COVID-19 And What It Means For Weddings And Other Events
Events are usually based around social gatherings and meeting people, but, with the pandemic, people started spending a lot of time at home, while staying away from meeting others. Social distancing and staying indoors unless they have to go out was the norm as there was a chance of anyone catching the virus. These changes caused issues for event management companies and brands that handled any form of social gathering.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government created strict rules about social gatherings, stating the number of people allowed in a specific place, wearing masks, using hand sanitizers regularly, and maintaining distance from each other. They also mentioned rules about working from home for companies that could accommodate the change.
Clients kept postponing or canceling their weddings, which were challenges for wedding planners. In the long run, we see ourselves laying off employees as we have to reduce the number of weddings we take on. Furthermore, COVID-19 has made it difficult for us to keep up with the regular operating expenses and keep the business afloat.
Furthermore, there have been a lot of rules about working from home and staying indoors that forced us to reduce our team. Additionally, we are taking longer than usual to respond to inquiries as we have less staff, most of whom are handling their tasks remotely. Our office is not very large either, and having a smaller space doesn’t allow us to work together as we can only allow two people in at a time. Not having any upcoming events is also quite disheartening as I love what I do. We now work following our regular schedule, but with most of the team working remotely.
When it comes to organizing meetings, although we prefer having them remotely over phone or video call, we are open to having clients visit our office. When it comes to communicating with them, we use secure platforms like Zoom, FaceTime, or WhatsApp. However, keeping up with the Government rules, we encourage all our clients to wear masks when they are getting in. Everyone coming in has to wear a mask, and if they do not have one, we provide them so they can be safe. Additionally, we disinfect desks, chairs and the meeting area, along with the bathrooms after every meeting now that we are in stage two of the pandemic.
We started traveling for site visits whenever we have to, making sure we practice social distancing, stay two meters apart, and wear protective face masks when we are around other people. We are also open to taking part in virtual events but have not done many at the moment.
COVID-19 has changed the events industry, but we are seeing events and venues beginning to open up slowly. We are starting to do more intimate gatherings, instead of focusing on weddings, as we did in the past.
If you are looking for an event organizer in the Toronto area, at Opulent Event Designs, we are more than happy to work with your team. We are event and wedding decorators in North York, Toronto, but we have been working on events across Canada and are more than happy to assist with any needs you might have. With more than 15 years of experience in this field, we are capable of transforming any event into an extraordinary celebration. We have clients in Toronto, Markham, Vaughan, Brampton, Mississauga, and the Greater Toronto Area in Canada and Los Angeles, so we have no issues working with you irrespective of your location. If you want to get a better understanding of the services we provide, click here. If you are looking to send us a message or give us a call to assist with an event you are planning, please click here.