WORDS MATTER // “CONTRACT” NOT “CLOSE”

Since the day the federal mandate banning events was announced, there’s been a push within the hospitality industry to “postpone” instead of “cancel”. And it makes sense. Hearing the word “postpone” suggests hope for future revenue and in turn implies hope for the future of our businesses. And who doesn’t need a little extra hope right now. There’s no secret that many event professionals are in the same holding pattern as the couples we serve and likewise in a holding pattern regarding what our businesses may look like in the coming months and even years. Even with that uncertainty, I’d like everyone to remember that a majority of our businesses can and will survive even if we have less clients. They can and will survive even if we have less associates. They can and will survive even if we have smaller offices, warehouses or even if we have to move those offices back into our home. Even if it’s not the vision we’ve worked for, it’s important to remember that many of us in this industry can do our job just as well if we have to “contract” our businesses, scaling them back to where they were a few years ago or worst case to where we started. As an employer with four full time associates, I hope and plan to avoid contraction at all costs. Because of that hope, I fully understand how devastating contracting your business can feel, but, no matter what, we cannot confuse “contracting” our businesses with “closing” our businesses. 

This week alone, I had multiple conversations with couples asking if their vendors were going to go out of business. Some were worried about losing their money. Others genuinely worried about the vendors they’ve grown attached to. But all came to this conclusion because of the many conversations out there implying event businesses are not going to “survive”. There are event professionals repeating in public platforms, as if clients can’t see it, that they’re terrified for their couples to postpone or worse, their businesses will “fail” if their clients cancel. And, it’s not only confusing for couples but it’s not an accurate depiction of how most event businesses are structured. Again, while no one wants to take two steps back or even ten, the truth is a majority of our businesses will survive should we choose to. Now if you just can’t imagine contracting your business and you’d rather jump ship, no one would blame you. But if you’re in this and you’re in it no matter what the next few months bring, then I highly encourage you to start using the word “contract” rather “closing”, “failing” or “not surviving”. Because words matter and the word “contract” implies just as much hope as the word “postpone”. Hope for our businesses, our teams and for the couples watching our industry.

As always, if you want to be kept up to date on the release of new content, special promotions and more, subscribe here and receive instant, complimentary access to my session on “Getting Treated Like an Expert Instead of an Assistant”. In this session I talk more about the steps you can implement immediately that allow couples to understand your role and value from your very first conversation. Hang in there. And choose your words wisely.