What to Do When a Hong Kong Typhoon Cancels Your Event?

Adit Bhatnagar
Oct 4, 2024
5 min read

Typhoon Cancels your Events, hk typhoon, Hong Kong events

Events play a significant role in Hong Kong for the public, businesses, economy, and tourism. These events include fascinating cultural events, international seminars, jaw-dropping concerts, thrilling sports competitions, film and art festivals, and exhibitions.

The mix of events makes the event industry in Hong Kong exciting and dynamic. The hosts spend months to years planning and executing. All hosting businesses must be aware of the main event risks of hosting in Hong Kong. Event risks are any situations that can ruin the event, from injuries and damage to cancellations.

The weather is one of the main reasons for event cancellations in Hong Kong due to typhoons. Hong Kong typhoons have cancelled thousands of events over the years. Especially during typhoon season, event hosts must be aware of the high possibility of cancellations.

Typhoon event cancellations can be complex and, if not appropriately handled, harm a business’s reputation. Hence, the article highlights the best steps to take when a Hong Kong typhoon cancels your event.

Steps To Take When a Hong Kong Typhoon Cancels Your Event

Communicate with Attendees

Hong Kong has strict laws when Typhoon 8 or above is hosted. All events must be cancelled, and the city almost shuts down. The cancellation and shutdown is to keep the public safe from the high winds and heavy rain.

Fortunately, the Hong Kong Observatory tracks typhoons days to a week before they hit. There is always a hint of whether it will be a strong or weak typhoon. However, this data is never confirmed until a few hundred metres away.

event insurance Hong Kong, typhoon signal 8 work arrangement

As an event host, the best thing you can do is constantly communicate with attendees about possible cancellations. The first communication step should be a potential warning so attendees are aware and prepared for the possible cancellation.

Keep Updated with the Hong Kong Observatory

Hosting businesses must closely monitor the Hong Kong Observatory as the typhoon approaches Hong Kong. There is always a chance the typhoon will turn to a different location, and the impact won’t be severe. If the observatory announces that it will be typhoon 8 either tomorrow or in a few hours, you must be ready to cancel your event.

The Hong Kong Observatory typically releases accurate details and constant updates to help the public and businesses. Even if the observatory forecasts that the typhoon will hit near the end of your event, you may still need to cancel to ensure the safety of your attendees while travelling back.

At this point, a business can do little except plan to execute the next step of typhoon event cancellation and obey the Hong Kong laws.

Post Public Announcement

When the typhoon cancels your event, it is your duty as the hosting business to inform the public and all attendees. Attendees may have paid for their tickets and will be disappointed when the cancellation is announced. The announcement must be professional, informative and straightforward.

reason for cancellation, event cancellation email, event cancellation announcement

Businesses can use social media platforms and emails to inform all attendees and the public immediately. This step is crucial to prevent the hosting company from being blamed for unprofessional or poor cancellation procedures.

The public announcement email or post should contain a formal apology, a detailed reason for cancellation, and confirmation that recipients will receive details about the refund process shortly.

Inform Event Insurance

When planning and executing a quality event, venues must be booked, vendors must be appointed, staff must be hired, and tickets must be sold. There is a significant financial loss when a typhoon cancels your event.

When event hosts have purchased event insurance beforehand, they may not need to fear financial loss as much. Your business must contact the event insurance provider once the cancellation is confirmed.

The insurance providers will assist businesses through the coverage process and reimbursement timeline. At this stage, the event host should collect all the necessary documents, such as contracts, receipts and invoices, to submit to the insurance company.

The insurance policy will help cover lost costs such as deposits, salary, and ticket refunds, helping the company recover financially.

Set Up a Refund Plan

The refund process is another crucial step when a Hong Kong typhoon cancels your event. Every person who purchased a ticket for the event expects a full refund as soon as possible. As a host, you must set up the best ticket refund process that is smooth and efficient.

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The process should be able to be done online and set up only a few days after the cancellation. The faster the attendees can get their money back, the higher the chance of sustaining a positive business reputation.

Guests will not blame your business for the typhoon event cancellation but may blame you if the refund is not provided in time. The event hosts can offer refund options, such as money back into their account or business credit to purchase products—this depends on the type of business and event.

Provide Attendees Compensation

Companies can provide cancellation compensation along with a refund. Compensation can help express sincere apologies and improve the host’s reputation. It may even increase the chances of the attendees re-purchasing tickets for the next event.

The compensation does not have to be expensive. It can be discounts or vouchers linked to the hosting business, sponsors, or partners. For instance, when a typhoon cancels a business event sponsored by a food brand, the host can compensate the attendees with a dine-in voucher.

The type of compensation depends on the hosting business and the type of event. It is not vital but can benefit the company and its future events.

Possibly Re-plan Event

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After the typhoon cancels your event and insurance has reimbursed your loss, you may want to re-plan the event for another day. Reinvesting the reimbursement in another event can help increase income and give attendees another chance to attend.

Postponing events depends on the type of event, attendees, and people involved. For instance, a cultural event may not be able to be delayed as the festive days may have passed. But on the other hand, a concert can be moved to another date or month, as long as the people involved are flexible.

Replacing and postponing an event depends on the host and if necessary. Many hosts might write off the cancelled event and host it again next year.

Why Event Insurance Is Vital when a Typhoon Cancels Your Event

From Hong Kong typhoon 8s to 10s to a black rainstorm warning, any event hosted in Hong Kong could be cancelled, and the hosts must be prepared. Cancelling an event can be expensive and challenging to recover from financially, especially for more significant events.

Event insurance is one of the only ways to deal with the financial loss of cancelled events and event risks. It will cover the financial loss from cancellations, third-party injuries, property damage, and equipment damage. To get the best coverage, the insurance must be purchased while planning the event.