If you’re here on this page, then your probably worried about your up and coming event or need some advice as to what to do if your event is fast approaching.
The first thing to say is that you are not alone and are not going to be the only person worrying about the next steps, as we all navigate our way through this strange and stressful time.
We love delivering events and seeing the joy that our creations provide to our clients. It’s what we do and its tough for us not to be able to do this and have so many people disappointed. But we know that if we all work together and support each other, we will come out the other side and we’ll all be able to celebrate once more.
At the start of the crisis the government and states implemented more and more restrictions in order to slow the spread of the virus. This dramatically affected our industry and its ability to continue in the short term. The advice we have might be obvious, but we hope that some might benefit from it.
Current Restrictions in place, which will affect your event are (these vary state by state):
NSW:
All non essential public gatherings restricted to no more than 10 people
Weddings restricted to no more than 15 people including the couple, celebrant, photographer, videographer and 10 guests
QLD:
All non essential public gatherings restricted to no more than 10 people in a public place
Weddings restricted to no more than 10 people
VIC:
All non essential public gatherings restricted to no more than 10 people
Weddings restricted to 10 people in addition to the people reasonably required to facilitate the ceremony
The restrictions have changed recently and there is now a roadmap that the federal and state governments have agreed, which gets us back to some sort of normal. You can find the roadmap here.
So what advice do we have for our existing clients and those who have up and coming events?
We would advise everyone to have contingency plans in place where practically possible in case a postponement is necessary. These might include:
Agreeing on an alternate date this year, 2021 or sometime in the future with your suppliers to re-arrange your event
Keep in touch with your guests and communicate with them any changes that occur through social media or any other means
Scaling down the event in size in case of ongoing restrictions in the size of gatherings in the future. Bear in mind that outdoor events should have less stringent measures
For weddings, just hold the ceremony and delay the reception to a later date that you can agree with your suppliers
For those with indoor events that have or will be postponed, try re-arranging them for an alternate date with some outdoor suppliers instead, which may be a safer option
How can suppliers help?
For our existing clients, if the worst happens and your event does need to be postponed, then we have already taken steps to free up dates in our calendar for this year and 2021 to re-arrange your event without penalty or additional costs. Whatever the hire charge for your event this year, this will not change and will remain the same for any re-booking. The only change will be the date of your event, whether that is this year or 2021.
For existing clients, If you are facing financial difficulties due to the virus, please contact one of our team and they will be able to go through some options with you.
For those who have had to cancel or postpone their events, get in touch with us to see if we can help. Even if we can’t, we might be able to recommend someone who can help and provide another business with some vital trade, which may help them keep afloat.
Speak to your suppliers. They will be suffering as well and will likely be as flexible as possible to come to a mutually beneficial arrangement with you. As well as an alternate date, they may be able to offer more flexible payment options.
Unfortunately, most suppliers will not be in a financial position to offer a refund and their standard cancellation fee’s may also apply. But re-booking to an alternate date will appeal to them, as they will still retain your business, have some income coming in, keep their reputations in tact and help foster trust for future bookings. None of us wants to disappoint our clients and we all want to try and keep our businesses running and get through to the other side of this.
We would urge everyone to remain positive and trust that as suppliers we will all do everything we can to make sure that your events happen as soon as the Covid-19 restrictions are eased further and its safe to do so.
For any couples with weddings arranged, we understand that this will be a very stressful time. Call on your family, friends and colleagues for support and try and focus on the things you can control. Think about the contingencies we mentioned above and keep in touch with your suppliers. If you do need any further advice or help, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
As many people keep saying, these are unprecedented times, but if we all work together, have a little understanding and compassion we will get through it. Keep safe and keep positive!
The Maka Tipi Team x x x