Spring is usually the beginning of prime event time: there are weddings every weekend, family barbecues to attend, and happy hours on the patio at your favorite watering holes. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic means that the “corona” on everyone’s mind this spring isn’t the one you drink with a lime wedge in the sun. For the events and hospitality industry, it means that lots of people have lost their jobs and their income. Though it might not quite be the spring we’d hoped for, or planned for, at IMPACT Collective we’ve been trying to stay positive and remind ourselves that things will hopefully get better soon.

With most state officials ordering that we stay home to #FlattentheCurve, businesses that are not “essential” have been told to close their doors, and gatherings of more than a few people have been banned. For a lot of event businesses, venues, bars, restaurants and clubs, this has hit hard. We at IMPACT Collective have been sad to postpone or cancel our events, but we know we are not alone. In fact, a survey of events professionals showed that 87% of respondents were also cancelling their events and lots of people are out of work right now.

Despite the grim news lately, there are still lots of reasons to be hopeful. For one, the social distancing and quarantine measures that have been imposed could be working: New York City has seen their hospitalization rates slowing in the last few days. On the other hand, local governments and supporters have been rallying around the events and hospitality industry, with emergency funds and loans: a group of events professionals started a relief fund for artists and venue staff who were forced out of work by the pandemic, and quickly surpassed their original fundraising goal of $5000. Though we may not be able to gather in person, we are still able to connect, with weddings, happy hours and conferences being held on Zoom and other platforms.

At IMPACT Collective, we’re taking the CDC guidelines seriously, and while this is definitely not the spring we had expected, we know that these important measures are what will keep us all safe and healthy. Though events are postponed for now, we’re staying positive and looking forward to when we can all get together again soon. We’re already working on two events for our industry that we want to hold, once the virus passes: #ComeTogether at Capital Turnaround, and Baychella at Whitehall Annapolis. We look forward to seeing you there! For now, stay healthy and be well!

-From your friends at IMPACT Collective