As Covid-19 restrictions continue to ease, the coming weeks/months will begin to see a return to live events. The official guidelines are that conference and business events can return on 1st October 2020. This will be a slow and small scale start, but once a few organisations have successfully and safely hosted events, others will follow.
Companies will be rightly nervous about holding events, and we know there will be doubts for booking too early, but also risk of leaving it too late and being left behind.
Here at W2, we have been planning for the return of events for a while, so we are ready when you are. Our official Covid-19 Policy and practices will be released once we have the guidelines, however, here are some considerations for your live events.
1 – The Guidelines
W2 will follow all government / Public Health England guidelines in relation to events, and these will be updated as they change. We will see these as a minimum standard, and aim to improve upon these at all times. We will also look beyond UK government and WHO advice, and see what other countries and independent organisations are doing successfully.
We will work only with venues that have suitable operational procedures and safeguards in place, and as above, view these as a minimum standard.
2 – Event Infrastructure
We will ensure all events are Covid safe and bring in the relevant infrastructure to any events. We are able to supply a specific ‘Covid officer’ to each event, with their sole responsibility of enforcing guidelines and keeping everyone safe. This can include:
3 – Delegate Management / Covid Kits
Delegate registration will be a key part of events, which helps with any track and trace if needed.
Delegates can be supplied with Covid Kits, which can include:
4 – Contracts and Payments
We will continue to ensure favourable terms to clients for contracts and payment schedules. Any events that have to be cancelled or postponed due to a change in guidelines, will be offered credit, so clients will not lose out financially.
5 – Other considerations:
Audio Visual: The likelihood is initial events will be smaller numbers of people, spread over a larger area. This will naturally mean delegates are further away from speakers and presentations, so additional Audio Visual technology may be needed to ensure all delegates can see, hear and most importantly, feel involved.
Live Broadcast: Events with lower numbers may wish to widen their audience with a live broadcast, or send a recording. Our AV team can supply this and offer the most relevant and cost effective solutions.
Event timings: For London (or locations relying on public transport) we recommend timing your events so delegates can avoid busy peak travel times.
Locations and Travel: W2 can recommend venues and locations where your event is held in a venue dedicated to you only, or kept separate from other people. Venues where travel by car may be preferable to avoid public transport.
By working with W2, you can rest assured your event will be as ‘Covid safe’ as possible. We’re looking forward to seeing you soon.