The onset of the coronavirus pandemic has reshaped many aspects of our daily lives, but also the way businesses – both big and small – operate on a daily basis. Many industries that were affected by the COVID-19 have had to adapt to the changes in order to stay afloat, and the event planning industry is no different.
With that in mind, here are a couple of tips for everyone looking to start an event planning business once the pandemic has subsided.
Get acquainted with post-COVID event design and management
As you can imagine, organizing in-person events in the post-COVID world will greatly differ from what we are used to, mostly because of the safety and health regulations that apply to event organization, design, and management. From event vaccine policies to social distancing policy measures, event hosts will need to get acquainted and stick with different regulations to make sure their post-COVID events are designed and managed with health and safety in mind. OSHA updated its safety standards since the covid outbreak, so following these regulations should be mandatory. For California businesses, there is the Cal OSHA training program.
The best place to start is to make sure that the venue you select is large enough to accommodate the number of attendees. Choose a venue that makes it possible for your guests to maintain a safe social distance, staying six feet apart from each other while being comfortable doing so. As an event planner, you may also want to confirm COVID vaccination status of those working or attending the event.
Put your audience’s safety first
Since your audience’s safety should be your top priority when hosting an event in the post-COVID world, you should also implement other measures along with the aforementioned ones. This could mean following other safety precautions both before and during the event. These include using thermal imaging systems for temperature screening at the entry and making sure that the attendees and the employees are wearing protective gear such as masks as well as practicing proper respiratory etiquette.
Taking additional steps such as providing hand sanitizers for each of the tables, arranging sit-down style events, and preventing crowding will ensure your event complies with hygiene and sanitation regulation in the “new normal”.
Ask for your audience’s input
As an event planner, it is your goal to provide your audience with a memorable experience and increase event attendance. After all, attendee satisfaction is a crucial factor in measuring event success, and you want to make sure that all the work you put into planning and organizing your event pays off. One of the best ways to achieve that is by asking your audience for input through surveys.
Nowadays, you can easily find a number of survey examples that you can use as a template to create your own survey and gather valuable information about event attendees. This is an effective way to learn more about attendee preferences, contact information, as well as their willingness to participate in the event. You can also use your survey to gather information about particular concerns your attendees may have about health and safety. This will allow you to maximize attendance for your event and ensure a safer experience.
Keep it local
Other than limiting the number of attendees and taking the necessary safety precautions, the choice of venue is another important element hosts will have to consider to make their event a successful one. Due to travel restrictions in many countries, event planners will have to take a different approach when deciding on the location, choosing domestic venues and targeting local audiences instead of hosting events that involve international travel. In doing so, they can appeal to the residents of the area and prevent the spread of the virus at in-person events.
As the pandemic subsides, event planners may expect an increase in international attendees, in which case it would be useful to send out surveys that will let them know if and how many potential attendees would be interested in attending such events.
Wrapping up
Thriving in the post-pandemic world as an event planner might be a challenge. Depending on how you look at it, this can also be a chance for you to let your creativity shine through and make your event stand apart from others, all the while keeping health and safety at the forefront.
By taking a data-driven approach to planning and staying on top of the latest trends and concepts in the industry, you can keep your attendees safe, bring value to them, and ensure event success.
