Getting My Sea Legs in a COVID World
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My COVID vs Business story is likely similar to that of many working in live events, it begins with my first cancellation. On Monday March 2nd, 2020 we signed a contract with a venue to set up a face painting station for March Break. We typically don’t do face painting but this is for a repeat client, who we love working with, and it’s a multi-day activation that allows me to support some talented artists and stay top of mind with a client. On Thursday, March 5th I got a call asking me to detail our sanitation policies and procedures in light of the growing fears around COVID-19. We evaluated and enhanced our protocols, added staff just to clean and manage lines and sent a detailed breakdown to our clients. On Friday, March 6th we decided along with our clients that even with all our precautions, face painting was likely not a good choice for this March Break. The contract was cancelled.
On Monday, March 9th I had a meeting with clients regarding a large scale event that we were producing for them in mid April. We discussed their thoughts on COVID-19 and if they had concerns the event might get cancelled. They said the intention was to proceed as planned but their Executive Team was evaluating the situation daily. My team proceeded to put plans in motion and I got on a plane and flew to Las Vegas for The Special Event / Catersource Conference.
In the weeks leading up to TSE/Catersource some large conferences and events had cancelled sending ripples of concern through our industry. There were a few hundred cases in North America but it seemed to be under control and at that point the recommendations were just to be aware of the symptoms and to wash your hands. Live events are what we do and this conference was a cornerstone event. The event professionals I knew were determined to go forward with the conference and to support the industry so they rallied around the #imstillgoing mindset. I was presenting a new session on Storytelling vs Design and it was an honour to be invited to speak at the conference. I felt safe going, there were less than 300 reported cases in the USA at that point and hardly any in Nevada.
The first couple of days were great. We packed ziplocks with antibacterial wipes in our conference bags, had hand sanitizer at the ready, washed our hands dutifully, and fist bumped more than hugged. We tried our best to think positively and celebrate the fact that we were all together, showing that it was okay to gather. Admittedly there was an air of concern about COVID, some people were dealing with cancellations and we were all worried about it getting worse. We were all in the business of gathering people together so the thought of people being afraid to gather or limitations on that being imposed was frightening but we just had to keep moving forward.
The Tidal Wave Hit
On, Wednesday March 11th the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a Pandemic and it was like a tidal wave washed over the desert and landed on us. Cancellations began to flood into people’s emails and everywhere you looked there were stricken faces of business owners seeing tens of thousands, and even hundreds of thousands, of dollars in business just evaporate. My April client called to discuss options and costs based on various scenarios. We agreed to reconnect on Friday but I knew the writing was on the wall. I called all my key vendors and staff to give them a heads up that it likely would be cancelled and have them stop work until we heard back on Friday. This event was my biggest of the year and one that I had worked very hard to win, and it was slipping away. I totally understood the situation and I supported their decision, it just stung.
The waves continued to come on March 12th and 13th as cities, states and provinces banned large gatherings. As our industry was sinking into the sea, conversations and session topics shifted to how to deal with all the cancellations from both a client management standpoint and from a business sustainability perspective. It was amazing how everyone just dug in and tried to support each other.
On Friday, March 13th my April event for 4,500 formally cancelled. On Monday, March 16th, I arrived back in Ontario with a two week quarantine, just as Ontario’s Chief Medical officer recommended against gatherings of more than 50 people and ordered restaurants and bars to close. The day before, my husband had been temporarily laid off from his job as a hotel doorman so we both hunkered down for two weeks at home.
My team and I spent the first few days cancelling all the vendors for our event and dealing with deposits and final invoices. I had several proposals out for the balance of the year, a golf tournament project in June and some good prospects I had been courting...it all either canceled or went silent as people waited and watched.
So, I did like everyone in my industry; I scoured the internet for insights and forecasts for how long this would last. I got a Zoom account and signed up for every industry webinar and group conversation I could find. I joined industry Facebook groups and leaned on my industry associations and colleagues for guidance and camaraderie. On March 28th Ontario banned all gatherings over 5 people from the same household and I knew we were in for the long haul. I called my landlord and gave notice on my office space.
In Uncharted Waters
I am the type of person who thrives on being busy. I love to have multiple projects on the go and to feel the pressure/challenge of the juggle. That said I also must have a clear goal or destination. I am not a fan of uncertainty or things that are vague or pointless. I hate going for a walk, just for the walk, I need a purpose, a destination. April and much of May I was adrift floating in a sea of uncertainty. Sure, there were administrative tasks and projects that I could do...but to what end? I thought about redoing my website, but I didn’t know what I would say about my services and offerings in a post COVID world. I operate in the live event space and much of what I do is about creating the physical environment where people gather. My events are experiential and tactile. How does that work from 6ft apart with a mask and gloves on? How does that work in a virtual world?
