Covid-19 has been running rampant throughout the world for over a year and a half. The way we conduct business, learn, and even connect has changed and transformed. As of July 13, 2021, 48% of the US population is fully vaccinated (Becker’s Hospital Review). With the vaccinations on the rise and restrictions on the decline, we’re returning to a work of gathering and social activities.
As gathers begin to increase, business owners are able to start using live events as a marketing source again. There’s something special about coming together as a group for a common cause. Whether a concert, a fundraiser, or a product launch, events are back!
After executing my first live event since March 2020 and working with a very responsible client, I’m looking forward to executing larger events (over 100). Social distancing guidelines were followed, with a heightened awareness of safety and good practices.
As an event planner, you and your client can decide on the restrictions and or desires when it comes to keeping your guests safe. With the people ready to get back outside, engage and attend events, it’s essential to create considerations for your potential attendee while ensuring everyone feels safe. One of the ways to determine safety protocols is to learn and keep vaccinations and safety guidelines top of mind.
Considering Vaccination Status
Event planners and brands can choose to confirm whether attendees have been vaccinated before the event for admission, deciding to require vaccinations for entry or not. By doing so, you have a better awareness of risk management.
Having an understanding of attendee vaccination status is just one option. As the coordinator or host, you can mandate if individuals who are vaccinated still have to present a negative covid test result to congregate with others at your event.
Mask Mandates
Having a mask mandate for your event is also an option. As an alternative or accompanying your vaccination requirements, you can choose whether your attendees have to wear masks and whether the mask wearers need to practice the 6ft social distancing guidelines throughout the event.
Event Location Determination
With the opportunity to host events outside, you can be more lenient with your attendance requirements and mandates. While planning the location setup, you can space tables more than 6 feet apart to force social distancing. You can also choose to decrease seating, filling the venue to ½ or ¼ capacity.
Seating arrangements can help lower risks at your next event as well. Seating people by groups can organize the flow of the event and the amount of movement from table to table for socializing. For example, my most recent event was a graduation which made it easy to seat people by families.
In Conclusion
As we continue to increase herd immunity and the number of vaccinated individuals, larger events will begin to happen at a larger scale. With people’s varying comfort levels, it will be necessary for event planners and organizations to communicate the expectations while creating a sense of normalcy and exhibiting the best practices.
Keep in consideration the comfort level of your attendees. For example, some people are comfortable hugging (this includes me), and others are not. Some will be comfortable sitting close to a stranger, and others may not. Remember: this consists of those who are vaccinated as well.
The bottom line is that you can share the standard rules of engagement for your event attendees, in addition to expectations of sharing your vaccination status.
I bring ingenuity and creativity to project planning. Where the logistics of event management causes others to experience stress, I thrive.