Planning Events Amid a Pandemic | An Outlook |
Posted: April 7, 2020 |
While there is hardly any business niche that has remained unaffected by the impact of Coronavirus or COVID-19, as it is popularly known, the tourism and event management industries are perhaps the worst hit. Event organizers across the globe are working tirelessly to manage the logistics of events that have been cancelled, postponed, or compromised. From spending long hours in getting the word out through the relevant event appto handling thousands of participant queries, these professionals are facing a really hard time. Under these circumstances, event organizers are seeking useful tips to stay functional without increasing the risk of spreading this pandemic further. Given below are the five most important tips from experts that can prove useful in this context.
Technology can play a key role in helping event organizers make informed decisions about continuing with pre-planned events, postponing them, or cancelling them. The key factors to be considered include the kind of technology they have access to, the available budget, and the level of risk associated with the event. Events, with the expected number of participants, no more than a few dozen, can be held normally but only after circulating detailed precautionary instructions to the attendees. Similarly, large-scale events may be organized virtually if it suits the budget of the organizers.
Whatever organizations decide with regard to the event, should be conveyed to the participants in a detailed manner. In case the events are to be cancelled, the confirmed attendees should be informed about the refunding of participation fee or any policies related to the same promptly. In addition, the organizers should also keep their investors, sponsors, exhibitors, and internal stockholders abreast of the decisions being made with respect to the event. They should make sure to keep all communication channels open and provide any additional updates in a prompt and timely manner.
Organizing virtual events can be the best option to avoid humongous losses resulting from cancelling the event. However, before choosing this option it is important for the organizers to consider some key aspects. These include the technology options available for organizing such events, the level of accessibility for the attendees, the overall feasibility of such an event, and finally the budget considerations. While there are several tools available online, the organizers need to make sure they are readily available to all attendees and are also relatively easy to use.
Despite the extensive spread of the virus, there are still some places where organizing a live event is a relatively low-risk option. However, even at such places organizers should use technology for bringing down the risk even further and providing a safer environment for the attendees. This includes providing regular updates and reminders to the attendees about the necessary safety precautions to take. In addition, organizers can display boards to provide the latest updates about the disease, information about the vital symptoms to look out for, and even the directions to the nearest health care centres.
Since the decision to turn a live event into a virtual one or to postpone or even cancel it impacts the attendees the most, it is better to base involve them in this decision making. In this context, survey apps can come in quite handy in the present scenario as it can provide the desired information to the organizers in a risk-free way. This information can also be used to assess the emotional impact of any necessary changes in schedule and the best ways to minimize the same.
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