I am a business owner but I am not sure that I have the “all in or nothing” entrepreneurial spirit. Before I started my own business, I had been working 60 - 70 hour weeks for years and I wanted this stage of my life to be about going after the projects I wanted, working with great clients and finding a balance and quality of life. Maybe that is why it took awhile for me to get my sea legs and figure out how not to sink. Some days I would be able to go into my home office and achieve some focus. I’d log into webinars and chats or check in with my Event Coordinator, whom I was determined to keep...but if I am being honest, I still felt like I was floating aimlessly. Other days I couldn’t bring myself to sit down at my desk at all, I just gave in to the couch and the mindlessness of Netflix. At the time I felt guilty about not being able to rally around something tangible but in hindsight I think I was grieving. I was grieving the opportunity of the event that was canceled...it was going to be great...I was grieving the control I had lost, I was grieving the little office space I loved, I was missing being out in the world and I was worried about the future of my industry.
New Coordinates
Things started to shift for me when someone in a weekly brainstorming call I was attending said something that made me think of all the virtual teams out there who were trying to adjust to working that way. I thought...I can help with that! I have done corporate training through improv in the past and I knew that we had developed sessions that could be re-framed to be delivered on-line with a focus on challenges faced by virtual teams. I finally had a slight glimmer of a north star that I could navigate towards.
Once I got that course charted, I began to think about my core business as an event producer and designer and started to see how I could possibly re-frame my offerings to enhance virtual events. I knew that I needed an outside perspective so I signed up with a business coach and started to dig into the possibilities. Committing dollars to coaching when you have zero income is frightening to say the least, but that is where my entrepreneurial spirit does shine...I’m a “take a calculated leap and figure it out on the way down” kind of person. I always have been. Most times it works.
We started to do weekly coaching Zoom calls and that included group laser coaching with each of us taking a turn in the hot seat. Not only was I benefiting from one-on-one coaching but I was able to watch and listen as the other business owners were coached too. The seas started to calm a bit and that north star got brighter as I began to chart a course for my business.
Around that same time I was able to connect with one of my key clients and have a great discussion about her portfolio of events and what their challenges were in transitioning them to virtual. In that one 45 min call I quickly understood that I still had much to offer. I was by no means an expert in virtual, but I was an expert in event design, in communicating a brand story and crafting an attendee experience. All of these things are still vitally important in a virtual event but not so easy to do. This was where my north star shone brightest and the seas calmed completely. As I shared thoughts and ideas with the client on how they could re-imagine their events and reshape their vision for a virtual medium, I knew and they knew that there was a path for us to work together. I didn’t need to be designing a physical space to help them craft the experience and tell their story.
Gaining My Sea Legs
They say that “if you want something, you have to put it out into the universe” and it will come to you. Well, I decided that I wanted to help companies re-imagine their events and transition them to virtual by reshaping the experience and strategic design to fit the medium. No square pegs in round holes. I began putting that out in the world and quickly landed my first virtual event and first creative ideation consulting client. Both had very specific structures and goals that made transitioning from a live event to virtual a challenge but I was able to successfully reshape both events and validate that I was on the right course.
I still have a long journey ahead and I am sure that the course won’t always be clear or the seas calm, but I do feel that I finally have my sea legs under me and will be able to weather any storm that comes my way.
Personal Flotation Devices You Can Use Too
If you got to the end of my story and are willing to take some sage advice from someone who is still figuring it out for them-self ...I say this:
Give yourself a break and let yourself grieve. We’ve lost many things due to COVID and it’s okay to not pivot on a dime. Just don’t let grief consume you.
Find people who inspire and support you. Seek out possibility thinkers.
Ask for help!! Whether it’s speaking to a therapist or finding a business coach, you don’t have to know all the answers yourself.
Trust in yourself. I guarantee you will surprise yourself with how you can adapt.
Get an accountability buddy. Set 3 weekly goals and hold each other accountable.
Here are some resources that I found helpful:
Facebook groups - #yvreventprofs , #yyceventprofs, #yyzeventprofs
Event Industry Associations
Weekly Brainstorming with Tami Forero https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamiforero/
Business Coaching - https://laramcculloch.com/
Other - Event Leadership Institute
Kimberly Beaune, CMP, CSEP
Kimberly is an Event Storyteller. A veteran of the Live Events Industry, she has spent years leading teams in creating award winning events through the power of story. She owns and operates Creative Twist Inc. a successful event production and design firm. Kimberly is also President-Elect for the International Live Events Association Toronto Chapter.
