Hiring vendors during COVID-19
Our event world has been turned upside down by this virus. The thought of planning a wedding right now can seem scary, but it doesn't have to be. We're still keeping things moving along for all our couples and of those that have had to reschedule - and you can too!
Whether you are faced with finding replacement vendors for your rescheduled wedding OR you were planning a wedding for this fall or next spring, there are some new and different things you need to be thinking about when signing that contract and forking over your deposit money.
Hire vendors who are going to still be here when the dust settles.
This is a tough thing to say out loud. But behind the scenes - we're seeing a lot of layoffs, closings, and vendors who may not be able to withstand the impact that this event season has had on their cash flow.
You need to find vendors who are able to withstand a hit. That means they were doing a high volume of events before this happened. Everyone is going to see a dip in the # of events we do this year, and if vendors were already limiting or pulling back on their event schedules, they may not survive this.
How do you know who these vendors are? Things to look at are:
How frequently were they posting on instagram and facebook before this crisis happened? Were they actively posting and engaged in the world of events in the past 6-12 months?
What do their online reviews tell you? How far back do their reviews go? how many are there? Do they respond to them?
How long have they been in business? It's expensive to open a business, so someone who has just recently started a business may not be able to maintain their "start up" status in this economic climate.
How quickly do they respond to you? You want people who want your business right now. Wedding professionals are juggling a lot, but new business should be a priority for them too.
Hire vendors who have are exuding positivity during the COVID-19 crisis
Great wedding vendors thrive under stress. That's what the hospitality industry is all about. Vendors who are out there helping others, speaking out about events, and supporting their clients are the ones you want to be working with.
If you see panicked (or delayed) responses or a lack of empathy for what you're experiencing right now, it could be a red flag.
Ask your vendors how they've handled the reschedules - it will tell you a lot about their character and what it's like to work with them
Find vendors who will make the unknown a little less scary.
The future of this virus is unknown. Which means the future of events and reschedules is still unknown. April and early May could be the tip of the iceberg.
Make sure the vendors you hire are up for the challenge of a reschedule - understand their process of how they will hand that if it happens.
Vendors should be able to confidently talk about reschedule and cancellation policies due to the Coronavirus and COVID-19. It's your money, your event, and your family. You need to be able to ask all the uncomfortable questions and feel good about moving forward to work with them.
If you have any questions about planning in this environment, please contact kate@glintevents.com or anna@glintevents.com!
Click here for more event planning resources during the COVID-19 outbreak.