So, you are back to planning meetings, or even a hybrid meeting consisting of in-person and remote attendees. How will you do so safely and also cover the costs? What should you include?
The Basics For Meeting Safely at Your Events
Naturally your attendees need to be identified. In fact, you’ve been isolated for so long you want to avoid the embarrassment of forgetting names! To do so safely and effectively, here are some tips:
1. Avoid long registration lines by encouraging people to register in advance and mail them their name badge holder, agenda and badge ribbon. If you have other materials, such as a custom printed writing pad or pen, they can slip easily into an envelope as well. Now, you’ve just reduced the size of the line and removed barriers to better social distancing.
2. Build different levels of comfort into your events. Some people are ok being closer, others prefer to maintain larger distances. In order to reduce awkward frictions, try offering a color-coded system using blank ribbons or wristbands that will provide ‘at a glance’ indication. Green means all systems go, yellow is use some caution such as 6 feet, and red is universally accepted as stop…just the facts if necessary.
3. Where do I go? In this time period, rooms and locations may be slightly further apart. While we may be accustomed to asking staff where to go, you can reduce this interaction with proper signage and available maps of the layout. Use a dry erase sign to accommodate last minute changes or combine a pre-printed ‘arrow’ sign with a room number and workshop name.
4. Stagger your breaks and lunch times. Simply by dividing your group in half, you can establish a schedule that doesn’t put everyone in the same area at the same time. Distinguish them with a special color badge or event ticket and you will help to reduce crowded spaces.
5. Have you considered the outdoors? Chances are good you are near wide open spaces close to a building. If this is the case, you may be able to work with on site staff to set up event tents for your snack breaks or as a place to conduct your welcome area. Adorn them with printed tablecloths, printed flags and weighted signage to clearly denote what and where your visitors are to go.
The PPE to Include at Your Next Event
The obvious choice for encouraging safety with PPE is to provide a face mask for your event. Chances are good that people have their own; however, what better way to build awareness and camaraderie among your group than with branding or messaging printed directly on your face covering!
Learn more about these suggested PPE items for your next event.
1. Custom hand sanitizer. You can choose to hand out your own branded bottles, and/or, have a branded sanitization station with touchless application of sanitizer.
2. Despite the technology age we live in, the ubiquitous pen is still a welcomed promotional item. Try an antimicrobial pen to reduce the spread of bacteria and consider having it cello wrapped to further boost confidence in the steps you are taking to have a clean and safe event.
3. All the required signage! You have seen it by now, the footsteps on the ground to indicate a 6 foot waiting distance, a gentle reminder to wear your mask or wash your hands. Post these signs around the venue as an indication of proper distancing and safety requirements. Their removable adhesive allows for quick changes and reuse.
4. Remember your staff! Protect the welcome area and registration area with protective barriers and make face shields available for those that would feel more comfortable wearing one. A happy and well protected staff will lead to happier attendees and a smoother, well-run event. Erring on the side of safety is a long term winning idea for everyone.
Looking to Offset Costs at Your Event?
You may be faced with new pricing dynamics as a result of the pandemic and any additional resources needed, but the show must go on! Here are a few tips to handle your event in a cost effective manner.
Aside from registration fees, you have typically helped to defer costs through exhibitor booth sales and/or obtaining sponsorships. Even in the virtual world, that has not changed. However, you should offer value and opportunity for those vendors in order to make it a win-win proposition for all.
1. Try involving your supplier members from the very beginning. What would they like to see you include at the event and online? Share different engagement ideas that have worked in the past year. They may have exhibited with other organizations also and can bring a new perspective to the table. From there, you could adjust as long as you’ve included them from the beginning.
2. Presuming you get good ideas of your own and from the pre-planning mentioned above, you now have opportunities to promote and allow the vendors to dominate the half hour session or webinar. You can sell banner space, and/or offer a promotional mug sponsorship to drum up advance interest and promote the activity by mailing a promo item with combined messaging to them.
3. Create a ‘super sponsorship’. Share a vision with the sponsor by offering to have their logo on a suite of PPE that is both distributed at the event and sent in advance to the attendees. Help them to imagine having their logo and/or message literally on the faces of all walking around. Use a preferred face mask, such as one with a filter pocket and adjustable ear holder and it will quickly become the favored mask that is worn all over.
4. To share these benefits among many, you could offer other product sponsorships tied to your event sessions or theme. You might combine an antimicrobial pen with a notebook for a session sponsorship, and some branded hand sanitizer for the ‘break’ sponsorship, and a badge/insert/lanyard combo sponsorship as part of an in person and online ‘meet and greet’. They can all be sent in advance. You may do this yourself, or, enlist a consultant at MARCO to help with the packaging and mailing of the items with the custom promo pack service.
Achieving success and safety in the COVID age does require entirely different thinking; however, it is achievable by simply reworking many of your good ideas from the past with updates given our current situation. As event planners, you have faced and solved many challenges…much to the amazement and pleasure of those around you.
If MARCO can assist and make any aspect of what you do easier or smoother, just know that the call or email is free, and we can take one task off your plate so you can focus making your events safe, special and memorable!
