Thread by @melissaanelli

Hi! Ten year veteran of convention planning here (@mischiefmanagement) with some info that some may find useful: As events continue to cancel because of #covid19, and gatherings of large sizes become outlawed, here are some things we find ourselves explaining

to family and friends a lot, which might explain a few things — especially about why organizers sometimes wait so long to make the call.

We all know events are large and complicated things, and cancellations are expensive.

But the METHOD of cancellation is incredibly, incredibly important. The method of cancellation can mean all the difference, especially for companies without giant owners or a cache of investors to pull from.

When an event cancels, look for the phrase "force majeure," which you've probably already seen crop up in some coverage. The colloquial term for this is Act of God, and it's a standard clause in most contracts.

It basically means that there are some things you can't foresee or prevent (usually natural disasters, though some citations specifically exclude epidemics), and if they happen, the contract can be canceled without penalty.

So imagine this:

Situation A: Event organizer thinks "you know what, I'm making the call, I'm canceling it even though I was not forced."

In that instance, it is very easy for a vendor or contractor to say "Well, that was your decision. Your hand wasn't forced. Please see the clause in our contract that indicates that if you cancel for any reason but force majeure you still owe me 50% of payment."

Would someone dare say such a thing in a time of epidemic? Yes. The answer is yes.

And honestly, 50%, in events, is a generous figure. For a lot of types of contracts (specifically for talent appearances, which can carry a budget line of hundreds of thousands of dollars in some instances), you still owe the full sum -

- if you cancel for any reason besides force majeure. Does it sound crazy for someone to be paid a full amount of money to not be doing the work? Maybe. But that's how these contracts have evolved, and there's little to be done about it besides not have talent at your event.

Situation B: Event organizer is told by a local authority that they are not permitted to hold events larger than 250 people.

Or the city itself cancels the event.

Or they change the fire codes to outlaw any gathering more than 500.

Well, you have a LOT stronger of a case for a force majeure event if an authority of any type is actually disallowing you from having an event.

By waiting to be forced into canceling, organizers open a HUGELY DIFFERENT financial picture, one that may become all the difference they need for survival.

Now, how it all shakes out is less clear: do you automatically get deposits and fees that you've paid on venues, to contractors, etc, back? Probably not, even if you're entitled to them.

Probably the independent A/V contractor is using your deposit to fund their payroll. But maybe you can negotiate a fair kill fee, and use the balance of monies already paid toward a future event.

However, you won't be responsible for a lot of future payments. And if the venue is owned by a city or state entity, you have a really good chance of getting those deposits back.

The ability to invoke force majeure (or just say "I was disallowed from having this event") means you may not be liable for HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS that you might have had to pay regardless of whether the work got performed or not.

So when you are wondering why an event doesn't cancel sooner, this is a big part of the reason. In this time of major uncertainty,

the kindest thing to do for the small businesses that run some of your favorite events is give them a little space and time to figure it out so that everyone has the fairest shot at surviving the blow.

(FWIW, we've only ever considered invoking force majeure once: when we had our first @bwaycon during a 36" snowstorm that shut down most transport options for people. We ended up not doing it, and going through with the event -

- while rearranging literally every panel and adding programming on the fly. It was a very, very wild three days that teetered just off the edge of insanity.

We offered people who couldn't make it in the opportunity to keep their ticket for the next year, or a refund if they could prove inability to travel.

The vast, vast majority of people took the following year, and I am thankful for them every single day. They helped make sure our business could grow.)

Just remember: No one wants to have to cancel these events we love so deeply. If your favorite event is canceled, and you are able, consider offering ongoing support for their next.

There's a human behind every ad and email and social post, and likely one who is heartbroken that their work is in jeopardy.

We're all making plans and hoping for the best, and hoping every single member of our community stays healthy and safe.

And that we see them soon <3

Well I managed to use the wrong tag in the very first tweet. It's @MischiefMgmt 😛

@MischiefMgmt This thread seems to be growing in visibility, so here’s my Soundcloud:

who.int/emergencies/di…

@MischiefMgmt OK fine here’s a way to support our co without a ticket! mischiefmerch.com MUCH COOL NERDY MERCH

@MischiefMgmt Also! Now this post is on FB if you would like it unrolled there: facebook.com/52177295818/po…