COVID-19: kristin carpenter town hall & webinar recaps, march & april 2020
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Verde Founder and CEO, Kristin Carpenter, has partnered with a number of organizations within the outdoor industry - including Outdoor Industry Association and Snowsports Industries of America - to deliver or moderate webinars on topics relevant to specialty businesses and brands and their communications during a crisis. Below, we recap the most recent of these webinars for you to reference as you continue to lead your brand through the crisis.
Virtual Town Hall Meeting #1: Crisis Communications and COVID-19
Original Release Date: March 26, 2020
Organization: Snowsports Industries of America
During this inaugural Virtual Town Hall Meeting hosted by SIA, Kristin covered a 5-step framework for specialty businesses communicating during this crisis. The evergreen framework was first introduced on Channel Mastery episode 124, before the shelter in place orders were issued and it was announced that the coronavirus crisis was a Global Pandemic. The framework overview can be viewed on another of Verde’s blog posts here or you can view the full replay of the webinar here. If you don’t have an hour and twenty minutes to dedicate to this, jump to the last 30 minutes for some valuable advice during the Q & A portion of the webinar.
Virtual Town Hall Meeting #2: A View From The Trenches: A Brand, Sales Manager & Retailer Forum
Original Release Date: April 2, 2020
Organization: Snowsports Industries of America
As moderator for the second installment of SIA’s virtual town hall series, Kristin interviewed a panel of outdoor industry veterans and leaders. The panel consisted of Tom Adams, COO of Petzl, Dave Olson, President of Erik’s Bike Shop and Matt O’Connor, Western Regional Sales Manager of Patagonia. Each spoke openly on how their roles and organizations have been impacted by the coronavirus, including inventory and supply chain challenges, sales representative deployment, how partnerships may shift in the future, and what to expect as we look ahead in the outdoor industry. Along with the pre-planned list of questions, this webinar also features a Q & A section toward the end of the recording highlighting great questions from the audience.
COVID-19: Pivoting to Produce, Source and Donate PPE
Original Release Date: April 14, 2020
Organization: Outdoor Industry Association & Snowsports Industries of America
This co-hosted OIA and SIA webinar focused on some of the organizations and companies within the outdoor industry that have proven to be exceptional corporate citizens during this crisis. Each organization was quick to respond to the need for personal protective equipment or PPE by transforming production, establishing partnerships with other brands or through the offering of additional resources. Companies represented on the panel included Outdoor Research, DPS Skis and Chaco along with the NC Recreation Coalition and NC Office of Outdoor Recreation.
Below lists a brief description of the pivots made by each panelists company or organization:
Outdoor Research has pledged to make 200,000 masks per day by summer 2020 by transforming their production
DPS Skis partnered with Goal Zero, Petzl and Eastman to produce face shields for healthcare workers in Utah
The footwear brand, Chaco, has shifted factory operations to aid in the production of protective masks
The North Carolina Recreation Coalition launched Supplyconnector.org in an effort to combine resources quickly and establish a platform that will connect companies digitally
The North Carolina Office of Outdoor Recreation created a resource for how state government has factored in and for the legacy of domestic manufacturing in North Carolina
Along with this hour long webinar, Kristin and the Channel Mastery team released three podcasts featuring a more in-depth look at each of the panelists pivots.Links to these episodes:
For additional information, visit Verde’s COVID-19 Resource Guide.