Desiree May
Founder, Leave it to May Events
Leave It To May Events is an event planning and design company for clients ready to sparkle! We bring visions to life with style and flair, and no event is too big or too small. We realize the biggest impact lies within the little details, so we spend a lot of time creating experiences that will last a lifetime.
Pretty much all of my April events were canceled
Oh man, COVID-19 has definitely had an impact. All of my April events have been canceled. I had six events scheduled for this month, hopefully, we will be able to work out a reschedule for a later date. But sometimes a reschedule can be challenging especially with something like a baby shower.
A lot of my clients are getting creative and have been pretty positive with the necessary changes. For the canceled baby showers some are doing “Sip & See” parties after the babies are born and some of my clients will use their credit towards the child’s first birthday party! But there will be a lot of shifting and regrouping.
It’s been a lot of phone calls and trying to figure it out and make it work
It’s been a lot of stress. It’s been a lot of phone calls and trying to figure it out and make it work.
But I think when all of this is over and done, we’ll still be in a good place. I think that’s why it’s important to have really good details in your contract. With most event planners and rental companies, the deposits are nonrefundable. It’s important to work out a Plan B option or provide a credit towards another event with your client.
We’ll make another beautiful event happen
I think it’s essential to have a good contract laid out, so when things like this happen, you’re not scrambling trying to figure out, oh my gosh, how am I going to get money back from a vendor? How am I going to do this? Instead, you have the understanding that if something happens, we will grant our clients with a credit they can use up to a year out. We’ll make another beautiful event happen and go from there.
It’s just a lot of puzzle pieces we’re trying to put together, but we’ll make it work.
But yeah, it’s definitely had an impact. I was supposed to have another baby shower, 130 people, this past Saturday, and that had to be canceled. Then like I said, six other events in April that are canceling and trying to figure out how to reschedule. Rescheduling is going to be a little tough because I have other events that are already on the calendar. It’s just a lot of puzzle pieces we’re trying to put together, but we’ll make it work.
I have a really good relationship with my clients. They trust me, which is so awesome.
I’ve tried to stay level headed and not stress. I have a really good relationship with my clients. They trust me, which is so awesome. This could be a really stressful time for a business if they’re just starting out, and they’re figuring things out. But because I have those contracts in place, and I have a good rapport with my clients, luckily none of them are panicking at this time. They know that they’re going to have a beautiful event even if the nature of their event changes and the date is different. The memories are still what is most important!