6 minute read
We will survive
BY ERIN JOHNSTON,
HRIA, EVENTS DIVISION PRESIDENT
As I sit here and write this column, a large part of NSW is in lockdown. Likewise, lockdowns are happening across Victoria and South Australia. It feels as though we are travelling back in time 12 months and the roller coaster ride continues (not the fun kind!). Many event businesses over the last 12 months have been unaffected due to their location, some hugely affected while still limping through, and others who just haven’t come out the other side of this pandemic- in short, the effects are diverse but nonetheless devastating. From my perspective, prior to June this year our business was starting to feel a little normal again. We had just overcome a bumper second half of the 2020/2021 season, largely delivering a lot of postponed bookings. We had partially rebuilt our team and were even entertaining what new stock we may purchase for the 2021/2022 season — positivity for the future was strong, although we were all excited for the future, we were still very apprehensive and scarred from the past. Come late June, the realisation we were heading towards another lockdown became very real and we started to field postponement and cancellation enquiries all over again. From there, the road we have travelled over the last month has been hard. If anything, I would say harder than the first time. Somehow rebuilding a second and third time just takes more out of you than it did the first. But here we are, still standing, taking the blows, and hoping for a better future.
Some valuable learnings
I thought it may be helpful to provide some learnings I’ve cultivated after the last 12–18 months. Some of this you may have already learned yourself, but if I can impart just one piece of knowledge which helps your journey, I will be happy. First and foremost, I will say look after yourself. Self-care and kindness to yourself is so important — those who know me will laugh when they read this as you know this is the kind of advice I don’t take myself! But this pandemic has bought down even the strongest and mentally fit of us, so lean on those you need to and be kind. I have taken the time to really learn more about myself and try to make positive changes for the future- I won’t share what have I learnt about myself here, but let’s just say without this time, I may have gone years without taking the time to do this and time just passes by too quickly — life is too short! Your staff are the backbone of your business. The first round of lockdowns we, like all others in our sector, stood the majority of our team down. Not knowing what the future held and without the crystal ball, and with no work on the horizon unsure of what COVID-19 even was, we shut the doors and the phone stopped ringing, and emails stopped landing in our inbox. Looking back, I know we didn’t have a choice, but it was one of the decisions I don’t necessarily regret, but I wish we had an alternative. This time around we are into week four of lock down, and we have kept our team together- we are closed to the public and no jobs on the horizon in the short term, but we are buzzing away like little bees (COVID safe bees of course!). We are training, undertaking love projects that make our crew feel good, and generally providing a reason for our team to get up in the morning. It is costing us money, but it is an investment in the future of our business. Stay connected and don’t forget, without your team you will have no chance of bouncing back so do what you need to do to stay connected. Know what support is available, and make sure you are surrounded by the right people who can help you maximise the support that is out there during this hard time. The support is certainly not going to save your business, and you will realistically have to dip into surplus funds to get by, but there are options out there if you know where to look. I am well versed in what is available for NSW businesses so please feel free to reach out if you
need help or advice. For other states and territories, the HRIA HQ have been busy collating what is available on a state-bystate basis, so please reach out to them for advice. This is imperative to chip away at cash flow and get ahead where you can to start rebuilding- again! Keep planning; you still need to plan for the future. For example, what you will buy when you can afford it, how you will attack the coming season, put your new financial year budget into place, and resource plan for the future. I know it seems hard, but without this planning, you will be on the back foot when things pickup again — and they will pickup, and with a BANG as we have seen in the past! You need to be ready. Work on your business; taking the time to work ON and not IN your business. As business owners, we are all guilty of getting caught up in the daily grind of our busy event businesses and not taking the time to work on the behind-the-scenes areas that sometimes need our attention the most. Refine your HR processes, update your warehouse processes and procedures, and do annual staff reviews. Create a HUGE list of all the little things that never get done and do them — it feels so amazing! Communicate with your clients, and don’t be afraid to reach out to your clients in the coming months and offer them support and a friendly check in. This goes a long way and helps you build an idea of which clients are keen to proceed and those considering postponing. This is important information for resource planning and cash flow planning. Take a sales focus. Assume August through to later this year will likely be sub par and we can’t change what will happen — we just have to roll with it. But what we can have a positive impact on is next year. So focus and hone in on your quotes and clients for 2022. These clients will be needing to make decisions soon if they are to book your services as many postponements from later this year will start to take up valuable real estate in next years calendar. As such, don’t be afraid to remind clients of this to keep the deposits cash flow rolling in! I could go on and on, but I hope this helps you navigate the next few months of uncertainty. I said it last year, and I will say it again; my door is always open — I love a chat, so please give me a call about anything if you need a friendly ear.
