No one ever imagined that the global pandemic could have power to put entire world on the hold. The virus not only affected the health of humans physically and mentally but the businesses too. Who could have imagined that a small virus was powerful enough to put big business on a halt and even finish some of them! Out of all the sectors, travel and hospitality were being badly hit by nationwide lock downs and travel restrictions all over the globe. Event management was another badly hit industry worldwide! The travel ban, social distancing, wearing of masks, and avoiding public gatherings were the only things that could keep people safe from the virus and those are exactly the reasons why people avoided organizing or attending events.
Now that everything has started to move towards the new normal, event planners and managers are at relief that now their business will rise again. Condition may not improve as soon as the restrictions are lifted but the industry may expect some in flow of work. As the new normal is different from the usual past, here are a few things that you should be aware of.
- Keep an eye on all the latest restrictions and changes
So, first things first! We know that government restrictions are being modified on daily basis keeping in view of the ever changing virus strain. .To make sure that your business doesn’t suffer again, keep yourself updated and accordingly take preemptive measures while planning or managing events. Remaining informed with the latest statistics and the resulting changes in the regulations is one of the most important things in your business. One rule changes and it can change the whole scenario for you. So, make sure to be well aware of the situations and governmental laws and restrictions.
- Digital events should be included in your catalog
One thing that this global pandemic has shown us is that nothing can stop you from growing and you can sit at your home while still being connected with the whole world. Digital events seemed like flop shows when you thought of them in pre-corona times! But now that the times are changing, one need not take a flight and fly far away to attend a one-hour event. The boom in digital technology has changed the world drastically, now you have the freedom to sit at your home with all the comfort and enjoy a movie screening! You are free to enjoy amazing award functions that too live or attend a virtual birthday party and have all the fun at your place. Hiring an expert digital event planner or even training one of your existing employees is worth the investment.
- Plan well in advance
The global pandemic gave us the life lesson that things can take a turn anytime and you have to be very careful about it. Plan your event in such a way that it can be molded easily according to the situation. Planning things well in advance will avoid all the chaos; fix the venue, freeze the guest list and ensure all the safety measures are being followed including social distancing. Remember, you now have to book a place that is meant to accommodate double the headcount of people that will actually be present on the day of the event. Make arrangements for the free mask and sanitizers at the entrance and at multiple places inside the venue. Set up the food counters according to the new regulations where every dish is ladled out on to the guests’ plates by the servers so as to avoid multiple contact.
- Use special discounts and change your refund policies
To attract your clients and maintain their trust, you have to change your refund policies and include special discounts. You should know that the people who are wishing for an arrangement from your side have also suffered and expect you to understand how they feel about it. Giving them special discounts and understanding their view point will make your service offer stronger. Changing your refund policy will also help attract more customers. Just like you and your company, your client is unaware of the changes that may be made in rules and restrictions. By providing them easy refunds or delayed dates for refund you can assure clients that you care for them.
- Give way to remote working
Event management requires a lot of running around and then showing up at the office at the end of the day. It is best if we try to give this tradition a break. With the corona virus cases still fluctuating and new strains being identified across the globe, remote working and work from home should be taken into consideration. Try to adjust with your staff and understand their situation too and we are sure that you will beat the heat and have a great comeback in the market.