Cancel, Postpone, or Reimagine

Yesterday was a historic day in light of what’s happening in the world. Major sporting tournaments and seasons were suddenly canceled, theme parks closed, races postponed, and lifestyles were altered.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) is affecting the way that we, as human beings, gather together. Businesses and organizations everywhere are asking the question, what do we do?

When making a decision about changing plans for your meeting, workshop, event or gathering use this template we created called CPR: Cancel. Postpone. Reimagine.

It’s a simple way to shift perspective and aid in decision-making based on current circumstances and your specific desired goals.

When people plan an event, they want to do at least one of these three things: Inspire, Equip, or Educate. Maybe you were, or are, planning an event for yourself or your employees or clients.

If that event (meeting, workshop, casual gathering) is planned for sometime in the next month or so, you’re probably asking the question, “Do I cancel or postpone my _____?”

This can be a nerve-wracking question, especially considering we know that you are passionate about the success of your event and goals. Here’s the reality of the situation: To control and stop the spread of coronavirus, it has been strongly advised that any gathering of 250 people or more be canceled or postponed.

Social distancing is quickly becoming the new normal. To clarify, why would we consider canceling or postponing an event or gathering? The answer is: to stop the spread of the virus.

Now back to the problem: “I have a gathering planned in the next month or so, what should I do?”

With our CPR process, there are three things you can do:

Cancel

Postpone

Reimagine

Thankfully, your goals do not need to change. You still need to inspire, educate, and equip your team and/or your clients.

With the options to cancel, postpone or reimagine come difficulties and challenges. We understand that it isn’t easy. Every event and every situation is different. The best thing that you can do is to work your way backward through CPR.

Focus first on reimagining your event. Is there a new or different way to pull it off so that you can still inspire, educate or equip your audience? If reimagining doesn’t work, then think about postponing. If that doesn’t work, then consider canceling.

Let’s look at each option more closely...

Cancel = Call it off. Shut it down. The act of canceling communicates something to everyone. As the person in charge of canceling, you probably hope that it communicates that you are being responsible and looking out for the greater good. At the same time, the cancellation also instantly hits morale and makes people ask the question: “Was the event important in the first place?” Canceling an event should hopefully be the last option we consider. Why? Because people want to connect with your message, they want to be inspired, educated, or equipped.

Postpone = Push it back. Reschedule it. Postponing your gathering communicates to your team or clients that what you are planning is important and you still believe in the reason why it was planned in the first place. Postponing allows people to breathe lighter, knowing that you are keeping their best interests in mind and they still get to experience something with you. Reimagine = Re-think, re-evaluate, dream, and evolve your gathering into something new. Ask yourself this pivotal question: “How can we inspire, educate or equip our people in a new way that doesn’t require them to physically gather together?” What does that look like for you? To help, here are two options for you if you are reimagining your large gathering: Turn it into a digital event. The beauty of the media is we can adapt and overcome. Change it from a one-day event with a large crowd gathering into multiple-day events with smaller crowd gatherings.

Take the next best step toward what’s best in the long-run. Take a deep breath. Wash your hands. PS – You’re not in this alone!

If you’re having trouble reimagining, ask for help from someone who has done this before. We have experience helping people create live and digital events that fit their goals. Let us know how we can best serve you in this time!

Reach out to us and schedule a phone call (678-820-8113) or email us at hello@elevateexperiences.com.