Caution over virus outbreak brings corporate events to a halt

Singapore

NUMEROUS corporate events were cancelled or rejigged on Friday as some companies took precautions amid news of the coronavirus outbreak being raised to a global health emergency.

CapitaLand's spring festival celebrations were to have taken place next Monday but the property group on Friday cancelled the event - which saw over 430 guests attend in 2019 - citing uncertainty over the outbreak and feedback from guests.

A circular signed off by the event's organising committee said: "The Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) situation remains uncertain and fluid. Today, the World Health Organization declared nCoV a global health emergency. We have also received some feedback from our guests. Taking all these into consideration, we have decided to cancel this event."

Other companies like Great Eastern, The Hour Glass and Lange & Söhne also shelved plans for Chinese New Year celebrations as a precautionary measure.

Far East Organization postponed its annual dinner and dance slated for February till further notice.

Manulife US Reit changed its upcoming results briefing to a conference call. In its circular, the Reit noted that the briefing had received "overwhelming response" from analysts and said the change was made "in order not to compromise the seating capacity, in view of the coronavirus situation".

However, upcoming events for investors and the media will go ahead as planned.

The cautious mood has also hit dining operators, with some saying they expect corporate bookings to take further beating.

Dian Xiao Er has seen about a 10 per cent to 20 per cent drop in corporate bookings, said its managing director, Samuel Yik. He added that the impact on demand going forward will hinge on the level of public confidence, which will be affected depending on the effectiveness of government measures and the number of confirmed cases.

Rasel Catering, which caters to corporate meetings and conferences, has seen roughly 10 per cent of its bookings cancelled. "We are bracing ourselves to take on the headwinds; we are expecting more (cancellations) to come," said its co-founder, Alan Tan.

Some of the ways the caterer is trying to manage include suggesting alternative dining arrangements to minimise physical contact among diners. Its staff have also been told to wear masks.

At Chinese restaurant Empress, an employee handling bookings said it has not had any corporate cancellations this week.