With the uncertainty and sudden changes happening around us, hosting corporate meetings and events in the age of COVID-19 requires some adjusting – especially on the part of planners and venues.
Venues and planners can focus on a few key areas in order to provide the requirements for safer meetings and events. By implementing distancing practices and safety precautions, it lowers the risk for the event and its attendees while adding a layer of security.
Here are some key things to think about when planning events in these uncertain times, as well as a few useful tips to minimize the negative impact of the pandemic.
How to Limit the Spread of COVID-19 with Safe Meetings and Events
As restrictions are gradually lifted and communities are permitted to hold events and gatherings once again, here are some tips to implement at your next event in order to help limit the spread of the virus and keep attendees safe:
- Increase awareness of good personal hygiene and effective hand-washing among staff and attendees.
- Provide antibacterial sanitizers and foams around the event spaces.
- Design event spaces and timings to reduce crowd densities.
- Display signs that discourage attendees from having physical contact with one another, such as handshakes and hugging
- Encourage the use of face masks.
- Encourage staff and attendees to stay home when sick.
Event Trends to Incorporate This Year
As technology continues to evolve, virtual/hybrid events, meetings, and conferences are now the new norm, especially given current events. Adopting the new trends will not only make your event a success, but it will also keep your attendees safe. Below are a few trends to adopt at your event this year:
- Less is more: Keep your guests to the minimum and ensure they observe social distancing guidelines.
- Promote health and wellness: More people are investing in health and wellness now more than ever before. Here is the time to show your guests that you care about their wellness by creating a break time to relax and breathe. You can do this through wellness activities and workshops.
- Keep events smaller by making them more personalized: Continue promoting the health and wellness of your community by creating smaller, more personalized events that cater to specific niches of your industry. This is especially important for those with larger gatherings attempting the hybrid method. Create very niche seminars/events and have fewer people physically attend to record or live-broadcast to your larger audience.
During this time of the novel Coronavirus, we can rethink how we meet, while still delivering engagement and meeting objectives!
