Dear Dance Families and Studio Owners,
Last Friday, the media announced that the government has placed a ban on mass gatherings of more than 500 people. We feel extremely grateful that the Australian Dance Festival is more than 6 months away. We believe that the ADF will still go ahead on our scheduled dates: 24th September for Resonate, and 25th – 27th September for the AD and based on the following:
- The government is being proactive on slowing the spread the COVID-19
- There is news that a Brisbane researchers are within reach of a cure
- The COVID-19 has slowed in other countries who were proactive in managing it
We are all facing a challenging time with cancelled classes, trips, competitions and events, not to mention worrying about our jobs, businesses and our loved ones. We hope that we can all approach these new challenges with compassion and common sense which is what we have applied in developing our refund policy in response to the COVID-19.
We are COMMITTED to delivering the Australian Dance Festival at the scheduled dates (24th – 27th) September as we understand that it is extremely important at this worrying time for children (of all ages) to have something to look forward to. That being said, we will continue to monitor the situation closely and will remain flexible in our stance e.g. change our dates if required.
Our normal refund policies* will apply UNLESS:
(*See policies here: Ticket Refund Policy / Hotel Refund Policy)
- The government ban on mass gatherings of 500+ is still in place as at 31st August 2020
Should this situation arise, we will look at cancelling the dates in September and re-scheduling the event as we will not put people at risk.
We have consulted with the Accor Hotels (Pullman, Novotel & Ibis) as well as the Quest Apartments and we are thankful that they have been flexible in this situation. Our venues have also given us up to 10 days before the event to cancel with only an administrative fee. We are extremely grateful to all our partners and suppliers for being so flexible as it allows us to also extend the same flexibility to our valued dance families.
What this will mean for you in the case that the ADF is postponed:
* You can either roll forward your ticket and your accommodation payments to the new scheduled dates of the ADF or
* If you are unable to attend the new scheduled dates, we will provide you with a refund for your ADF tickets and accommodation LESS a $25 administration fee
* If you have already purchased your flights, please call your travel agent / airline to discuss how flexible their policies are and whether they will provide you with a credit or refund
* If you haven’t purchased your flights, we recommend that you purchase a flight with the flexibility to change your dates.
* Please remember that travel agents and airlines have also been badly affected by COVID-19 and be calm and compassionate with staff who are trying to help you.
- You have been directly impacted by COVID-19 and are unable to come due to illness, quarantine or loss of income (please communicate with us ASAP if this is the case).
In this scenario, we will be assuming that the ADF will run as usual in September. We will assess each request for a refund on a case by case scenario.
We do not wish for the ADF to be a source of more heartache and pain for families affected by COVID-19 and will use compassion common sense and to guide our decisions. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any assistance or clarification about refunds. Our preferred mode of contact is via email to our Operations Manager: jessica@australiandancefestival.com.au.
As Marko says, in these difficult times stay positive, we are the joy that keeps spirits lifted in the world. A community can make a difference. A world without art is a world we cannot survive in. Cherish and support. Let's look out for each other.