Event Planner’s Guide to Surviving Cancellations

I hold a rather unique position in the word of event professionals, being both a planner and a supplier. As such, I can attest to two things regarding event cancellations: 1) they are inevitable, and 2) they are no fun. Neither the planner nor the talent enjoys being told that, for one reason or another, the function will not be going on as scheduled. On the planning side, you’ve worked for weeks – probably months – securing dates, venues and content, investing your time, efforts and credibility into something which is no longer happening. As the supplier, you lose the opportunity to perform, present or provide your service (in my case, producing live trivia team building and corporate event entertainment parties in New York City).

Cancellations can be the result of many things, including low registration, schedule conflict, inclement weather & talent visa issues. Regardless of the reason, however, the result is always the same: disappointment & frustration for all parties involved, including the audience. Once a cancellation has occurred, how can things be made right?

Below are some suggestions for how to recoup after an event cancellation, and make sure that all parties walk away on a positive note:

Make Notifications Early – If an event has to be cancelled, the very least a planner can do is notify the stakeholders as early as possible, in order to provide the least amount of inconvenience. A cancellation is a disruption, and it is imperative to notify talent, venue and audience that the event is no longer going on as planned (for a good example of how late cancellation was not handled properly, look no further than the 2011 Oasis Contemporary Jazz Festival & Awards – nearly 50 performers flying in from all over the world, only to be told upon arrival that the entire thing was cancelled due to low registration. Ouch.)

Be Tactful – Choose your medium carefully when making cancellation notifications. Emails are appropriate if written professionally and politely, but phone calls are better. Be honest about the reason for cancellation, apologize sincerely for the inconvenience, and always provide a means to be contacted if the stakeholder has any questions.

Create Backup Systems – Not everyone gets the message about cancellations, and especially with large events of hundreds or thousands of people, there are bound to be those who slip through the cracks and show up to the venue- both registered attendees and walk-ups. Arrangements should be made for staff to be on-site at the venue to explain the situation to these people as a courtesy; at the very least, ample signage should be created with both the cancellation message, as well as contact information of the planner, box office or host.

Reschedule Quickly – If the cancellation was for something completely unexpected and abnormal – talent illness, for example, or as the result of “force majeure” – an unforeseen calamity beyond anyone’s control, such as a fire, power outage, blizzard etc. – offer to reschedule quickly. Not only will this maintain goodwill, but it will allow you to hold on to the existing event registrants, assuming they can make the rescheduled date (if they cannot, issue refunds immediately).

Nobody wins in a cancellation, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a complete disaster. What other ways might you suggest to make a cancellation as easy a pill to swallow for event talent, venue and participants?