Health and Safety Protocols First and foremost, you have to take care of the health and safety protocols. Here are a few factors you need to go over in order to organise a safe event in 2022. Seating One of the most noticeable differences in how we organise events is in the seating. Due to the pandemic safety guidelines, the seating has to be a lot more spaced-out than before the pandemic started. This allows people to socially distance from one another and protect their health in the time of pandemic. The seats need to be at the approximate 2-metre distance from one another. In addition to that, the first row is taken back from the stage a little more than usual. By doing this, you allow more free space in which people can move around without coming in close contact with too many of other guests. Microphones There’s a chance that several participants will be using the same microphone during session for this event. In that case, the microphone needs to be thoroughly disinfected and cleaned between each and every use during the meeting. If possible, try to provide enough mics for other speakers so that every person has one microphone on their hand. That way, everyone will be using their own microphone. Meals The way in which meals are served during bigger-group events has also changed drastically. Just like with seating, this part of the event planning also has to follow the safety protocols of social distancing. If you plan to organise a dining area, you need to take into consideration how many table there will be, how the tables will be spaced out, and how many people will be seated at each table. The safest option is to place 4 to 5 people at each table and make sure the seats are spaced out from each other. Virtual Program Participants Though there are many safety protocols for organising and in-person meeting which is completely safe, some people still prefer to organise virtual events instead. In that case, event management looks a lot different from the one used for regular in-person events. If this is your first time organising a virtual meeting, you can always turn to experts in this field and consult professional event management companies that will help you plan the perfect online meeting for a larger group of people. The Event Day Experience Attendance Is Promising Once companies started planning live meetings and events again, there was a bit of a sceptical feeling about how well these events will play out and whether people will even attend them. However, numbers of guests seems to be steady if not even rising in the past few months. If people see that you are taking all of the necessary percussions to ensure everyone’s safety, people will put their trust in you and attendance will be more than promising. Masks As for the masks, all of the live events and meetings require all guests to wear masks at all times during the event. Social distancing may be one part of the safety measurements but we still need to be cautious and make sure no one gets exposed to the virus. The speakers are allowed to take their mask off or just pull it down during their speech, but they’re expected to put their masks back on as soon as they’re done. This also goes for dining.
Overflow Rooms Overflow rooms are always useful. This is a great back-up plan in case there are too many people attending the event. However, even if there is enough room for everyone attending, it’s still a great option to have an additional room where people can get away to in case they feel like they need to distance themselves. Venue Safety Updates Before booking a specific venue for your live event, make sure to check their policy. Many venues for bigger events had to update their safety policies according to the pandemic guidelines. That way, you will be able to efficiently organise your event with keeping the venue’s safety updates in mind. Key Takeaways for Event Professionals and Meeting Organizers Now that in-person events have drastically changed during the on-going global pandemic, there are a few key takeaways that you need to keep in mind when organising an event. 1. Make Decisions Early Firstly, try to make decisions and start planning the event as early as possible. Now that so many different safety protocols and additional factors go into planning an event, you need to make sure you have enough time to plan everything and keep the organisation running smoothly at all times. That way, you’ll make sure you cover all of the necessary steps and if it comes to it, you’ll have additional time to correct any mishaps in case anything goes wrong. 2. Read the Fine Print Even though live events are taking places all over the world again, that doesn’t mean the pandemic is over. No one really knows for how longer this pandemic will stick around. One thing we know for sure is that we need to be careful as long as it’s still here. That is why you will probably notice that vendors and venues have written clauses for the possibili