self on the outbreak, but familiarize your self with your insurance plans. Did you buy an a la carte event insurance policy? What does that cover and what needs to happen in order for you to file a successful claim? In many instances, you won’t be able to claim the insurance unless your city or state declares a state of emergency.
Weigh your options— Can your event be easily converted into a virtual event? This may not be possible for all events. For example, imagine a virtual networking event. A virtual event probably is not the way to go unless perhaps your audience is a tech crowd that would enjoy this as an option. Working with your team can help you to determine the best course of action.
Can you reschedule your event? Before giving rescheduling the greenlight, think about the impact the date change may have on the venue, speakers, and other contractor schedules. Another factor to consider with rescheduling the event is, ‘how far out do you push it?’ We don’t really know when this outbreak will be cleared up. To be on the safe side you should probably push the event until at least the fall.
Should you cancel the event? Well, the bigger question is, can you afford to cancel? As I said earlier in this post, you need to familiarize yourself with your insurance plan. For many of us, we simply cannot afford to cancel the event, we don't have the funds to return and we’ve paid all of our vendors, etc. Perhaps you just have to go on with the show, if that is the case, take extra precautions and utilize a “no handshake” policy or “touchless greetings.”
The fear of the unknown is real! So be transparent and direct.
-April Burks
Get ahead of it— Inform attendees of your plans. Do not wait for them to ask you! Let them know how changes or cancellations will be communicated to them. If you’re going to move forward with your event, let them know what steps you are going to take to prevent the spread of germs. If you decide to cancel the event, be very clear about the refund policy. The fear of the unknown is real! So be transparent and direct.
At the end of the day, you need to have a plan. You cannot approach this with a “whatever happens happens” attitude because that could be a costly and irresponsible mistake. Educate yourself, figure out what are your options and then craft a positive, clear and concise message to your attendees.
If you are interested in speaking with a member of the Pink Social Strategies team about a COVID-19 strategy for an event your organization is hosting, contact us at april@pinksocialstrategies.com.