When to not go to an event

Well, this weekend I had to do what I had only done once before, ever. I had to choose to skip the convention that I was booked and paid for. It wasn't a fun decision, but it was the right one. It just hurts that I was unable to setup my booth for the weekend, especially considering my next confirmed event isn't for 4 months. Luckily, there are some other events before then that I may try doing, instead.

8 years ago, back when I was doing craft fairs, too, I had to cancel 2 events that were fairly close together. I had to have emergency surgery, so I wasn't physically able to setup, sit and stand all day, then teardown while I was recovering. This time, it isn't nearly so dire as surgery, but I have caught some bug with a sore throat, and rather than go and spread my germs to all the event attendees, vendors, and volunteers, I have made the decision to not go. I honestly believe it is the right call, but it is still disappointing.

I have gotten sick from being at conventions, and I have even had some food poisoning one weekend at an event. But, since there were no issues before-hand, I still had to finish up the event time while not feeling my best. In this case, I can't even imagine having to drive there, then go through setup while feeling this way. Not to mention, this is a one-day con, so I would have to tear down at the end and drive home, too. That is just too much for one day when not feeling well.

I would hope that con attendees, vendors, and volunteers would make the same call in similar circumstances, even though I know some won't. For me, I'm not going to risk anyone else getting this crud.

The consequences of cancelling are that I will be forfeiting my booth fee, since it is last minute. Luckily, the booth fee at this event was pretty low, and it is for a library, so I don't mind the funds going to them rather than lining some company's pockets. There is always the possibility in these cases that the event holder will also blacklist you for cancelling last minute, as well. I can only hope that is not the case, as I would like to attend this convention in the future. It was one of the first ones I had done when I was moving to cons from craft fairs, and I enjoyed it.

If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, don't feel bad about having to cancel. The public health (and yours!) is more important than making some dollars at an event.