International Clown Week. Holiday concept. Template for background, banner, card, poster with text inscription. Vector EPS10 illustration

Contributed by AlturaSolutions Communications

International Clown Week is Aug. 1-7, and for many in the professional cleaning, distribution, education, healthcare, and food service industries, it can't come soon enough. These industries, like most industries, have gone through a very rough time recently.  

For instance, in the cleaning industry:

·     The pandemic virtually shut down many companies.

·     Cleaning contractors with multi-million-dollar contracts found those contracts evaporated overnight and may never come back.

 

And we're not out of the woods yet. While the economy remains strong, inflation and recession could change that very quickly.

"This makes all the more reason to celebrate International Clown Week," says Robert Kravitz, president of Alturasolutions Communications, a Thought Leadership communications company. "We all could use a few laughs right now."

Clown week started in the 1950s. It was created to recognize clowns worldwide that help make people laugh.

In 1970, President Nixon proclaimed the first official National Clown Week, and it's been happening every year since.

"Clowns and the clown profession date way back to 2400 BC," says Kravitz
. "In the 1500s AD, clown characters were introduced in theater productions to provide comic relief in a serious play, and by 1768, clowns became a regular part of circus shows worldwide."

So how can organizations honor International Clown Week? Among Kravitz's suggestions are the following:


• Host an office party and hire a clown.

• Make it a week-long event. Encourage workers to come back to their offices and dress up in fun outfits.

• Greet all staffers with a clown video as soon as they check their email

• Have your company host a party at a local school or community center. Parents and kids especially need a laugh right now, and it's great PR for your company.

• Treat a customer’s staff to a nice lunch - and a clown act.




"And don't forget to honor the clown industry," adds Kravitz. "To make it as a clown, you must be witty, creative, and always full of energy. Few of us can do it. So, let's honor these people that lighten up our lives."