Event Postponement Update
Unfortunately we have to deliver the news that both For the Love of Horror and For the Love of Wrestling are going to be rescheduled to 2021.
At each step of the way we have tried to keep communicating with fans to let you know our thought process and what needed to happen for the events to take place. The decision to reschedule was taken earlier today after a meeting with our team and conversations with the Exhibition Centre, Liverpool. We will try and give as much detail as possible in this message.
We are not naive, and always knew (as we stated in previous correspondence) that there would be great challenges in running events in October, but we felt that we owed it to the fans to do our very best, and that meant staying positive and waiting for updates from the government on the national response to COVID and how/when large venues could re-open.
Why we reached this decision
Quarantine from USA - After long consultation with our Visa specialist we were no closer to understanding whether guests from America could be allowed in the UK. They also weren't confident that any business exceptions could be made. This wasn't a 'deal breaker' in terms of a cancellation, but as days and weeks passed the chances of getting American guests into the UK has gradually diminished. This factor is still at the 'wait and see' stage, however it was always likely to have been a serious impediment.
Social Distancing - We've received many messages about how social distancing would affect photos. We stated all along that if the 1m+ rule remained then we wouldn't be comfortable keeping peoples money for photos that were purchased under different circumstances. No doubt some people would be happy standing a metre from the guests and having a picture - but others wouldn't feel they got the full value for their money. We had it confirmed today by the venue that they fully expect the 1m+ rule to be in place by October. This is a deal breaker for us, as it fundamentally alters the event experience for many people.
Ticket Sales - We understand why most events want to careful manage their PR when cancelling a show, and things like ticket sales wouldn't be discussed. But we want to be 100% transparent. Since lockdown ticket sales for our events have dropped to about 1 or 2% of what they were prior to the pandemic. Part of the reason is that our marketing efforts had mostly been halted. It's very difficult putting a large spend into marketing a show that's 50/50 to happen in the first place. Assuming we could run the events, there is a great likelihood that we would lose a considerable amount of money which jeopardises future shows and would spoil the experience for the people who did attend.
How about For the Love of Sci-Fi?
As things stand we're still hoping to run this event, and there are a few elements still in our favour. Firstly we have an extra month - which could be useful. Secondly due to the incredible popularity of Millie Bobby Brown, the event had been very close to a sell out. We are far more confident of being able to still run this event, but will of course continue to provide updates.
When are the rescheduled dates?
Both shows have been rescheduled for 2021.
For the Love of Wrestling will take place on May 15th and 16th 2021 at the Exhibition Centre in Liverpool.
For the Love of Horror will take place on October 23rd and 24th 2021 at Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester.
Both of these dates are confirmed with the venues.
Which guests will be rescheduled?
Our intention is to move as many of the current guests across as possible. However please appreciate that schedules are a little up in the air at the moment. We made the decision to tell the public at the same time as the guests/agents. This means we will need a few weeks to determine who can attend next year and who can't. We hope that you appreciate that we wanted you to know straight away and we didn't cancel the event behind the scenes first and keep selling tickets for a date we knew wasn't happening.
Once we confirm that a guest won't be attending the new date we will let you know immediately and process a refund for that guest.
Can I get a refund?
It remains our policy that people have the option to receive a refund if they want one. We have made a few comments about this in the past, and we truly believe that it is both wrong, and completely unfair to try to offer any type of credit instead.
Next week we will post with details about how you can apply for a refund. Please don't message us in the meantime as we won't be processing requests until next week. It will be a simple process. We use an external ticket agency so that this type of thing is managed quickly and efficiently. Once processed a refund should take from 7-10 days to reappear in your bank. If it takes any longer then contact the source you purchased tickets from as it usually means that either your email wasn't received or the card you paid with has since expired (and you need to provide new card details for your refund).
Of course we very much want our show fans to keep supporting the events, and that's why we hope that by being honest and doing the right thing, that many of you will in return stick with us and retain your tickets for 2021. We are asking everyone to please keep your tickets and support us during this time. Next week we will also give details on a 'Thank You' offer that we'll make for everyone who does stick with us.
Once again thank you for your patience and for so many of you that have believed in us and stayed positive. We know that during these times it's always easier to be negative, but we tried to run the event, and have remained honest and open throughout that process. We have a lot of work to do now over the next few days so please hold fire with any questions until our next update.
Thanks again - and we'll see you soon.
Andrew Kleek CEO Monopoly Events
