‘Let us dance’: Event organizers contend with cancellations due to no dancing rules

Live event organizers and entertainers claim many big-revenue clients have been cancelling live event bookings in large numbers.

Live event organizers and entertainers claim many big-revenue clients have been cancelling live event bookings in large numbers after newly-announced provincial guidelines lifted event capacity limits but left dancing restrictions and the indoor-mask mandate in place.

“Many of our events that we’ve been working on for months, sometimes even up to a year, will be cancelled if we can’t have dancing and no masks,” said live event organizer Julie Connolly.

She said many of her local and international clients for her event planning company, Carte Blanche, started booking events for the holiday season because there was hope that all restrictions would be lifted by then.

But many of them have now cancelled their bookings once they learned last week that the indoor-mask mandate and dancing restrictions would remain.

“I’ve had a number of events cancelled already,” said Connolly, who said she does large celebrations and galas that welcome people from around Canada and the world. “I stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of business this holiday season.”

She said companies, like hers, also benefit other industries’ workers who are now feeling the trickle-down effects of the live event cancellations.

“It’s so far-reaching, you wouldn’t think of it right away,” said Connolly, who lists caterers, live musicians, hotel owners and staff as some of the industry workers who feel the pinch of the lack of event bookings.

Musician Arturo Fermill, also known as D.J. Buddha Sax, says the demand of his services has only declined since the province’s announcement that capacity limits would be lifted.