Cancelled Celebrations and Empty Dance Floors

An inside scoop on the hospitality and entertainment industry during COVID-19

Expect the unexpected would be the correct expression to use for a situation like this. A few months ago, events and get togethers were legally prohibited due to COVID-19. Thus, the pandemic took a huge toll on the hospitality and entertainment industry. 

From weddings to galas, and even concerts, none are to be resumed as they used to prior to March. Of course, this was for the benefit of containing the spread; however, these hard-hit industries are struggling like never before. 

According to a COVID-19 impact update conducted by IBISWorld’s analysts, revenue for the caterer’s industry in Canada is expected to decline significantly in 2020. This report is compared to previous years where the industry has seen
steady growth.

These are businesses that require gatherings and events to survive. So, what is happening with banquet halls and vendors who cater to the entertainment sector?

The Hard-Hit: Hospitality Industry

With months, sometimes even years of planning events, COVID-19 did not hesitate to ruin all of that. Banquet halls have taken a hard, devastating hit since mid-March. All events have either had
to be postponed or cancelled. 

Located in the heart of Woodbridge, The Royalton Hospitality has been hosting wedding and events for over two decades. This year was one like they have never went through before. “It’s been a lot of losses this year,” said The Royalton’s Head Sales Director, Antonella Alfieri. “Our future brides and grooms were anticipating 2020 for so long and now they have to postpone and coordinate with vendors all over again”. 

Alfieri also mentioned that on top of rescheduling dates, the hardest part was the financial stress the hall has been put through. “You know a lot have asked why we didn’t offer take-out orders during our closed months, and my simple answer to that was it just wasn’t worth it and definitely not enough to cover the bills”. 

With a big space like The Royalton that can hold up to 800 guests, the utility bills are not cheap and the space itself is a lot to maintain. No functions occurring means no revenue coming in, which has been a struggle for the hospitality sector. 

“I really hope that with restrictions easing that these next few months can help us get by and we anticipate a fresh new start for 2021,” said Alfieri. “First and foremost we want our clients to be happy and their guests to have the ultimate experience, we will be doing our best to ensure the appropriate protocols are in place all while making sure our clients experience the event they’ve been waiting for”. 

Peter & Paul’s full-service hospitality and entertainment group released a press release on July 29 officially announcing the re-opening of their facilities. The press release outlined all the details regarding the safety protocols and guidelines in place for their staff and guests. Located in Vaughan – Universal EventSpace, Paramount, and the newly renovated Bellagio — are all getting ready for an exciting return after months of closure.

“As restrictions continue to ease, we will be ready to host larger events,” said Dino Cavalluzzo, Director of Business Development at Peter & Paul’s Hospitality Group. “Our goal is to get back to all things events and ensure our clients corporate events and dream weddings can still happen despite these trying times”.

The current outdoor limit for functions is 100 people. Universal EventSpace in Woodbridge offers a beautiful outdoor venue for events of up to 100 guests. 

Many future brides and grooms are awaiting what these next few months will look like. Currently, the provincial government has allowed gatherings and small events to take place with a limited number of people.

Vendors in the Entertainment Industry

Closed event spaces also entail that vendors who cater to the entertainment industries are struggling as well. Stag companies, DJ services, cake decorators, etc., all fall under that category. 

Mimmo Salerno, co-owner of Double Down Promotions, mentioned that what he thought would have been only a matter of weeks, actually turned into months. “Our stag company goes hand-in-hand with the event spaces,” said Salerno. “Since banquet halls and convention centres shut down, well, we had to cancel stags to”. 

Stags rely on a high number of guests to ensure success for both parties — the future groom and the company hosting the event. With social distancing measures in place and limited attendees, the stag business may not be the same for quite some time. 

“People don’t understand the severity of how badly some businesses are hit during this pandemic,” said Salerno. “Some lives weren’t disrupted at all, they were just told to stay home”. 

Salerno added that some stag events they had booked didn’t even bother rescheduling or postponing, they just cancelled the event all together which created a fiscal impact on his company. 

DJ’s all across the board have silenced their equipment for quite some time now as well. “We lost most of our dates for this year,” said Mario the Director of Operations at RedLine DJ Services. “The bigger problem is our clients are postponing for dates next year and most of the dates are already booked up”. 

When booking events and vendors, they will most likely request a deposit to book the date. Mario mentioned that a lot of clients are not happy about the non-refundable deposit structure. “We understand that many want their deposits back, but unfortunately that is not fair. However, we are crediting the deposit for their new date and even offering them the option to give their credit to someone else”. During these trying times Mario said some of his clients are not being understanding which makes it even more frustrating to cope with the stress that they have already been experiencing. 

Mario’s advice to fellow vendors is to keep their head up high and hopes for a better year ahead. With things slowly getting back into action, the entertainment industry is getting a little sigh of relief.

On the other hand, there are also catering companies that rely on events and gatherings to make a living. Whether it’s cake decorators, pastry chefs, general caterers, etc., they have definitely felt a financial dent throughout these past few months.  

Though, on a more positive note, there are a few who flourished during the duration of the pandemic. Founder of Antipasto Go, Vivian Butrus, used these past few months as inspiration to cater something different. 

“A couple of weeks before Father’s Day I thought of the idea to create custom boxes for the perfect Father’s Day gift,” said Butrus. “Customers didn’t have to worry about shopping for a gift and I also offered no contact delivery so that customers wouldn’t have to get into contact with their dads”. 

Usually catering to big events and private functions, Butrus created something different — and delicious — that she could benefit from and same with her clients. 

Guess you can say the best of creative innovation peaks during times
of struggle!

What’s Next?

As venues start to gradually open back up again, the Ontario government has established guidelines and visuals on posters for each sector. This provides businesses and services guidance as they re-open after months of having their doors closed. All of these precautionary measures will help limit the spread of
the virus as restrictions start to ease to protect staff, customers and the general public from COVID-19. 

With some restrictions in place, the time has finally come for many eager party goers. The feel of gatherings was definitely missed.