The COVID-19 Economic Impact: a Trade Show Promoter’s Perspective by Mike Kent "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs...." is the opening line of the immortal poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling. Published in 1910 and still relevant today, it is often touted as an inspiration al work that provides advice on how one should live their life and gives encouragement to rise above the many adversities we all face at some point in time. A members of the human race, and a much smaller subset consisting of Civil War enthusiasts, Nationa and State Parks, museums, collectors, dealers, seminars, tour companies, sutlers, living history presenters, and reenactors, we might all benefit by taking a few minutes to read and digest "If." With the outbreak COVID-19, known as the Coronavirus, in the United States since late February, life has changed to some degree for all of us. Isolation or self-quarantine is prevalent and mandated in some locations. Necessities such as food, water, pharmaceuticals and yes, even toilet paper, are harder to find and in short suppl
Certain industries are facing massive layoffs, or work from home situations, and no one is sure when the virus may be contained or when life can return to normal. Statistics, predictions, opinions, facts, and lies are inundating us 24 hours a day via TV and social media, often from talking heads, celebrities, and politician with little or no factual information about the situation. Everyone seems to have an agenda to push during this crisis; few of them offer solutions for the average American. While each of us is obviously concerned with our own situation during this outbreak, it may be helpful if we step back and take a look at how other people and businesses are impacted as well. My recent experience is probably very similar to the many readers who collect, deal, and participate in Civil War events around the country. On March 15, I was notified that my gun show scheduled for Columbia, S.C., on March 21st and 22nd had been cancelled by the state fair board. While financially concerning to me, I couldn' help but think of the hundred plus vendors who had stocked up on merchandise in preparation for the show only to have no place to sell it for the foreseeable future It was then that I began to realiz the staggering impact an event’s cancellation could have in any industry, especially when you take into consideration the thousands of shows, festivals, sporting events, and gatherings occurring in this country every weekend. To put things in perspective, consider the following list of businesses and individuals who did not receive any income due to the cancellation of my small, 400 table gun show: • The venue I rent for my show. • The event services company that provides tables and chairs. • The off-duty police officers
Kent’s Richmond Civil War Sh Fortunately, this show is No
that feeds the vendors and attendees. The individuals employed to sell tickets and inspect firearms. The temp labor company that provides workers who assist vendors moving in and out. The temp labore themselves. The parking lot attendants. The hotels and restaurants, where I and a large number of vendors, stay and eat for days and nights. The hotel and restaurant sta The National Restaurant Association recently predict ed that restaurants across t
lion in business over the ne three months, and that five to seven million service and kitchen jobs could be lost over the same period. The gas station where I fill up and get my coffee every morning along with all the vendors and participants who
attend the event. • The media outlets that run my ads: radio, TV, billboa companies, digital adverti ing, and newspapers. • The advertising agency that creates and places my ads. • The city that charges me for a temporary business licen • The state that charges me an admission tax. • The pet sitter who feeds my dog and cats. Now imagine that in each of the situations listed above, t is a business owner, manager, or employee who can diagram a similar chart of affected enti under their control. When analyzed from this perspective th economic toll being taken by the Coronavirus panic can seem overwhelming. The other part of the Coronavirus equation is obviously its health-related impac which is concerning, but not the magnitude of the bubonic plague that killed an estimate
million people, 60 per cent of t European population, in the 14th century. To put things in perspe tive, here are a few statistics more recent epidemics, courtesy of the CDC (cdc.gov). • The Spanish flu of 1918– 1919 infected an estimated 50 million people worldwide with 675,000 deaths in the U.S. • The SARS outbreak of 2003 infected 8,098 people world wide with 774 deaths, but none in the U.S. • The Ebola scare of 2014 registered 11,325 deaths world wide, with only 1 reported death in the U.S. • The H1N1 influenza epidemic of 2009 resulted in an e timated 60 million infectio in the U.S., 274,000 hospit izations, and 12,469 deaths • Throughout the most recent flu season from October 1,