Communication plan: cancelling an international conference
Taimio, Annina (2020)
Taimio, Annina
2020
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020081019696
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020081019696
Tiivistelmä
In 2020, the event industry has been faced with unprecedented circumstances caused by the global coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Events have had to be cancelled, and event organisers have had to communicate about the cancellation to the participants of the event. It is vital to have a communication plan ready when the crisis hits and event organisers must act fast regarding communication.
The topic of this product-oriented thesis is event risk management and crisis communication. The aim is to create a communication plan for a situation where an international conference, which charges a registration fee, is cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. The plan focuses on communication to the participants, not any other stakeholders, and works as template when creating a plan for a specific event. The product of this thesis, the communication plan, includes step-by-step guidelines and sample messages.
The communication plan was created by combining the knowledge presented in the theoretical framework and the findings from benchmarking. The theoretical framework explains the key concepts of the thesis and why the product of the thesis is essential. It presents relevant background theory and knowledge needed to create the communication plan. Benchmarking the communication of cancelled international conferences resulted in the creation of best practices when communicating to the participants.
The thesis is commissioned by event agency Tapahtumantekijät Oy which designs and produces business and corporate events for its clients. The commissioner has a growing interest towards international conferences, and the current situation demands the agency to learn more about how to communicate if a conference is cancelled.
The topic of this product-oriented thesis is event risk management and crisis communication. The aim is to create a communication plan for a situation where an international conference, which charges a registration fee, is cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. The plan focuses on communication to the participants, not any other stakeholders, and works as template when creating a plan for a specific event. The product of this thesis, the communication plan, includes step-by-step guidelines and sample messages.
The communication plan was created by combining the knowledge presented in the theoretical framework and the findings from benchmarking. The theoretical framework explains the key concepts of the thesis and why the product of the thesis is essential. It presents relevant background theory and knowledge needed to create the communication plan. Benchmarking the communication of cancelled international conferences resulted in the creation of best practices when communicating to the participants.
The thesis is commissioned by event agency Tapahtumantekijät Oy which designs and produces business and corporate events for its clients. The commissioner has a growing interest towards international conferences, and the current situation demands the agency to learn more about how to communicate if a conference is cancelled.