The month of May is usually known as the beginning of the festival season in many European countries, including the UK. However, after the coronavirus outbreak, all face-to-face events have understandably been cancelled. As a matter of fact, entertainment is one of the most heavily impacted sectors by the health crisis, and the vegan world is no exception. Despite this discouraging scenario, the virus did not kill the enthusiasm of organisers and agencies who decided to find innovative solutions to keep their events going.Â
Vegan Fairs Online Edition
Vegan Fairs is an event based in England which strives to ‘create vibrant, fun and inclusive events to showcase veganism’. Their fairs vary in size depending on the hosting city, but maintain the same format: ‘A market showcasing a range of local and national businesses that offer vegan products and brands, alongside a programme of talks, demos and workshops for people to enjoy throughout the day’.
One of Vegan Fairs’ main goals is spreading veganism and helping small, ethical businesses to get noticed. Unfortunately, this year due to the pandemic, many local producers, vegan professionals and intellectuals did not have the opportunity to share their ideas and businesses via usual outlets. However, Vegan Fairs decided to experiment by organising their first online vegan fair. Their first digital event saw more than 3,718 visitors and it was so successful they decided to host another on the 13th of June.Â
Each online fair hosts vegan chefs, activists and specialists from different fields, who share their knowledge and their ideas live on Facebook at an established time. On top of that, there is a plant-based market exhibitors can attend for free, and other initiatives where participants can interact freely. Vegan Fairs decided not to charge the participation to the online edition, but everyone can support their activity through a free donation via PayPal.Â
What Can You Do During An Online Fair?
Every online vegan fair has a programme, where you can find talks and ‘panels’ about specific topics. For example, during the May edition people could attend a good number of live talks on Facebook, including Gabriela Lerner’s ‘What’s in Your Cosmetics?’ or ‘Awareness’ with John Awen, who provided some good food for thought. There was even a ‘virtual wine pairing’ held by a vegan wine specialist, during which people were asked to ‘tune in with a glass of wine, some salt, some sugar and a tomato’ for practicing.Â
The virtual market goes on throughout the day of the event. Vegan Fairs created an online platform where vegan exhibitors can present their own small business, the products on sale and their special promotions for the occasion. One of the advantages of this online initiative is the possibility to participate from abroad, as it is possible to select virtual stands that deliver worldwide. Â
And besides, that is not the only way you can get in touch with other vegans during Vegan Fairs’ online event. On the day, you can enter into a virtual ‘vegan human book library’ and have conversations about topics you are eager to discuss.Â
Why The Vegan Human Book Library?
This kind of initiative can be extremely useful for sharing precious information about the vegan lifestyle and philosophy. As a matter of fact, every ‘human book’ has a different story to tell, about his or her vegan journey, that could inspire others to do the same. Once you have selected a ‘book’, you can either have a conversation or just listen to the story. During the virtual event, you can pick the human book on the relative platform, after having read the bio of the participants. The chat will take place via the social networks.Â
To know more about next online vegan fairs, you can check the website and the social media of Vegan Fairs UK.
