My heart goes out to all those whose events have been affected due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

But what do you do exactly when your event has been canceled? Here are some options that you can consider.

Outright Cancellation

Whether it concerns a sixteenth birthday or a fiftieth wedding anniversary, sadly, there are specific circumstances where you will have no other choice than to cancel the event. Similarly, given the Covid- 19 pandemic, it is vital to cancel the event until it becomes completely safe to meet en masse and postpone it for later on.

However, there are some events that just cannot be launched again as life moves on. For example, a person who was planning a grand party for his 50th birthday in 2020 may feel that celebrating his 51st birthday in 2021 won’t have the same impact.

Rethink Your Purpose

Think: what was the reason behind your event?

Were you going to have a lavish product launch event at a fancy venue with lots of giveaway bags and great catering? Were you going to invite lots of journalists, bloggers, influencers, clients and even celebrities? Well, I am sure the real objective of organizing such lush event was to promote your product and get people to familiarize themselves with it.

However, such events cannot be organized during the pandemic and what you can do instead is to send these guests some gorgeous gift packages (maybe with some delicious goodies) to their workplace. Imagine their joy when they will receive the package and unbox it. I know it won’t be the same as your splashy party, but at least it will achieve the same purpose. Plus, imagine all the money you will save by not organizing the grand party.

Take It Online

Did you know that even before the pandemic, the Virtual Events market was on the rise?

Now, even if your event does not fit a virtual format, there are still some great alternatives available. For instance, a sporting event that was canceled can be replaced by some enthralling talks from key people in the field.

Indoor Goes Outdoor

Were you planning on organizing a nice kid birthday party at home? Well, in that case, I think the best would be to either postpone it for later on or celebrate your kid’s birthday without inviting any guests as it might take some time until we can all gather indoors en masse.

However, there is a third option. Can your event be relaunched as an outdoor one?

Let me give you some examples:

• Instead of having a wine and cheese expo at a convention center, why don’t you opt for a large public garden or a city park?
• A corporate VIP dinner might be switched to a rooftop drinks party.
• An outdoor cinema is better than a complex for a cinema premiere.

Same Time Next Year

Certain events, such as large-scale ones, which usually require a very long time of planning, cannot be simply rescheduled for a month or two. For instance, you cannot just reschedule a lush event held in world-class cities like Melbourne due to scheduling conflicts of other events and often, priorities are given to celebrities’ bookings.

Moreover, some events cannot be rescheduled due to their nature. For example, you cannot organize a floral party in winter as many flowers won’t be in bloom then.

I strongly suggest postponing these events at the same time next year when things will be back to normal again.

Offpeak Time

It is noted that there are only 52 Fridays, 52 Saturdays and 52 Sundays in a year. And, most often, people like to hold their events during these days (especially on Saturdays and Sundays as many people don’t work during the weekends). But why don’t you use all the Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to your advantage?

Will you consider these tips? Please share your comments!