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Recently updated on November 16th, 2023
When you are the PR Director of a company, it can be difficult to communicate that an event has been postponed or canceled. You want the information to get out as quickly and effectively as possible but also want to make sure that you have all your facts straight before releasing any details. This blog will give PR tips for communicating event postponement and cancellation in the most successful manner.
1. Contact The Media Outlets Who Cover Your Event To Let Them Know About The Postponement
When you are dealing with postponing or canceling an event, one of your PR tips for communicating the news is to contact all of the media outlets who were going to cover it. This will ensure that they have accurate information and can report on it as soon as possible. Plus, if there had been any contests where people could win tickets to the event, you should also notify them.
This PR tip for communicating event postponement and cancellation is especially important if the reason you are canceling or postponing your event is due to a natural disaster, such as an earthquake or covid 19 pandemic. In this case, people will be eager to find out what happened as soon as possible.
If you haven’t already, this PR tip for communicating event postponement and cancellation will also help to ensure that the media doesn’t get any misinformation about what happened.
2. Update Your Website, Social Media Channels, And Other Marketing Materials With A New Date
Communicate with your PR company about how to push this update out and which channels will benefit from the update. Once you have decided on what is best for your organization, all PR staff should be aware of when the release date change will go into effect so that they can help in any way possible during these crucial hours before a PR deadline.
PR Firm should be in constant contact with you and your team to make sure the go-live date is correct, that all social media channels are updated simultaneously, and that any marketing materials or advertisements being delivered on a certain day will have the new event information included as well.
PR firms should also update their PR contacts to include the new PR deadline for your event.
PR firm should also coordinate with any other PR firms you are working with on a multi-company campaign, such as an advertising or sponsorship deal that includes multiple companies. If they have not already been contacted by one of those PR firms, inform them about this change and provide all the information they need to get the word out.
PR firms should also make sure that any PR contacts with whom they are in contact have been alerted of this change and what it entails so there is no confusion or misinformation when trying to reach you about your event postponement.
The PR Firm is the liaison between you and your public so they are vital in keeping up communication channels with their PR contacts. They will also be able to answer any questions that PR employees might have about how to broadcast the message of postponement or cancellation effectively, which should help all parties involved continue moving forward without delay.
Ultimately, PR firms are there for a reason: to help you move smoothly through these tough times by coordinating everything so that your business can continue running as usual without interruption. Communicating Event Postponement and Cancellation PR firms can help by coordinating your PR campaign to make sure all channels are updated with the new details.
3. Use Email Blasts, Flyers, And Posters To Communicate The Change Of Date
Communicate the new date and time to ticket holders, media outlets, and any other groups or individuals who may be interested in attending your event.
Include a link for those on social media sites like Facebook where they can click through to see more information about the postponement of your events via email blasts, flyers, posters, social media sites, etc.
Make sure that the link in your email blast or on any of these other promotional materials is working and leads to a landing page with all the information about postponement including new dates and times for events as well as an updated timeline. Include contact information so people can ask questions if they have them.
Use email blasts, flyers, and posters to communicate the change of date and time.
PR professionals should also make sure that there are no specific PR efforts planned in advance such as PR stunts, PR programs, PR events, etc. that are now being postponed or canceled due to the postponement of your event.
Communicate with vendors and sponsors about how these changes might affect them as well so they can make any necessary adjustments in a timely manner.
4. Offer Refunds If You Are Unable To Reschedule The Event Within A Reasonable Time Frame
Postponement is a PR and customer service nightmare. It will affect your company’s reputation, marketing plans, as well as the attendees of the postponed event. Communicating about postponing an event can be difficult because it takes time before you have determined the new date and venue of an event that has been postponed.
When postponing an event, offer refunds to those who can’t attend so that they are not left out of the loop and disappointed when you reschedule your event.
Communicate with PR agencies or representatives before deciding on a new date for your event because this is the best practice in PR as it will help you avoid PR nightmares.
Communicate with PR agencies or representatives before deciding on a new date for your event as this is best practice in PR and will help to avoid PR “nightmares.”
The most important thing, when postponing an event, is that you be transparent and honest with your customers about the details of what is happening. Communicating about postponement will take more time than usual because it might take weeks before you have determined the new date and venue of your event.
5. Respectfully Thank Those Who Have Supported You And Helped You Along The Way
Around the world, PR firms have different PR practices, so it is important to be aware of the PR firm’s timeline. Be careful these cancelations will hurt the company’s long-term sales revenue and PR firms will be the ones who are there to help you through it.
Postponing your event is a PR nightmare, but it is a necessary evil. PR firms will be able to help you get through this PR obstacle and back on track in no time.
Thank those who have supported you and helped you along the way as PR firms are often a necessary part of the PR process, but they’re not always needed and some companies like to do it themselves. When PR firms are by side be sure to thank PR firms for their help along the way with an email or phone call. Remember to check the PR firm’s timeline and when they need a final invoice from you.
In Conclusion
A postponed or canceled event is a nightmare for organizers because it leaves them scrambling to notify attendees. With the right PR tips, you’ll be able to communicate your postponement with minimal headaches and frustration.
Upstage Media can help you navigate this process by taking over all of the communication efforts required in these scenarios so that you have time to focus on what matters most – your guests and customers! If you want more information about how we handle event postponements, Book a call with us today!
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