Event Cancelled

Decide: cancel, postpone or change the format

Before you tell anyone, settle what you are actually doing. A clear decision is easier to announce than a hesitant one, and it is much easier to postpone later than to un-cancel.

Get the decision makers in one conversation, gather the facts you have, and write the decision down with the date and the reason. If a permit, an insurer or a venue is involved, make sure you know what they require before announcing.

Be honest with yourself about the reason. If the cause is something outside your control, such as a venue closure, say so plainly. If it is low registration, a decision to cancel early is usually kinder to attendees and to your own costs than one made at the last moment. Either way, the people affected will judge the event on how clearly and how soon you told them.

• Cancel

  The event will not happen. Use this when there is no realistic new date or the reason is not going away.

• Postpone

  The event will happen on a later date. Choose this only when you can name a likely date or a date range, and have checked the venue.

• Change the format

  Move online, shrink it, or split it. This is a different event with different costs, so treat it as a new plan.

• Check the paperwork first

  Read your venue and vendor contracts and your insurance policy for cancellation terms and notice periods before you announce, so you act within them.

  Event contract template

Who to tell, and in what order

The order matters because the people who can be hurt most, or who control your costs, should hear from you and not from a rumor. As a general order, move from the people with a contract and a deadline to the people with a ticket:

1. 1

   Your own team and leadership

   Everyone who will answer questions needs the same facts, the same wording and the same contact point before anything goes out.

2. 2

   Venue, key vendors and insurer

   Notice periods and costs often run from the date you notify. Check what your contracts say and notify in writing.

3. 3

   Speakers, performers and sponsors

   They have schedules and money tied to the event, and they will be asked about it by others.

4. 4

   Ticket holders and registered guests

   Send one clear announcement to everyone at the same time, by the channel you used to sell tickets.

5. 5

   Exhibitors and staff or volunteers

   They may have travel and stock committed. Tell them early with a named person to talk to.

6. 6

   The public

   Update the event website, social profiles and any listings so nobody turns up or buys a ticket by mistake.

Refund and ticket policy basics

Refund rules depend on your ticket terms, the contracts you signed, your insurance and local law, so check each before you promise anything. Do not copy another event's policy. What follows is a way to organize the question, not a statement of what the law requires.

Whatever you decide, say it once, clearly and early. Attendees can accept bad news but not vague news.

Work out the numbers before you announce. Add up what has been paid, what has already been spent and cannot be recovered, and what you can afford to return. If you cannot refund in full, say what you can do and when, and do not wait for complaints before saying it. A partial refund or a credit, offered at the start with a clear reason, is far better received than a promise that is later reduced.

A cancellation announcement email you can copy

Lead with the decision, then what the reader gets, then what to do. Keep it short, kind and specific, and put the details on a web page you link to.

Subject: [Event name] on [date] has been [cancelled / postponed]

Hello [First name],

We are sorry to tell you that [Event name], planned for [date] at [venue], has been [cancelled / postponed to a new date: date].

The reason: [One plain sentence, such as a venue issue, a speaker issue, severe weather or too few registrations].

WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR TICKET
[Your ticket will be refunded in full to your original payment method within [timeframe] / Your ticket stays valid for the new date. If you cannot attend, you can request a refund by [date] at [link].]

You do not need to do anything. [Or: To request a refund, please [action] by [date].]

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
[New date and details, or the date by which we will share an update.]

We have put the details and answers to common questions here: [link to FAQ page]

If you have a question we have not answered, please contact [name] at [email].

Thank you for your patience and understanding. We are sorry for the disruption.

[Name]
[Organization]

A FAQ page template to publish alongside it

A single page answers the questions before they reach your inbox, and gives your team one place to link. Update it as facts change and show the date of the last update at the top.

[EVENT NAME]: UPDATE ON [DATE]
Last updated: [Date and time]

WHAT HAS HAPPENED?
[Event name] has been [cancelled / postponed]. [One-sentence reason.]

WILL I GET A REFUND?
[Refund policy in plain words, with timeframe and method.]

HOW DO I REQUEST A REFUND?
[Steps, link or confirmation that no action is needed.]

WHEN WILL THE EVENT TAKE PLACE NOW?
[New date, or the date by which an update will be posted.]

WHAT ABOUT MY HOTEL, TRAVEL OR EXTRAS?
[What the organizer can and cannot do. Suggest contacting the hotel or airline. Do not promise what you cannot deliver.]

I AM A SPEAKER, EXHIBITOR OR SPONSOR. WHAT NOW?
[Direct contact, and the next step.]

I BOUGHT A TICKET FROM SOMEONE ELSE. WHAT NOW?
[Instructions for resold tickets.]

WHO CAN I CONTACT?
[Name, email and the hours you will answer.]

Vendor and venue steps

Costs after a cancellation depend on what your contracts say and when you notify. Work through these in order and keep a written record.

• Read each contract

  Find the cancellation clause, any force majeure wording, the notice period and any deposit terms. Ask a lawyer if the wording is unclear.

• Notify in writing

  Email the named contact, quote the clause if you can and keep a copy. Ask for written confirmation of the next steps.

• Ask about alternatives

  Some venues and suppliers will move a booking or issue a credit, so ask before assuming you lose the deposit.

• Tell your insurer

  If you hold event insurance, tell the insurer promptly and ask what they need. Policies differ a lot in what they cover.

• List every commitment

  Catering, AV, staffing, printing, travel and accommodation. Cross each off as you confirm it.

• Reconcile payments

  Record what you refund, what you owe and what you recover, so the accounts close cleanly.

For attendees: what to expect and what to do

If you are the one holding a ticket for a cancelled event, a few steps protect you. Look for the organizer's announcement, and check it came from the real organizer, for example against the event's official website, before you click a link or share payment details. Read the refund terms on your ticket and the organizer's page, and keep your confirmation email and payment record.

Wait for the organizer's instructions before asking your bank for a chargeback, unless the organizer has gone silent for a long time. Check separately with any hotel or airline you booked, since these are usually not part of the event refund. Terms vary, so read them, and contact the organizer or your payment provider if you are unsure.

Expect the organizer to take some time. Ask the organizer how and when a refund will be paid, since the method and timing depend on the organizer and the payment provider. If a date has been promised and passes, write to the organizer first with your order number, then to your payment provider if there is still no answer.

Cancellations and refunds in Eventdex

Eventdex's pages are specific about registrations. They say the registration software lets you register, cancel, modify and refund attendees, and lets guests do this themselves if you allow it. They describe payment gateway integrations that collect, refund or partially refund payments, and reporting that shows when refunds were disbursed. Eventdex's ticketing pages also describe instant confirmations for buyers.

The pages do not describe a one-click cancellation notice to every attendee, so plan to send your announcement by your own email tool and keep the contacts you exported. Refund terms themselves are yours to set.

• Registration software

  Register, cancel, modify and refund attendees, with gateway refunds and partial refunds.

  Event registration software

• Event ticketing

  Ticket types, branded event pages and instant confirmations.

  Event ticketing software