Event planners were some of the hardest hit by the coroanvirus pandemic, but some Wagga businesses have managed to turn their fortunes around and thrive.
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One of them is Adam Bannister, who was "completely morose" after his business was completely decimated in March, but who has since managed to triple his revenue from pre-COVID levels.
Mr Bannister has switched to virtual corporate events with companies from all over Australia, all from the comfort of his home in Gobbagombalin.
He said it had been an incredible time saver, since previously he would be forever travelling back and forth from Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra to organise in-person events.
"Five events in a week is not deliverable when they are all over the country, but if I'm doing them all from Wagga they're suddenly doable," Mr Bannister said.
"It's been a big leveller for me to compete with people in the cities, because I've got the skills and I've got the experience but I'm regionally based so it could be a turn-off to clients."
He said his new schedule was now "absolutely chaotic", so much so that he has hired his first employee - an assistant event planner and videographer from Melbourne.
He said virtual events would continue to be their niche even after lockdown ends, saying that companies would learn from this experience and forever change the way they did meetings.
"It doesn't matter where the clients are now; everyone's on the new frontier, they're not working from the old venues, the whole thing has been shaken up and there's a new fight for what's normal," Mr Bannister said.
"There's a fight for the new hierarchy, for who can be the best provider of events. It's really surreal; it's been a complete seismic shift for the whole industry."
In other news:
Forrest Hill resident Samarra Clarke has also shaken up her business, Wagga Event Hire and Stylings, which used to rely mostly on weddings.
She found most of her weddings were postponed, and so she found herself in a "sink or swim" situation that demanded she innovate.
"We had to come up with something else to keep else to keep things ticking along," Ms Clarke said.
She now runs smaller, outdoor picnic-style events as well as children's parties, and she
"The picnics have taken off. I put up a post on my socials with available dates and people have jumped on them, so really busy," Ms Clarke said.
"I'm starting to get some Christmas parties too, so I should be busy for the rest of the year."
Kenji Sato
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
