There’s a call in British Columbia from professionals working in the events and weddings industry to reopen in a safe way, and they’re using the hashtags #reopenbcweddings and #savebcevents to bring attention to their cause. We chatted with Jordan Maxey and Devon Dunn of Smitten Events to learn more about the challenges they have faced in the last two years, and what they are hoping for their sector in the near future. —Noa Nichol
Please tell us a bit about yourselves to start.
Smitten Events is a boutique wedding and event planning company based in Vancouver and the Okanagan. We take a collaborative approach to planning, creating events that are full of meaningful details, personality and joy.
From an insider perspective, what has been happening in the wedding/events industry in the last two pandemic years?
The entire industry has basically been treading water for two years. We’ve been fully closed, partially open and we have worked within the restrictions of the ever changing Provincial Health Order (PHO) in order to help our clients celebrate safely. From postponements and cancellations to the uncertainty of the rules and restrictions under the PHO, it has become increasingly difficult to do our jobs. But the hardest part has been not having a clear answer for our clients as to what comes next. We are used to being the problem solvers, but this has been impossible for two years as we never know what to expect from the press conferences. We receive the information about new restrictions at the same time as everyone else and then have to decode the PHO in order to advise our clients on how to proceed. This means we are often the bearers of bad news and the fun police, which has been utterly exhausting when you’re in the business of producing happy events.
How has your business been impacted? What were the biggest challenges you faced, and how did you handle them?
Covid has impacted every aspect of our business, from lost revenue to uncertainty, stress and frustration. It has impacted our financial and mental well-being in a way that will take years to recover. The biggest challenge has been having to plan and replan weddings over and over, depending on what the PHO says at the time. One of our weddings last year was postponed twice and then had four different plans by the time our clients actually got married. At one point we were planning for 120 guests, then capacities were reduced to 50, then they were 10, then back up to 50, but, with many limitations for indoor events, we ended up having to move everything outside. The PHO has been a moving target for us to interpret, explain and roll out, and the additional stress this has put on our team is immeasurable.
Were things looking up for a bit? In other words, was a new blow delivered when Omicron landed? What’s the state of your industry now?
Things were definitely looking up for a bit mid-summer 2021! There were still lots of complicated restrictions for events in place, but things like masks not required outdoors and dancing allowed outdoors made a lot of our couples really happy. We ended up moving as many celebrations as we could outside and came up with creative ways for clients with indoor venues to dance (patios, terraces, tents without walls). When the late-fall chill arrived so did Omicron and it has certainly complicated things for events since then. Our company has been unable to operate since December 23 and in the process we have had five weddings cancel, postpone or change their plans. The rest of the industry is in the same boat and collectively, we have come together to share how we have worked within every PHO for two years to help our clients celebrate safely.
After gyms were shut down, businesses in that sector really seemed to gather/rally together and create a voice to ensure they were heard. Is that happening in your sector now? Tell us about the #reopenbcweddings movement.
It’s been incredible to see our events industry come together to fight for our businesses. The event industry is made up of small businesses, many women-owned and operated, and we have all rallied to share our stories, experiences and prove that we have been working safely and following EVERY rule within the PHO for the past two years. We are frustrated at the continued lack of clarity in the PHO and how forgotten our $1.2 billion dollar industry feels while everything around us seems to open up. The #reopenbcweddings and #savebcevents movement is focused on reopening our industry within a clear safety plan provided by the province. We are not trying to get “back to normal” or expecting to throw a 500 person event (though that will be fun some day, too!), we just want clear guidance on what we can expect for the upcoming spring and summer 2022 event season so that we can properly support our clients. IF we do not get an indication of when we will reopen, or recieve a safety plan on how to proceed, we run the risk of a third season full of cancellations and postponements which will be devastating to our business and every other small business in the events industry.
What is your hope moving forward, and for the near future?
We just want clarity and the opportunity to get back to doing our jobs. We can work within restrictions—we have already done so for two years—and we want the province to recognize that clear guidelines in the PHO will allow us to guide our clients as we ramp up for the spring/summer events season. Events matter, our small businesses matter, and we are calling on the province to help us safely reopen before it is too late.
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