City festival participant puzzled: if event is canceled due to COVID-19, losses would be covered from participants’ pockets

This year, the annual “Capital Days” event will be held from September 4-6. The main organizer of the Capital Days is the Vilnius Festivals. In Delphi requested the future participant of the event, who registered her place in the “Style Location” space.

Designers fear losing money

According to Inga (name changed, known to editor – aut. Past.), Under the guise of COVID-19, some event organizers use their position and transfer all responsibility to the participants. For example, the recent fashion and beauty exhibition, according to the participants, brought significant losses to the participants, as not enough visitors gathered.

However, the organizers were the most surprised by the organizers of “Stiliaus lokacija”, who reported that due to COVID-19, the money would not be returned if the event did not take place. As advertised on the facebook page of this space, the price of a place for a participant here starts from 170 or 300 Eur.

“Every day we observe the situation not only in Lithuania, but also throughout Europe due to COVID-19. In my opinion, we should all take responsibility equally, because on the one hand it seems that there is some kind of deception here. The government is tightening the conditions, we already have to wear masks, etc., and here an event is being organized, for which, if it is not done, the money will not be returned, ”Inga said indignantly.

According to her, the organizers offer an alternative: transfer the fee to another event.

“This is absurd, because you can do an event in Karoliniškės or in another place, like, for example, Cinderella did the event, but there were no people and many of us had losses. Such a business, when you take the money and you are not responsible of the result due to COVID-19, it seems to be the norm ”, thinks Inga.

The interviewee emphasizes that the Capital Days events are very important for developers. It is one of the most important events of the year, like the Kaziukas Fair, the Sea Festival, the Fair of Nations and Christmas.

“We all register and want to participate, but we are very afraid of losing money, not to mention that we will not win. Also, after all, it costs raw materials, labor, and we have to support families.

The saddest thing is the attitude of the organizers themselves, and there are good examples where participants were guaranteed a refund if the event did not take place due to COVID-19, such as the Festival del Mar. I hope this comment helps to form a image and that the organizers of the event act more honestly, at least share the risk in half ”, hopes the designer.

Organizer: An error has occurred

Erika Kielė, the organizer of the “Style Location” space at the “Capital Days”, emphasized that if the event was canceled due to COVID-19, the participation fee would be refunded in all event spaces.
According to her, the situation in the country is very worrying, so it is normal for everyone to have many questions. The organizer claims that an error has occurred.

“We inform participants who have communicated that if the participation fee is not transferred to other events organized by us, we will refund it.

It is normal that due to the situation, the participants react with much more sensitivity, and we are also wrong. We understand that we have not communicated that the entrance fee can be refunded. We send an additional letter to all “Stiliaus Lokacija” participants, in which we emphasize that the fee will be refunded if the event does not take place anyway “, comments E. Kielė.

Event Industry Association – An unknown practice where losses are covered at the expense of a participant.

Gediminas Jaunius, Chairman of the Board of the Event Industry Association, says that when planning events during this dynamic period, organizers and clients try to anticipate all possible circumstances when dealing with quarantine or other changes caused by COVID -19.

“Although the practice is still in its infancy, we are currently seeing a trend to avoid unnecessary costs to minimize losses as a result of relocating the event. Self-assessment and the possible freezing of financial flows if the event is postponed is also important.” G. Jaunius points out.

The representative of the event organizers assures that such practices are not known to cover losses at the expense of the participant.

“Consumer rights are regulated by a specially adopted law, in the drafting of which the Events Industry Association has actively contributed. The relationship between natural and legal persons in the organizational chain is defined by contracts. In general, they are now emerging new practices as the market adapts to the new circumstances brought on by COVID-19.

On a case-by-case basis, the agreed contract must be analyzed. If the agreement was signed before the COVID-19 situation, it is worth remembering that, although the events are not currently restricted, the situation would once again be subject to a special situation or other regulatory procedure announced by the Government, which could be used to search compensation from the Government. “Attention G. Jaunius.

According to him, understanding and benevolence in this dynamic period – really important and felt in the field of event organization. The Events Industry Association encourages its members to work together to find solutions and in situations where consensus cannot be reached, it is always possible to use the back of the association.

Organizers don’t cancel mass events, but lack clarity

The director of the Event Industry Association points out that each organizer plans and organizes their activities independently. Asked whether the organizers are currently canceling the events due to the small number of participants or the threat of COVID-19, G. Jaunius ensures that the association does not register massive withdrawals. According to him, the flexibility of the events industry is one of the essential characteristics of the field, which is why organizers are trained to adapt and respond flexibly to market dynamics.

However, according to the organizers, there is a lack of clarity: It is not yet clear how to handle the event organizers, whose events could not be implemented due to the announced quarantine.

“The government currently allows unrestricted events until September 30. However, there is no procedure for those who plan events at a later period, although there is already an obligation for organizers to inform consumers about the implementation date of the event. postponed, ”says G. Jaunius.

Not only that, there are uncertainties about safeguards: “The government has announced that there will be separate rules for domestic events starting in the fall. But it is not yet clear what they will be. “

The interviewee assures that the organizers face a summery confusion when the professionals respond to the queries of the representatives of the industry providing outdated and obsolete information.

“I understand that summer brings relaxation to the ministries. However, the situation in the country does not allow a quiet summer this year, we must seriously prepare for all possible scenarios, on which the jobs of tens of thousands of people depend, already hundreds of thousands of ticket users are interested in knowing when to expect service, says G. Jaunius.