--- title: "Wednesday Buzz: Is Your Force Majeure Clause Strong Enough?" id: "39612" type: "post" slug: "wednesday-buzz-is-your-force-majeure-clause-strong-enough" published_at: "2017-09-06T21:06:20+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T20:17:27+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/09/06/wednesday-buzz-is-your-force-majeure-clause-strong-enough/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/09/06/wednesday-buzz-is-your-force-majeure-clause-strong-enough.md" excerpt: "In the midst of hurricane season, prevent a major financial loss by strengthening your force majeure clause. Also: how content can turn your members into association advocates." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Contracts" - "event planning" - "Meetings" - "Mid-Level Professional" - "Risk Management" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Wednesday Buzz: Is Your Force Majeure Clause Strong Enough? News headlines have been alarming lately. From the one-two punch of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma to scary geopolitical news, you can’t blame people for canceling trips to meetings. In this tumultuous time, you may want to give your force majeure clause a second look, says a [recent post from MeetingsNet (opens in a new tab)](http://www.meetingsnet.com/negotiating-contracts/can-your-force-majeure-clause-weather-today-s-storms) . Standard force majeure clauses protect both you and meeting venues from unforeseen circumstances that make it impossible for an event to be held as scheduled. But what happens when people decide to cancel even though dangerous weather or other risks aren’t enough to prevent an event from occurring? To avoid a big financial loss, meeting professionals should “negotiate to include verbiage that would make it possible to invoke force majeure several days before the event is scheduled to begin,” writes Sue Pelletier. She spoke with Joshua Grimes, president of Grimes Law Offices LLC, who advises event professionals to add words like “impracticable” and “inadvisable” to expand the parameters of the force majeure clause. ### Valuable Assets [https://twitter.com/Moz/status/905281666968629249 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/Moz/status/905281666968629249) **Even the best organizations can catch criticism** on social media. But online community advocates can go a long way to help combat the negativity. A [Moz blog post (opens in a new tab)](https://moz.com/blog/building-advocates-through-content) recommends that nonprofits take advantage of user-generated content to counter negative perceptions and engage audiences year-round. Moz suggests hosting a photo contest via social media. “Photos submitted during the contests could be used as individual posts on social media or remixed across videos, blog posts, or as a starting point for further conversation and promotion development with the individuals,” writes Michelle LeBlanc. The contest not only helps with generating content but also helps increase positive interaction on your social pages. ### Other Links of Note **In some professions, the gender gap is getting worse.***CMSWire* delves into this issue and [questions whether it can change (opens in a new tab)](http://www.cmswire.com/digital-workplace/addressing-gender-bias-in-the-workplace-a-new-approach/) . **Is your organization optimized for mobile?** The *[Capterra Nonprofit Technology Blog (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.capterra.com/essential-guide-going-mobile-non-profits/)* provides a guide for reaching mobile members. **Infographic of the day.** CenterCard takes a look at [budget complexities (opens in a new tab)](https://centercard.com/blog/budgeting-methods-attitudes-and-success-factors-new-infographic) . (TopVectors/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#Contracts](https://associationsnow.com/tag/contracts/) [#event planning](https://associationsnow.com/tag/event-planning/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) [#Mid-Level Professional](https://associationsnow.com/tag/mid-level-professional/) [#Risk Management](https://associationsnow.com/tag/risk-management/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [TemplateMembers onlySpeaker AgreementJuly 20, 2018](https://associationsnow.com/2018/07/20/speaker-agreement/) - [VideoTerin Bates, MBA, CAE, CX-PRO, Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/terin-bates-mba-cae-cx-pro-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoThe Adaptive Leader: Integrating Values and Strategy to Thrive Under New LeadershipDecember 15, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/15/the-adaptive-leader-integrating-values-and-strategy-to-thrive-under-new-leadership/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Contract: Building Stronger Destination PartnershipsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-contract-building-stronger-destination-partnerships/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2017%2F09%2F06%2Fwednesday-buzz-is-your-force-majeure-clause-strong-enough%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !