The global coronavirus pandemic has already had a profound impact on the event and experiential marketing industry, but there are steps we can all take to prepare for what’s coming over the next few months.
Thousands of brands around the world have made the call to cancel or postpone their events for the next 90 days, and as the situation develops we may also see events cancelled past the two or three month mark.
Making the decision to cancel or postpone an event that you’ve spent weeks or months planning and promoting can be difficult. Consumers will already expect that future events may be affected, so it’s important to keep them updated with the changes you plan on making. If you cancel an event they are likely to have questions around refunds, so make sure you communicate all relevant information and give them an easy way to contact you with any questions or concerns they may have.
If you choose to reschedule an event instead of cancelling it, you should immediately let them know that you plan on postponing the event and then keep them updated as you move to select a new date and venue (if a new venue is needed). Keeping event attendees informed with timely updates will help to make the next few months easier for everyone. If you do make the decision to postpone your event, you can also use this time to evaluate and plan ways to improve the rescheduled event.
We’ve developed the following email templates that can be used as a guide for postponing or cancelling your events over the next few months.
Dear firstname,
We wanted to reach out to you during this difficult and uncertain time as the health and safety of you, your families and the wider community is of the utmost importance. Due to the increasing urgency of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken the decision to postpone eventname.
We have been closely monitoring the situation and we are now working diligently to secure a new date for eventname. We will provide updates and information as we move to reschedule and you will be the first to know when we have a new date confirmed.
Please call us on phonenumber or send us an email at emailaddress with any questions or concerns you may have regarding the postponement of this event.
In the meantime, please stay safe.
Thank you.
Dear firstname,
We wanted to reach out to you during this difficult and uncertain time as the health and safety of you, your families and the wider community is of the utmost importance. Due to the increasing urgency of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken the decision to postpone the following events:
We have been closely monitoring the situation and we are working diligently to secure new dates. We will provide updates and information as we move to reschedule and you will be the first to know when we have new dates confirmed.
Please call us on phonenumber or send us an email at emailaddress with any questions or concerns you may have regarding the postponement of these events.
In the meantime, please stay safe.
Thank you.
Dear firstname,
We wanted to reach out to you during this difficult and uncertain time as the health and safety of you, your families and the wider community is of the utmost importance.
Due to the increasing urgency of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, we regret to inform you that we have taken the decision to cancel eventname. We will be in touch soon to provide an update on cancellation details and refunds.
Please call us on phonenumber or send us an email at emailaddress with any questions or concerns you may have regarding the cancellation of this event.
In the meantime, please stay safe.
Thank you.
Dear firstname,
We wanted to reach out to you during this difficult and uncertain time as the health and safety of you, your families and the wider community is of the utmost importance.
Due to the increasing urgency of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, we regret to inform you that we have taken the decision to cancel the following events:
We will be in touch soon to provide an update on cancellation details and refunds.
Please call us on phonenumber or send us an email at emailaddress with any questions or concerns you may have regarding the cancellation of this event.
In the meantime, please stay safe.
Thank you.
We are experiencing an unprecedented disruption to the event and experiential marketing industry, and we’re all in the same position as we learn how to navigate this challenging and uncertain climate. Throughout the next few months, it’s important to manage consumer expectations and keep everyone updated as the situation develops.
Most importantly, stay safe out there.
