Weddings are being reshaped to accommodate COVID-19 concerns. Felix And Fingers Dueling Pianos is at the forefront of the wedding entertainment industry, and is forging new paths by providing safe practices to alleviate concerns among clients and employees.
LAKEWOOD, Ill. (PRWEB) May 28, 2020
In a time of financial crisis, Felix And Fingers Dueling Pianos has utilized the “time off” that COVID-19 has forced, as an opportunity to expand. Although the gig industry has been especially hurt, new opportunities exist to move forward while meeting the expectations and concerns of clients when safety and social distancing has become a number one priority.
Founded in 2010, Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos is a DBA for MJ Productions, an Illinois corporation that specializes in providing entertainment for private events.
Musicians and the performance industry were hit particularly hard with the spread of COVID-19, in that for many, it was not possible to remain in business.
That did not mean the end for Felix And Fingers. With the help of the PPP forgivable loans included in the CARES act, Felix and Fingers realized there was a chance to “double down” by investing in their team and hiring more employees.
Mike Potts, Founder and CEO of Felix And Fingers Dueling Pianos, saw the shelter-at-home order as a unique opportunity to develop infrastructure for future growth. By appropriating these funds to new employees in the company, he was able to double his staff, seek out new clients, while working with existing clients on rescheduling their weddings and events.
People are still getting married and they still want the wedding they had imagined from the beginning. It’s times like this where entertainment feels more essential than ever, and in the case of F&F, dueling pianos has remained a strong priority for their clients.
Dueling piano weddings comprise about one-third of top-line revenue for Felix And Fingers. The company has dominated major wedding markets in popular online communities such as The Knot, WeddingWire, and GigSalad, winning consecutive yearly awards and high customer reviews.
However, COVID-19 has meant that most entertainment companies, like Felix and Fingers, have gone months without a single performance. And though many companies have experimented with virtual shows, revenue has effectively been stopped cold.
Thankfully, most weddings are being rescheduled. Love doesn’t stop because of a virus. Of course, there were some who canceled their weddings or simply got married at the courthouse, but the culture of celebrating love, though delayed, remains strong. With many reschedules being set for 2021, Mr. Potts is expecting the pent up demand to result in a flood of weddings next year. He is encouraging couples to book early, or consider nontraditional dates (Sundays or Thursdays), so that couples can still get the reception they’ve envisioned.
Unfortunately though, it seems as if many venues are difficult to reach. The F&F outreach team has called hundreds of venues throughout the shutdown, only to find that the venue managers aren’t working onsite. Couple that with the logistics of rebooking months of events and it’s understandable as to why this is a difficult time for the industry. However, many venues are bringing interesting new concepts to the wedding industry, like “mini-monies”, or mini ceremonies, that comply with CDC guidelines.
The industry as a whole, however, is finding ways to adapt to the new environment while remaining optimistic that the bookings will return in full force. For F&F, they are working hard to make changes that adhere to social distancing recommendations. Protecting performers and guests through new policies has become a focus. For example, wedding speeches no longer pass the microphone through several hands. Instead, the microphone will remain on a stand and utilize a disposable cover for each speaker. Rather than writing requests down with shared pencils and bringing the paper requests up to the performers, F&F will now utilize an app that allows for people to make song requests using only their phones.
The dueling pianists have a roped off area to maintain safe social distancing, and F&F event planners are working with venue managers to ensure the dance area is much larger than what was recommended pre-COVID-19.
Weddings and events might look very different in the immediate future, and the team is hopeful that audiences will take care to wear masks, wash hands, and maintain social distancing. But in the end, it’s reassuring to see the bookings being maintained, people coming together to adapt, and love outshining fear. It’s a tough time for the industry and companies like Felix and Fingers, but it seems as if there’s a light at the end of this tunnel.
Contact Felix And Fingers for more information.
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