After a year of virtual discussions, debates, and conferences, we are excited about the prospect of returning to live events. Of course, we all understand that the world has changed, and we all have to be conscious to make our events as Covid-19 friendly as possible. Going forward in a world that was almost brought to its knees by a virus, we must take the utmost care that our events provide the best possible protection for our guests and customers.

Although space and distance are key to stopping the spread of this virus, and ensuring it doesn’t make a vicious return, making an event COVID-19 friendly entails so much more than ensuring social distancing. Safe festivals, conferences, meetings and events are the responsibility of all stakeholders, Venues, hosts, planners, and exhibitors, all have to understand that going forward, it’s not just about masks and hand sanitizer.

While COVID clearly illustrated the potentially lethal risks of unhealthy practices, a few simple modifications to our behavior can have significant benefits to combat a host of health risks – from the common cold to more severe flu cases – and much more.

Venues should focus on a few key areas to ensure a safe festival, conference, trade show, or any event for attendees. Health and safety protocols must be adhered to, technology solutions can replace face-to-face contact in many scenarios, and food and beverages must be treated especially carefully.

However, we all know the show must go on and we need to find creative ways to maximize our interaction with potential customers while we minimize risk.

Safely Greeting Attendees

Over the past year, our traditional initial interaction of a handshake has been forced out of our habits and we have become adept at showing our friendliness using only the top half of our face. Booth staff should be briefed on ways to engage trade show attendees with these limited tools at their disposal. But every cloud has a silver lining and face masks now present a branding opportunity with massive visibility. Consider customized masks for your next trade show. Importantly, don’t offer a handshake.  This has become a possible route of infection, and you don’t want to scare off the attendees.

Create an Exhibit That Allows for Engagement And Safety

Before the coronavirus changed the way we do business, the trade show booth was designed with maximum brand exposure in mind as well as getting the most people to enter and engage with your staff. Now, our visitors may be cautious about gathering in large numbers, so we need to find creative ways to design event booths so that traffic flow is optimized, and physical distance can be maintained.

Event venues are now compelled to have strict protocols in place for regular cleaning and also make sure that they convey these facts to exhibitors and event professionals.

Marketers must minimize risks at every connection point. Mobile apps allow guests to interact via their own devices enabling many aspects of communication used extensively by event planners for attendee engagement to be digital, even in person. The additional advantage is that data can be collected in a more streamlined and comprehensive way through event management software and is a real boon for the normally laborious task of registration and lead recording and management.

Signage stating a limited number of people per both may be an option for you to help all attendees feel safe.

Minding Attendees’ Space – Social Distancing

Social distancing does not need to happen only at trade shows, festivals, conferences and such. Many businesses and institutions are looking for ways to ensure social distancing happens on their premises too. Innovative ideas like customized chair covers that tell guests where to sit and where not to are extremely popular for businesses and social events alike.

Marketers are using every social distancing opportunity to their brands’ benefit. We are seeing new products like customized barriers, tape and stickers used to demarcate where people should stand! All of these products provide opportunities for some eye-catching graphics and promotion.

It’s a new world in which marketers and event planners should embrace these changes and adapt as they have done in the past with innovations like social media and virtual events.

After a year of producing events on screen like virtual trade shows, we are thrilled to be planning logistics and building exhibition stands again. Nothing beats the energy of a live event and seeing people interacting There is a definite excitement in the industry.

Red Iron Brand Solutions Can Help Make Your Next Event a Success

Red Iron Brand Solutions is the go-to expert on branded and blank event marketing products. We are a specialized niche that is innovative and at the forefront of new products and growth. With our innovative product offerings, industry knowledge, and unique techniques, we are leaders in the early advancement of new and original event displays. Contact us today or call 800-325-3824 to discuss how to make your event COVID-19 friendly.