12 Ways to Make Your Onsite Events Safer Following COVID-19

With the world slowly but surely beginning to open back up, in-person gatherings require extensive measures to continue ensuring the public’s safety. Event professionals around the world are planning with some necessary precautions to ensure in-person events prioritize the health and safety of both their staff and their attendees.

Here, we share a few tips on how to make your onsite events safer following COVID-19.

1. Provide Resources Detailing Symptoms of Illness

Even before attendees arrive onsite, you can begin to implement ways to ensure the public’s safety. Before arrival, send out frequent communications to your event registrants via email or mobile event app notifications detailing COVID-19 symptoms. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has a comprehensive list of symptoms complete with a Self-Checker Guide through which individuals can consider their current state. Encourage your potential attendees to stay home if they present any symptoms of illness for their well-being and the safety of others.

2. Consider Your Venue Capacity

Take time to consider your venue capacity to comply with state and local mandates and guidelines. When considering where your event will be hosted, be sure your venue is large enough to maintain an appropriate 6-feet of social distancing given that small liquid droplets can travel from the nose or mouth when one coughs, sneezes, or speaks. Additionally, to facilitate proper social distancing, consider hosting your event outdoors.

3. Staff Temperature Checks

In addition to ensuring your attendees are symptom-free, go one step ahead and conduct staff temperature checks. Because one of the primary COVID-19 symptoms includes fever, be sure that none of your staff members who may come in contact with attendees measure above the average body temperature of 98.6° F.

4. Minimize Person-to-Person Contact

In striving for maximum safety, bear in mind alternative contactless methods to minimize person-to-person contact when your attendees arrive onsite. For example, there are a variety of contactless technologies available to you, from self-service check-in methods to contactless access control. These state-of-the-art tools will not only help you reduce the number of staff needed on-site, but also prevent and reduce the spread from an infected person.

5. Have Supplies On-Hand

Once onsite, be prepared to provide your attendees with various safety supplies such as face coverings and hand sanitizer. While you should require or encourage your registrants to wear a proper facial covering before arrival, be prepared with these supplies on-hand for anyone without them or for anything last-minute needs.

6. Handwashing Stations and Signs

At your onsite event, be sure to have clear signage available which points to all handwashing stations located throughout your venue. Additionally, consider setting up posters at these locations detailing the steps on how to properly wash your hands. A great example is the World Health Organization’s (WHO) handwashing leaflet and poster which can be located here.

7. Offer Pre-Packaged Food Options

If your event includes a breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or you typically have snacks and meals catered, you may consider offering pre-packaged food options instead. By providing your attendees with a variety of grab-and-go meals, you can eliminate lines and large congregating groups and ensure increased safety at your onsite event.

8. Contact Tracing

Even after your event concludes, you can ensure you are continuing to take suitable measures towards your attendees’ safety. In case any of your attendees test positive for COVID-19, having a method of contact tracing in place can help significantly reduce the spread. The CDC provides several contact tracing resources on their website. If the need arises, be sure you can follow up with those who were in close contact with someone who was infected.

9. Sanitization Before, During, & After Your Event

From beginning to end, be sure to implement a thorough sanitization procedure. Think about sourcing a professional cleaning service to properly disinfect the venue before your event is set up and after your event concludes. Furthermore, consider designating specified staff to wipe down highly frequented surfaces during your event to minimize any potential risks.

10. Draw Up a Medical Response Plan

In addition to an immediate solution, a medical response plan should be prepared before your event in case a serious situation arises. In case of an emergency, it is recommended that you have your nearest Emergency Room and Hospital located and you work with your local healthcare workers and emergency responders to develop an outline of proper procedures.

11. Designate a First-Aid/Isolation Location

Given that the safety of your staff and attendees is of the utmost importance, you must be prepared for any unforeseeable circumstances. Another practical measure to take includes designating a first-aid or isolation location in case any one of your attendees demonstrates symptoms of illness and requires action to be taken fast.

12. Establish Virtual Participation Options

The events industry is fast adapting, and over the past few months, many in-person events have had to pivot to a virtual format. Additionally, many in-person events moving forward are being planned as hybrid events and will in some way feature a virtual option or component. If any of your registrants are sick or begin to feel symptoms before arriving onsite, or if any of your registrants are high-risk individuals or simply do not yet feel comfortable attending in person, have a virtual plan in place so they do not miss out on your event.

In conclusion, following the outbreak of COVID-19, in-person events will need to adhere to extensive safety measures to ensure the safety and well-being of their staff, attendees, and the general public. We hope the tips listed above will help you plan for the success and safety of your future onsite events.

Stova is committed to safely and effectively assisting clients in holding your in-person event. Request a demo and learn how our products and services are geared toward the return to in-person events and have been instrumental in maintaining the health of individuals when meeting face-to-face.