Prepare for a hurricane, and you’ll be prepared for anything.
Hi y’all,
Welcome back to Busy Season, your guide to the hot takes, pro tips, and real stories sweeping the events industry.
I hope everyone is safe following the recent hurricane, flooding, and tornadoes that have swept the US. As a Floridian, I know firsthand just how scary these events can be, and safety is obviously first priority. But ensuring your business is taken care of is high on the list as well. How can you prepare for the unexpected?
From property damage to canceled events to insurance claims, unexpected events can have a big impact on your event business. If you’re feeling the immediate effects of Hurricane Helene, scroll to the end of this email for resources for business relief. Otherwise, keep reading.
Recent events are also a good reminder to have a plan in place for unexpected circumstances, no matter the source. Ever had a couple call off their nuptials? Air conditioning at the venue break during load in?
Think through how you’ll respond to situations like these while it’s business as usual, so if things do go awry, you have a plan to protect your business and do right by your client.
Do you have plans in place for the following situations?
- You need to cancel an event: If you have advance notice, how far in advance would you be willing to call an event off to protect your business and your team? If it’s at the last minute, who needs to know about the cancellation?
- You need to communicate event cancellation to a client: Do you communicate by call, email, or both? Who in the company is responsible for reaching out? If you can’t get in touch with the client for some reason, what happens then?
- You need to recoup the event cost: Would you refund folks for their events or only allow them to reschedule? Do your clients purchase event insurance to protect their payments due to you? Would you make any exceptions to your normal cancellation rules (and under what circumstances)?
- Your event infrastructure has been impacted: What will your insurance companies need from you to assess the damage? Have you documented the cost of your rental inventory? Do you have the ability to track revenue losses from canceled events?
There’s more to consider but these points should help you get standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place for emergencies if you don’t have them already.
If you’ve been impacted by Hurricane Helene, here are those resources:
- ARA Disaster Relief
- US Small Business Administration Hurricane Helene Disaster Assistance
- Local and state governments: Check out the following resources for small businesses from these state agencies:
- Stripe Capital Loans: If you use Goodshuffle Pro, you can also see if you qualify for a Stripe Capital Loan, which can be repaid as a percentage of your sales.
And again, hoping everyone out there stays safe.
See you next Tuesday,
Mallory Mullen
Goodshuffle
