The Events Industry Council has released a best practices guide to help industry professionals as they navigate the new event landscape.
“We must, as individuals and organizations, take the responsibility to own the assessment and mitigation of risk, taking into account guidance from global, national, regional and local public health officials. If we do so consistently and communicate these steps effectively, we will make considerable strides toward reestablishing trust,” says Events Industry Council CEO, Amy Calvert. “Trust with organizational decision-makers, event organizers, participants and all stakeholder groups is an essential element in the process of recovery and ensuring our future relevance. These materials represent a living work stream and as new information and knowledge is gathered, we will update this guidance so that trust is renewed and reinforced.”
The Meeting and Event Design Accepted Practices Guide, which can be downloaded for free, provides a variety of customizable tools, including a meeting and event decision grid; meeting and event success metrics (pre- and post-vaccine); attendee communication considerations; resource guide; and a code of conduct that is meant to engage all meeting participants in the health and safety of their events.
The code of conduct breaks down what attendees can do to support the “collective well-being of an event” into three phases: before leaving home, on-site and post-event.
For example, on-site during an event, attendees should wear a face mask; avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth; adhere to social distancing; agree to have their temperature checked before entering the venue, if required by organizers; and wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
“Community buy-in by all participants at the event level serves to advocate for the well-being of our fellow global citizens and our industry,” says founder of Kinsley Meetings, Allison Kinsley, who is a member of the guide’s working group and Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) commission chair.
The APEX commission develops and implements industry-wide accepted practices and standards that create and enhance effectiveness and efficiency throughout the global events industry.
