03-21-2020
7 Ways to Adapt Your Welcome Gifts When Your Event Has Been Cancelled or Postponed
FILED IN: Client & Corporate Gifts, COVID-19, Education, Wedding Welcome Gifts
Posted By: Jamie Kutchman, Founder
With the countless corporate events and weddings forced to cancel and postpone due to the coronavirus, we are trying our best to offer our clients creative ways to adjust their gifting while still achieving the same impact they were originally hoping for. We're really excited to share these ideas with you in case you're finding yourself in these same unfortunate circumstances. And if you are, know you're certainly not alone!
IN-PERSON EVENTS TURNED VIRTUAL
If your event was originally intended to be in-person but can now only happen virtually, that's okay. You can still gift and, who knows, maybe even have more budget to allocate to your gifting since the in-person conference is now no longer happening! We love the idea of drop shipping the gifts to all of the attendees ahead of the virtual meeting to get them excited about it. Consider including something for all virtual attendees to wear, maybe even some comfy lounge pants or an extra plush sweatshirt or blanket since let's face it, they'll likely be viewing from the comfort of their own homes. If it's a Zoom meeting or some other form of video conference, it would be fun to see everyone wearing or using the same thing. Would definitely build a sense of togetherness during these stressful and uncertain times.
FROM GUEST GIFTS TO FIRST RESPONDER GIFTS
One of our wedding couples postponed their wedding until 2021 but because their gifts were almost done, the mother-of-the-bride decided to have us go ahead and finish up the gifts and they would take them and deliver them to first responders and friends of the family who could use a pick-me-up! This generosity is so inspiring to us here at Marigold & Grey and it really keeps our spirits up as we work hard to stay afloat during these very uncertain times.
FROM 'WELCOME' TO 'SEE YOU SOON'
If your original plan was to do a traditional corporate welcome gift or even a wedding welcome gift and your event has been postponed, don't fret! You can still send the gifts out by drop-shipping directly to the attendees' home addresses. Simply update the messaging from "welcome" to "see you soon". This is a great way to get them excited about the event that will eventually take place even if you don't know exactly when just yet.
STAY TOP OF MIND
If your corporate event is outright cancelled rather than being postponed and you find yourself missing out on an opportunity to meet and engage with clients face to face, you may consider sending client gifts to still remain top of mind during time of extreme social distancing.
DATE CHANGE ANNOUNCEMENT
If you've opted to postpone versus cancel, why not be creative with the way in which you communicate the new date? Gifting is a great way to do this. You can send this gift as a quasi-invitation box to make them aware of the rescheduled event date and this will likely encourage them to rsvp with a 'yes'!
THANK VENDORS
If someone has moved heaven and earth to help you reschedule your event date without incurring penalties and cancellation fees, or at least minimizing the penalties, you may want to consider sending them a 'thank you' gift as a gesture of your appreciation. In times of high stress and pressure such as these amidst COVID-19, those who go above and beyond to advocate for others typically really appreciate a little something to brighten their day. As much as it's stressful for those cancelling their event, especially couples having to cancel and postpone weddings, it's also stressful for their vendors too.
SAVE FOR LATER
When in doubt, you can always save your event gifts and hold them to be used on your rescheduled date. You want to avoid perishable items to make sure they don't run the risk of expiring. But if you lean towards non-perishables or contents with long shelf lives, then holding them for later is not a bad idea!
We realize that not all of these options will apply to every situation.. But the idea is to get you thinking about what might work and to feel optimistic that there are other ways of handling your gifts versus it being a lost cause! If there is anything we can do to help you with gifting throughout this COVID-19 crisis such as cabin fever gifts or gifts for couples having to postpone or cancel weddings, please don't hesitate to reach out. In the meantime, here's our official plan for keeping our employees, clients, and community as safe as possible during this difficult time.
All images: Lissa Ryan Photography
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