Tuesday March 31, 2020
 

Hi Friend,

 Thank you for your patience as we all work through the COVID-19 challenges to get you answers to the questions surrounding compensation. This is truly an unprecedented event for the Green Living Show, resulting in severe financial strain.

In 2018, I took over as the Owner and CEO of the Green Living Show, a show that has been at the forefront of the eco-movement since 2006. Over the last year, my team and I have worked tirelessly to build a 2020 Show that was bigger and better than ever, making significant investments in the show to pave the way for the future. Over the last two years, we have run this annual event which hosts around 30,000 guests with a total of three full-time staff members. We are a small, female-run business, and we do what we do because we are passionate about the environment and the climate movement, and bringing this community together for meaningful connection. 

The GLS is a small business in the environmental space, and we do not have large reserves of cash on hand.  Unfortunately this sort of thing is not covered by any insurer, and at this stage there is no form of government relief available to cover the losses.  As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Green Living Show has been placed under significant financial constraints.
 
As you may know, producing and advertising the Green Living Show to the point of move-in means that all the revenue we have collected from you has been spent. The venue, media, services (fork lifts, carpet, signage etc.) is all paid for in advance leaving us with no retained earnings. Such is the cost of running a show of this size in Toronto. Our team has spent the last two weeks working with our suppliers to finalize costs, so that we can put together an appropriate plan to keep the Green Living Show alive during these tumultuous times. 
 
We have been able to secure some relief from some of our suppliers, which we are passing along to you based on the option you select below.  We have secured 17% of the revenue we collected from you, and will continue to advocate on your behalf.  

Even at this stage of having only secured the promise of 17% of the revenue back, we are confirming that we will reimburse you up to 30% as per your selection, as soon as we have the funds.  If and when we are able to secure further relief in the future, we will continue to pass this along to you. We are looking to any government programs available for small businesses during this widespread pandemic, and we would welcome your support in this effort. 
 
In order to enable us to process your reimbursement, we ask that you submit a request through the form linked below.  We will then analyze your responses and prepare to distribute the money accordingly, once it comes back to us from our suppliers. Armed with your response we will contact you regarding the appropriate paperwork to finalize the settlement of your reimbursement as well as your credit for upcoming shows and how to apply this to the booth(s) you select. 
 
The reality is that we will not be able to provide 100% refunds as we just do not have it, and we are most certainly not profiting from these circumstances. As a small business, we do not have additional resources or large reserves of funds that we can access to cover all the losses from this unfortunate situation.  
 
We are all suffering the consequences of these uncontrollable global events and we recognize the only way forward is together. Rest assured we will help you and provide some cash back to you, dependent on your selection below, as soon as we can.

Best,

Kathleen Krimker
President & CEO 
Green Living Show