Advice on how to cancel, respectfully

It’s easy to get swallowed up in the fast-paced logistics of cancelling an event. So how do you maintain empathy and care for those involved?

By this stage in the COVID game, we have all felt the impact of cancelled arts events firsthand. That doesn’t mean being faced with that decision has become any easier – logistically or emotionally.

It is the checklist that everyone dreads: manage ticketing returns, check venue contract clauses, review sponsor obligations, revisit artist contracts, lay off casual staff hired for event delivery …. the list goes on.

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina