What Will be the Events of the Future?
So many of us in the events industry are trying to speculate what events will look like in the near future and beyond. It’s hard to tell what’s going to happen when there are drastic changes every single day.
For the most part large festivals (10,000+ attendees) will not happen in the summer of 2020 and quite possibly the remainder of the year. Many festivals have already cancelled just to keep people safe.
Below is a list of changes I think you will start seeing at events moving forward (it’s not comprehensive as so many changes happen within a couple days).
Food And Beverage Distribution
Food Buffets. These will more than likely go away since they have high touch points by a lot of people. For the interim, they may install plexiglass between the guest and food with a server filling your plate. Kinda takes you back to elementary school lunch line.
Reusable Anything. No reusable plates, utensils, cups. Your options are to rent double to triple amount of serving wear so that nothing is re-used OR single use disposables.
Self-Serve Coffee Station. These will definitely go away for the immediate future with a person fixing it for you. This is a bummer because then people will know how many sugars you put in your coffee 😉
Single Use Disposables. Another hot button is that these single use disposables cannot be out on display as anyone could sneeze or cough and then contaminate the disposables. Therefore, they will need to be stored away and given upon request.
Tray Food Serving. Servers will maintain proper hand washing between serving food and bussing tables (removal of food & beverage), as well as, all serving and bussing trays will be disinfected between each service.
Snack Food Stations. Grab & go snack stations will be removed for the immediate future as anyone could sneeze or cough and then contaminate the wrappers of the items and therefore contaminating the person eating the food.
Sanitation/Disinfecting
Hand Sanitizer. Preferably touchless dispensers should be placed at entry points and high contact areas of the event venue.
Cleaning Frequency. Increasing the frequency of cleaning and sanitizing high touch point areas throughout the event space. This will include check-in desks/kiosks, elevators and elevator buttons, public bathrooms, door knobs, escalator and stair handrails
Self Check-in Kiosks. My opinion these will have an attendant to check you in with a 6-foot physical distance. It will be more time efficient to have one person touching the screen rather than each guest touching with cleaning in between.
Laundry. All dirty linens (table linens, linen napkins, bar towels, etc.) will be bagged in the event space to eliminate excess contact while being transported to the laundry facility. They will be laundered according to the CDC guidelines.
* Making as many things touchless as possible is the key to reducing a virus spread.
Social Distancing At Events
Seating and Room Flow. Seating and/or the design of how a room is arranged will need to change. While the typical rounds of 10 people seated at a table has been slowly phasing out of events, Covid-19 has quickened that pace. It won’t look like chairs with six feet between themselves, but it may mean more aisles, wider aisles and more feet between tables.
Queues or Line of People. For the immediate future floors may be clearly marked to define lines for waiting areas.
Elevators/Escalators. A limit to the number of people allowed in elevators or riding escalators.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Event Staff. Appropriate PPE will be worn by all event staff based on their role and responsibilities and in adherence to state or local regulations and guidance. This means changing PPE more frequently.
Training. It will be important to teach all event staff on how to safely use and dispose of all PPE
Communication With Guests
Signage. Using signage throughout the event space to remind guests to avoid touching their faces, wash their hands often and the proper ways to wear and dispose of face masks.
Amenity Kit. This is something to consider, give guests an “amenity kit” at check-in or upon entering the event venue that will include masks, hand sanitizer and a COVID-19 awareness card.
Communication With Event Staff
Signage. Print signage will be posted throughout the event staffing areas to remind staff of the proper way to wear and dispose of face masks and gloves, wash hands and to avoid touching their faces.
Staff Training. Providing all event staff with COVID-19 training on safety and sanitation protocols.
Changes And Technology You Will See At Larger Events:
Thermal Scanning. Thermal scanners could be installed at events at entry points to detect if an employee or guest has an elevated temperature. They will be used to give an indication of who is showing symptoms. Expect to see them popping up at event venues, hotels, airports and possibly shopping malls.
Geofencing and GPS Tracking. After gaining consent, event professionals can use apps or bracelets to warn attendees who violate proximity protocol. If two attendees should come too close to each other, the phone or bracelet would vibrate. This wearable technology is already in use for a different function but can be used to help in this situation.
UV-C Purifiers. This is an air purification system using short-wave ultraviolet light to deliver a virus free environment. They are currently used in some hospitals and may make it’s way into convention centers, airports and other high traffic venues.
Diagnostic Testing. Giving rapid diagnostic tests (results within 5 minutes) to event attendees prior to entering the event space is a potential action upon entering an event. While the accuracy of these tests is scrutinized, there may be improvements on the accuracy given more time.
Antibody Testing. Another test that may pop up at events to find out guest’s immunity status.
Hope the above information provides you some information to help you adjust to our future events.
Please comment below with other strategies and technologies you believe will be used to maintain the health and safety of guests and event staff.
Stay safe.