The C word: how we're working with charities at this time

Our major events calendar has largely been postponed or placed on hold until the end of 2020 and as such, we’ve been considering how we support and work with charities during the Coronavirus crisis.

1. Managing virtual events: We can project manage events from concept to delivery; advise on the best technologies to meet your brief; support with forecasting budget scenarios and provide case studies and connections from organisations who may be delivering similar events.

2. Providing free consultations - As charities look to plan ahead, we are also offering free 3-hour consultation packages to support with any of the key challenges that they are facing, including:

   • Transitioning events online - It may be an easier move for conferences or smaller activity, but how do you take a gala dinner online and deliver the same experience that allows you to raise significant funds?

   • Replacing lost income - With major gaps in income as events are cancelled or see ticket sales decrease, many charities are seeking to run online appeals or campaigns to fundraise for their services. We can work with you to develop these plans, introducing you to partners who can produce something compelling to bring your work to life.

   • Developing new activity - As organisations anticipate that larger events may be on hold for the foreseeable and that restrictions may prevent us for hosting major activity, we’ve had lots of enquiries about developing smaller events - from more intimate leadership symposiums to high value private dinners.

3. Connecting clients and venues - Dates in Autumn/Winter 2020 and Spring 2021 are already in high demand as all pre-summer activity from this year shifts to later months. This is leading to challenges in finding appropriate venues and the Coveted team is working with venues to support them in offering available dates, and working with organisations to carry out thorough venue searches, at no cost, saving valuable time and resource.

If we can support with your activity during Covid-19 and beyond, please do get in touch.

The C word: learnings from our first #CovetedCuppa with charity events managers

Having observed many of the same questions repeatedly being raised in chat groups and through online forums, we suggested a conversation to talk through some of the challenges faced by events managers working in the non-profit sector. We hadn’t quite anticipated that over 100 people would join us for our first #CovetedCuppa and a vibrant discussion about how we’re handling these extraordinary times.

So what were our key learnings from this initial discussion?

Much of our conversation was focused on the postponement of events. Certainly at Coveted, we’re encouraging our clients to consider postponing rather than cancelling altogether, allowing them to continue to engage their donors and encourage face-to-face opportunities that will be all the more precious in the months to come. We ran some quick online polls to identify some of the key trends affecting the sector. You can see the rest of our findings here but it’s clear that the current thinking is firmly on postponing events at this stage, rather than cancelling altogether.

The question still remains as to when to postpone to and to understand when is appropriate to start promoting events activity. Our recent poll demonstrated that there are still some yet to move or cancel their events pre-summer, however it’s very likely that these will be postponed in the coming weeks.

September is proving to be one of the most controversial months. Many events are currently scheduled (either longstanding events or postponed) for this time but there’s still a lot of concern around this period; whether international travel will be permitted; whether sales targets will be reached; whether guests/delegates will have been financially impacted.

As the week's progress it’s clear that the situation is changing on a daily basis and organisations are facing tough decisions to ensure that they can respond to changing climate.

Finally, we talked through how we were feeling. As events managers, we’re so used to being able to plan, to being in control, to working through a Gantt chart in order to meet deadlines. Without a calendar of events, there’s a sense of discombobulation as we try to navigate the challenges, staying focused and motivated.

We’re sending our thoughts and best wishes to all of those impacted by Covid-19, particularly those who have lost their jobs, been furloughed, or suffered significant income loss in recent weeks.

What’s your experience of Coronavirus? How is it affecting your day-to-day working life? Have you personally been involved with an event or project cancelled as a result of the virus? Get in touch to share your experiences or join our next #CovetedCuppa for the charity sector on 17 April at 12PM BST.

The C word: the impact of Coronavirus on the events sector

The C word. It’s near impossible to avoid getting through a day without opening an email or reading a headline that is in some way impacted by Coronavirus. For the events industry, there are major implications and the effects have been significant - from cancelled conferences to closing agencies, this is a bleak time for our sector.

And for many of Coveted’s clients - the majority of them charities or non-profits - the cancellation of events results in loss of income and potential closure of vital services. For us as events managers, it’s a challenging time both professionally and personally, as we lose the structure that our events calendars and Gantt charts offer.

So what can we do at this time of uncertainty?

1. Communicate - Now more than ever, communication is key as there are so many uncertainties and your stakeholders will be unsettled and unsure.

   • With guests and sponsors, plan your communications carefully, be sure that you are clear about what you do know, what you don’t yet know or are uncertain of, and when you will be making future decisions. Consider how you can create personalised communications and continue to look after these key relationships, even if remotely

   • With clients, keep in touch! Their events may not be the priority at this stage but as the weeks progress and they are open to thinking about next steps, be sure to touch base and be able to offer support and advice about what actions to take. And when they’re ready to commit to new dates or events, you can be ready to take things forward

2. Pivot to digital - Whether working group meetings, training or even events themselves, consider what can be be recreated virtually. Although it’s a cultural shift for many organisations and individuals, this way of working is rapidly becoming the norm - and if you’re not moving online, you can guarantee your competition will be and you will be at risk at being left behind…

3. Upskill - There’s no time like the present to develop or improve your expertise to support your work, existing or prospective. With many events pivoting to digital, improving your tech skills and having an understanding of the technologies available for event hosts might be a

4. Collaborate - Whether it’s learning from and sharing with your counterparts - even your competitors. There may also be events or projects that you can work on together, to leverage your respective expertise or to take on new business opportunities together

5. Look after ourselves - There’s no doubt that during this time both our mental and physical health are at risk. So accept the quiet times when they happen, enjoy them, use them and do more of the things you love…because the crazy times will be back one day and we’ll wish we had more time to ourselves!

What’s your experience of Coronavirus? How is it affecting your day-to-day working life? Have you personally been involved with an event or project cancelled as a result of the virus? Get in touch to share your experiences or join our next #CovetedCuppa for the charity sector on 17 April at 12PM BST.