You say Corona, I say virus. The poor Corona brand has had a bad time of it recently so for the sake of them, let’s refer to it by its official name, COVID-19.
But it’s not just Corona that is having a tough time, whilst the WHO are not calling it a pandemic, this is impacting people across the globe. The virus is now in over 100 countries and impacting the events industry on an un-precedented level. The stalwarts of the events calendar like Mobile World Congress being halted and Formula One being postponed, plus countless other events, big and small being cancelled every day. It is creating a lot of space in people’s diaries.
The UN Conference on Trade and Development warned that the COVID-19 economic “shock” could end up costing the world $1trn (£760bn) of lost income. This is a scary time for governments, businesses and us all on a personal level. It is a stressful time and one of those things that has definitely made it into the stressor part of my stress container.
As such, we thought it would be a good time to look at some coping mechanisms that might be useful.
For those at a senior level:
It is a global health pandemic, of an unprecedented level and it’s OK that you don’t have a policy already written. It’s ever-changing and it’s going to cost you and your client a lot of money – that will happen but it is also why we have insurance. Put your team and your delegate’s safety first. If you’re concerned, go with your gut feel. This is one of those better to safe than sorry situations. It’s not a case of taking no risks but calculated risks. Your word for the month is Caution.
For those that work in events:
Someone is going to make a decision that is going to have a big impact on your workload, whether it’s that you have had all your events cancelled or that you are no longer able to work in your office with close to contact with any of your team. The way we work is likely to change over the coming weeks. The word to remember is Adaptability. We know that event organisers love to plan but think about this as simply as being on-site… for the next 3-6 months… Things are going to change every day and rather than worry about it, move with it just as you would on-site. You will adapt to the situation and then you will de-brief at the end to look what could have been done differently, until that point, you do the best you can with the current information.
For those that work in events and are independent:
The level of cancellations are going to be scary, you are likely to suddenly have a big wide open space in front of you. Again, your word is Adaptability. Can you use your project management, design or production skills in a different industry over the next few months? Can you pick up that side-hustle which you’ve barely shown any time to over the last couple of years? Look at your finances, how long can you go without earning money? A lot of stress comes from feeling out of control. If we can regain some of the control through feeling more aware of your situation, that’ll ease that stress.
For all of us on a personal level:
How many of you have seen the empty shelves in the supermarket? The papers aren’t exaggerating, there is a loo paper/paracetamol/baked bean/hand sanitiser/pasta shortage. Holidays are being cancelled (mine included ☹) and it’s worrying that if work is being cancelled, what that means for the personal bank account. Our word is going to be Acceptance. When we think about what we can control, what we can influence and what we can accept, global health pandemics fit into the Accept category! Do what you need to do to feel prepared but don’t panic, we are likely to be more impacted by processes being put upon us than negative health. See it as an opportunity to try agile working, clearing a space at home for a desk and spending more time with your children. For all of those that live in the UK, the government have made arrangements if sick leave or isolation is required so hopefully any financial impact will be minor and we have a fantastic healthcare system so try to focus on the benefits this situation could create!
Whatever position you are in, we understand that this is scary and stressful. Use our Buddies Matter scheme to find someone else in the industry to talk to. It is completely free and will only take one minute of your time to complete our Buddy Matching form. At that point you have a new Support Buddy who will be going something similar to what you’re going through. Sign up here.
