Events in a COVID world

Our tips for event planning in a COVID world:

Ventilation

We now know that ventilation plays a crucial part in limiting the transmission of coronavirus. So if you’re holding an event at an offsite location, ask about the venue’s ventilation. This might be mechanical or natural ventilation, and venues might be able to open doors and windows or provide an outdoor space to hold the event.

A bit of research might identify a lower risk outdoor activity that can form part of your event, like a treasure hunt or walking tour.

Event type

Events in places where loud music is played, like bars or clubs, typically result in people being very close together and shouting over the noise. A lower risk event might be a slap-up meal where people aren’t shouting for conversation and mingling with lots of other people. You might investigate if you can hire a room at a venue that only your attendees use to dance the night away, which minimises contact with other party-goers.

Number of people

Consider ways to limit the number of people at work attending the same event. Previously, you might have had one large event, but could you have separate events with fewer people for individual teams, departments, or divisions? Smaller group events will help limit virus spread among the workforce.

Cleanliness

Check that venues have sufficient supplies of hand sanitiser or handwashing facilities. Venues should also be able to assure you they have good levels of cleaning in place. Any reputable venue will have a risk assessment which includes COVID-19 they can share with you.

Go easy on the pressure

Encourage participants to respect how much or how little people want to participate. Some people might want to attend but soak up the atmosphere from the side-lines. Accept that people may still be nervous and decline the invite, you could send a gift as a token of appreciation instead.

Testing

You may want to encourage attendees to take a lateral flow test before an event. People can still utilise the Government’s universal lateral flow testing scheme for asymptomatic testing. Naturally, people should not attend if they return a positive confirmatory PCR test or have symptoms.