Given current circumstances surrounding COVID-19, we thought it was the perfect time to curate a list of steps on how to cancel and postpone scheduled events in a professional and respectful manner. (An occurrence I’m sure we have all experienced this week, ouch…)

Step 1
Communicate your cancel your upcoming event with your venue and event supplier. Talking to your suppliers and venue first is a must. This will ensure you can negotiate and/or mitigate any potential monetary losses by getting all suppliers and event producers on side before you notify guests.

Step 2
Once you have officially postponed or cancelled the event with the venue and your suppliers, it is imperative that you communicate clearly and concisely with all guests. We suggest sending an email to each and every attendee to inform them of the cancellation or postponement. You may also want to include anyone that has not yet submitted an RSVP. If you have a guest of honour or VIP clientele, we recommend breaking the news over a phone call.

Step 3
Follow up on social. These days the inbox is the last place we check for updates on social news.
Follow up your formal cancelation process with a social post that notifies your followers and guests that you have taken steps to cancel or postpone any upcoming events. This will action all invited parties to check their inbox in case they have missed it.

There you have it, a full proof way to cancel or postpone events without having your guests hate you.