Happy Civic Long Weekend and all the other Holiday names if you are outside of Ontario. I am sure you will enjoy the time outdoors no matter where you are. In Ontario most of us have moved into stage 3 of reopening and it has been good to be able to start seeing people again. With the reopening people are starting to plan things again and folks are trying to get back to some type of a normal routine and that means a return to events.
Just like many of my artist friends overnight we watched many of our booked events disappear into the unknown oblivion calendar. Event after event was cancelled or postponed due to the pandemic. I have never seen a calendar empty so fast. My caricature artist friends scrambled to bring in income where they could in the form of video events or online programs. It was crazy to see especially when many events are booking over a year in advance.
Now that the pandemic is easing and restrictions are lifting people are trying to plan what they can. So what does that mean for your event if planning to have an entertainer at the party? As a business owner we will be following the recommended procedures by the Province of Ontario. You may have seen on the news that not only the organizer but the guests can be fined for not obeying the medical rules for the city or county where they are located.
This means we will be physically distancing our seating to be at least 6 feet away from our guests. People will have to wear masks in line and only remove them when being drawn. Line ups will have to be either physically distanced or nonexistent at all which means a name list or sign up sheet may be required. You will be limited to the number of people allowed by the city at the time of your event.
Realize that things will move a little slower than normal so not as many people may get drawn. One way to keep the party as normal as possible is to try and hold it outside when possible to get away from the mask issue. Make sure you have enough room at the venue to social distance entertainment and guests. Have someone monitor the party to ensure rules are being met.
We had a wedding party that booked with us almost two years ago and was forced to delay their wedding due to the pandemic. They moved the date twice already and have now decided to go ahead with the wedding with only 50 people. My advice is if you don’t have an event already booked then don’t book until we see where the pandemic leads us. Most entertainers will most likely not see any major events again before 2021 and if you are planning event for next year realize it will be a busy one for most entertainers as most current events have already moved to next year so book as early as possible.
Stay safe my friends and enjoy the rest of your Summer.
About the Author
Bruce Outridge has been drawing caricatures for over ten years professionally and specializes in gift caricatures and caricature event entertainment. Bruce Outridge Productions offers both traditional and digital caricature entertainment. You can learn more or book Bruce for your next event at www.bruceoutridgeproductions.com
