COVID-19- virus spreading disease and the global pandemic, as per WHO, the event industry has taken a serious hit. The first quarter budget quotes of all the companies have collapsed due to increase in the fear of crowding up among everyone.
Standard advice for event organisers lies in the SOS checklist and in making risk assessments, which must be ready with convincing sound of the recommendationthat eventsmust be planned by considering the crowd density.
Keeping account of the nature of interaction between participants, including the layout of meeting venues.
Every attendee must be registered with proper and currently essential information like mention of any travel history in recent past or if of elderly age group, therefore making it easy to locate anyone that must be diagnosed after the event concludes, if necessary, for public health reasons; their profession and related possible exposure risk.
• Keep the registration database ready to reach and easy to modify on leading event planning software that facilitates event setup, cloud-based storage and management such as GEVME.
In such times, communication is very important and it’s equally important that in a time of uncertainty about what the virus could mean, you keep all event stakeholders up to date with where you are. Manage your finances to the best for the longest period of time without breaking down.
There are many events which can’t be remoulded, like dinner celebrations or food exhibition, but there still lies a ton of opportunity in other event formats. One must realise the events that were already signed are all piling up for the day condition gets better. To lighten up what all is on your plate, you can divide events which can go online and can be conducted via web interaction.
• Consult your client and prepare an effective pitch to convince them to take the offer. You may negotiate on some monetary or service-based factor to make it. Something is always better than anything, right?
For events like online conferences or product launch, every platform that you select for various aspect of event procedure must be well circulated and known. Don’t keep a tight schedule and give space for technical glitches and confusion that may arise.
• Registration process must be done on a platform with valid payment service and easy to use interface. You can facilitate this step on your own event website which will not only save you some work but in a way is more reliable and increases traffic on your portal.
• For the showtime, coordinate with hosts and those who will be there to present during different segments. Make sure they are confident about their part and connection, rehearse with them as this might be new for many.
This idea may work better in a corporate setting due to their existing working systems also being online. Many video-calling and hosting apps like ZOOM, Skype etc are in use already to engage such type of audience.
• Keep your tech guys ready and connecting and networking can be done through social media, which you may keep as an activity. Ask attendees and eminent personalities to share their handles at the end of the whole stream.
Incorporating VR is a factor which can be given keen attention to right now. Introducing Virtual Events can really trend right now with lockdowns in several cities. Marketing through campaigns related to same ethos can actually work.
Launching your applications or website cannot be done during a better period. With online engagement increasing every other day due to quarantine activity in many major hubs of the world, you can attract crowd through previously discussed campaign mottos.
Such Event management application can help you communicate with attendees effectively. You can use pre-scheduled emails, email alerts and if you have a live app already that people are using, you can push notifications through it.
Event website is another area that will be key in communicating effectively with attendees. You can use it as a main signposting point.
Nominate a key person in the team to monitor government guidance on COVID-19. Aware your attendees about the precautions they must take and the services being provided by the organisers to ensure safety and well-being of the guests.
Designing event spaces and timings in such a way that crowd is reduced and managed, as in within arrival and departure areas adds up to precautionary measures taken on your part. Think and plan out around the points like how to minimise congestion, avoiding peak times on public transportand where possible, implement options for virtual (or partly virtual) participation (live streams).
Everyone should be aware to a sufficient amount, essential to take care of oneself and prevent spreading of the virus. Be an informed being and prevent underestimating such diseases for your own and people’s well-being too.
You may REFER:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:https://mohfw.gov.in/
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public