I have always admired the natural laws that created the Universe, galaxies and ourselves. What would have happened if those circumstances were different? There are many and interesting theories, but this article is about the event industry after all, and though I’d love to talk not about the stars in the sky, let’s talk about the stars of events. Those events are not only concerts and festivals, but also seminars, conferences and exhibitions. Each event has one or more stars, those are the people which the success or failure of the event depends on.
One of the worst things that can happen to an event planner is for his star to cancel or just not show up. There could be various reasons for such a turn of ‘events’ – health-related, natural disasters or simply incorrectness in the business relations. The important thing is to prepare for the worse, just in case. Here are a few things you can do to insure yourself against financial and image damage.
The contract
Let’s say you’re a concert organizer and you want to invite a trendy rock group to city. That’s a great idea! You’ll make a lot of people ecstatic, you’ll most certainly have a financial benefit and you can even popularize the location where the event is taking place.
I’m pretty sure that there’s no need to tell you that you must sign an official contract with these band or promoter. In some countries e-mail correspondence has the force of a contract, but that’s not always the case. That is why it would be best for you to hire an attorney, or talk to one, who can prepare official documentation for your protection and the protection of all event participants. Send the documents to the other parties involved and discuss everything, point by point.
Insurance
The insurance of your event is everything but something you should question. The bigger the event, the greater the possibility for problems and disasters. The absence of your event star is just one thing that could go wrong. Find an agency which is experienced in insuring events and discuss the options you have available. Look into insurance options that cover damage to your image too.
Plan B
In my practice as an organizer for business seminars and conferences I’ve had two occasions with a similar “turn of events”. Thankfully, both of them had a happy ending. But that luck was also a result of the great team I had working with me, with and all the ideas they offered in tackling this tense situation. We’ve learned to have these types of situations in mind, and to always prepare plan B and even C and D!
PR Strategy
Insurance and contracts are great for your protection, but how do you tackle the participants’ disappointment? Here’s where PR specialists come in. They have the task to communicate the problem in the best way possible, in order to keep the guests at your event informed.
Simona is the Co-founder and Creative Director at Weemss, she wants to make sure your event flows smoother than water on silk!
Image: CC0 1.0
