Top 5 tips for planning a safe event in a post-pandemic world

Being an event professional is not only about being creative and organised; to be successful, you also need to be flexible, adaptable, and able to deal rapidly with constantly changing circumstances.   

Every event planner has had to face “change” in the last couple of years due to Covid-19, which has halted thousands of events all over the world.  

For over a year, live tradeshows, meetings and conferences, have taken place virtually, using various platforms and technology solutions.  

These alternatives may have been beneficial in the short term, but, as we all know, people are demographically and behaviourally social animals. We all crave face-to-face social interaction with the hope of building new long-lasting relationships, which is something that no computer screen can replace.  

Today, slowly but surely, the event industry is finally returning to life, although organising a live event can still be quite a challenging task.  

So, ask yourself, “Are we really ready to go back to live events?” 

To help you with this, check out our top 5 tips for planning a safe event in a post-pandemic world. 

Choosing the right venue for your event

As we mentioned in our previous blog, “Three key venue finding trends for 2021”, for venues to begin running events again, they must give the perception that they are “fit” to run a safe and Covid-secure event.  

It is essential to understand any regulations you will need to consider about the destination where you are hosting your next event. The venue should be knowledgeable and up to date on local restrictions, so make sure that you have a clear notion of who will be doing what.  

Apart from carefully verifying the contracts and the cancellation policies, ask the venue for their health and safety protocols, ensuring that they can set up a secure environment for all guests and guarantee, where needed, social distancing. Discuss with the venue a contingency plan which addresses different Covid-related scenarios that could affect the meeting.  

As things may change rapidly, make sure that the venue is flexible in terms of providing technical and digital assistance in the case of a hybrid event; in specific circumstances, you may need to consider giving participants the possibility to choose whether to participate in-person or remotely. 

Spaces: lookout for outdoor spaces

After more than a year of intermittent lockdowns and restrictions, people are keener than ever to enjoy the great outdoors - where and when possible, of course.  

Look out for unique outdoor spaces (for some ideas, check our blog “5 exciting new outdoor spaces for Spring 2021”), as this will not only help you to reassure delegates of their safety, but it will also give you added flexibility when it comes to numbers. Outdoor capacity limits are, in fact, a lot more generous, and people will feel much more comfortable knowing that the risk of Covid-19 exposure is minimised. 

Technology: include the digital element

With the pandemic, technology and innovation have become the “big players” for most meetings and events. Apps, high-speed Wi-Fi, video communication systems, and other technologies have now become integral aspects of events for both attendees and organisers.  

For the foreseeable future, most events will be hybrid: digital/virtual elements will be fundamental to reach a wider audience and accommodate the new way of networking.  

In the meanwhile, technology has already begun to help event professionals in many other ways: creating 3-D virtual tours by using specific apps, screening and tracking attendees onsite, and minimising physical contact by providing digital badges. 

Information: train your team

You will indeed not be doing the entire job by yourself, so make sure that your team is informed and well trained on safety protocols and preventative measures. Go through the contingency plan and be sure to share resource materials from renowned sources on the different Covid-19 symptoms.
Designate a staff member responsible for Covid-19 concerns, ensuring that everyone knows who this person is and how to contact them.
During the event, share frequent updates with your colleagues in order to constantly get feedback on the ongoing event.

Communication: build trust

When organising an event, keep in mind that many of the attendees may not have been to any events in over a year, which may cause anxieties and concerns.  

To ease these issues, communication before and during the event is fundamental. Reassure all attendees by sharing all the measures that you have put in place to create a safe environment, together with safety protocols and information that they may need to know before attending (e.g., vaccination, negative Covid test, etc.).  

You can send communications via email or create a specific page on the event’s website but do not forget to have onsite reminders.

To find out more about safe events and incentives, contact us today!