The standard implicit contract is that if you cancel an event you refund the ticket price. They will be out of pocket to the extent that the members do not make a charitable gesture and refuse the refund.
Personally I would like Eastercons to continue, which they won’t if the committee finds itself with bankrupt people.
Suppose that the venue were struck by lightning: would that be the responsibility of the ten individuals on the committee? Should they then reimburse the memberships of all the members of the convention? Insurance would not cover it: act of God.
Having to cancel the event because the venue is unavailable, for whatever reason, is exactly the sort of thing event insurance does cover. Similarly, the insurance contracts I negotiated when I was doing this included all sorts of unlikely things which would force us to cancel.
Youread the things! Also, I note the use of the word “negotiated”. People who use a local tourist board to organise room-booking are capable of anything.
Coming eventually to the point (not only are we in lockdown, but broadband’s been out most of the day )
If there’s an official edict cancelling all gatherings (as we have here) then compensation is payable - insurance covers it. On the other hand, if the organisers or individual attendees take the decision to cancel then anything you paid is most likely forfeit. Holding back orders from on high until the last possible moment could save insurers a fortune, as anyone who cancelled before that would be very unlikely to be eligible for any compensation. To continue the poker analogy, more hands are won by everyone else folding than by going all the way to showdown.
Meanwhile, on another continent - or possibly planet…
I understand that there is a new virus out, but our governor decided to put all the small businesses out of business , and putting a lot of voters out of work by shutting down St Patrick’s Day, I hope everybody remembers him on Election Day
Hey Murphy why couldn’t you wait one more day, Oh yeah your a Democrat not and Irishmen.
…not quite as bad on this side of t’Pond. InterNet connection been goin’ up and down like TheWhore’sDrawers, but SPLAT still in good supply, same with glaziers.
Not too many volk abaht, stores till open. Theatres closed, same with sports stadia (…but I never go, since I can’t stand crowds).
Cell mates addicted to cat-TV (…particularly those wiv squirrels & chipmunks)
Any slackers who do not will earn themselves a Severe Talking-to, believe me.
Mumsnet is particularly fun for that kind of thing at the moment. Although it is rather unkind to point and laugh at the poor things, I suppose. In fact, I am being Unnaturally Good and am thus liable to Burst, horribly, in the near future. Oilskins and sou’westers as a precaution, dahlings. Oh, and those little white rubber boots as seen in the best post mortem suites ;- 0
…here’s an idea. We all start referring to "The Bull" as "The B @ Ambridge" in the hope that in order to address the in-balance (as mentioned by FagAsh), certain of Ambridge’s "greatest treasures" might encounter events of the deading and final kind! (…just an idea!)