Time to party?
Events industry still uncertain about COVID
Although weddings and other big celebrations are going back on the calendar in the U.S., business owners who make those events happen expect a slow recovery from the impact of COVID-19.
Lauren Schaefer is getting more inquiries about her wedding coordination services now that President Joe Biden has sped up the timetable for all adults to be eligible for vaccinations. Schaefer’s company, The Get Together Events Co., does business in New York, Chicago and Nashville and has booked 60 weddings for this year, close to the 69 she did in 2019.
But Schaefer still sees a lot of caution; couples whose dream is to have a big wedding aren’t sure about booking a date amid continuing restrictions on the size of gatherings in many parts of the country. Some state and local governments also have limits on wedding traditions like cocktail hours and dance floors.
“I tell clients, if you feel comfortable having a wedding under today’s restrictions, let’s move forward hopefully things will get better from there,” Schaefer says.
Even as inquiries and bookings pick up, uncertainty hangs over event planners, caterers and other businesses involved in putting on events. It’s not just government restrictions — many people are still uneasy about large
gatherings.
Many of the new bookings at catering halls and other events spaces are for the end of this year and 2022. These businesses may already have a full calendar for the late spring and summer because weddings and other celebrations were postponed from 2020, but with restrictions on the size of gatherings still on the books in many states, the near future remains uncertain.
“The next few months are still a little vague on events. We have a very slight handful in April and May and although the restrictions have been lifted, clients need time to plan,” says Nick Cascio, co-owner of Giorgio’s, an event space in Baiting Hollow, New York, on Long Island’s East End. Weddings in New York can now have up to 150 people since the state government raised the limit from 50 last month.
Giorgio’s did have 20 weddings with under 50 guests after the pandemic began last year, but that was far below its 500-guest capacity. It has about 150
weddings a year, typically with 200 guests. But Cascio says he’s optimistic that with more people being vaccinated and the infection rate lower, his business will eventually return to normal. It’s gotten about 60 bookings since the start of the year.
As interest in weddings and parties has picked up at 42 North, a planning firm based in Ipswich, Massachusetts, coowner Francie Dorman finds the pandemic is as much a consideration as food, flowers and music. In some venues, the number of guests at a table is limited to six instead of the usual eight or 10. There may be no bar service in many areas, and the usual cocktail hour where people mingle may need to be a sit-down affair.
“We have to be prepared for many different scenarios going into this spring, summer and fall. Our messaging to clients has been, prepare for the worst, but always hope for the best,” Dorman says.
Dorman’s company began getting a pickup in
inquiries and bookings around Jan. 20, the day Biden took office. She’s optimistic that business will continue to improve, although coronavirus experts including Dr. Anthony Fauci warn that another surge is possible.
“A lot of us are just a little too scarred to say, no way it could surge again, Dorman says. “It may cause some older guests who are less comfortable from attending. But I’m hopeful we won’t be shut down again.”
The events industry has also shrunk amid the pandemic — government-ordered shutdowns and restrictions forced some events-related companies out of business, among them venues, flower shops and bridal gown manufacturers. Auction websites are selling banquet tables, chairs and other items, either from venues or rental companies that have failed. While it’s not known how many of these companies have shut down, their loss can mean fewer options for people putting on events.