As we are all cooped up inside our homes and under the “stay at home” order which most states have in place currently, the events industry, all together, has been faced with a new challenge – how to survive the novel coronavirus pandemic?
Event organizers together with arts and crafts vendors, food vendors, independent consultants and other small businesses have suddenly faced a new reality – we are all out of work. At least, the way we all knew it or the way we were used to it. So what is to be done in situations like this? Well… we started re-thinking the wheel. And I do not say re-inventing, because these type of events have existed for years, but in the corporate setting. We have all heard of hybrid events, virtual meetings, video conferences and so on. But how do you transition from all these to an arts & crafts fair or to a cultural festival?
And here is how the challenge started for everyone involved in this industry. Organizers had to find new ways to apply what they new from corporate events to festivals and fairs and vendors had to reshape their presentations to fit the virtual world.
And so we did! We thought of how we can introduce this new reality – the virtual events. During these times, we all realized that the having a solid online presence is the key to being successful. For vendors is very important to present beautiful pictures, clear and precise, showcasing the subject in the middle with clear pricing and description. These photos are eye catching and can generate sales or at least a good impact for customers to remember the products and return to buy them.
We started small – one weekend event and 10 vendors. But soon after, we realized that this format is helping vendors who need as much support as they can get during these difficult times. Honestly, they need sales, they need money. And not for I don’t know what type of extravagant thing, but because their jobs have been put on hold. They are shut down. And for most of them, this was their full time job. It is hard to adjust to this new reality. And that’s when we decided that if we can help in any way, shape or form, we will. Slowly, we are growing and getting our audience used to more and more online events. By the way, our next Virtual Arts & Crafts Fair is scheduled for May 8 – 9, 2020 on our Facebook page – Chic Events DC.
I know we kept on talking about the challenges of the online events, but do you know what the benefits are? We all can do this from the comfort of our own homes! From our comfy couch, wearing our fluffy slippers and all we need is our laptop and / or phone, while watching our little ones play or watching TV or even giving ourselves a little deserved time to relax and why not, get pampered, and all while helping others. How about seeing the glass half full? And till we see each other in a park or downtown Washington DC at one of our festivals, let’s get together online! See you next weekend for some Mother’s Day gift shopping!
More on tips to how to build a strong online presence to follow.
As I always like to end my posts,
#supportsmalbusinesses #shoplocal #smallbusinessweekend