Meeting planners say all aspects of meetings and events have changed due to the pandemic, including hosting more activities outside and clearly communicating protocols. Christopher Barr Photography

When it comes to the working vocabulary of meeting planners, is there a more important word nowadays than safety? Of course, this has always been a major responsibility, but since March 2020, perhaps nothing ranks higher on any “gotta-take-care-of-that” list.

That’s the view seen by Michael S. Burke, CMP, director – conference & travel services for The Hanover Insurance Group. He affirms that while attendee safety has always been a primary focus for meetings professionals, the pandemic has amplified that emphasis. “Meeting attendees have always expected that events would be safe and that protocols would be in place to ensure their safety,” he says. “Now more than before, I believe attendees want to be aware of what those protocols actually are, and how it would be handled if someone does become ill while attending an event.” One offshoot is that, in many cases, this has necessitated the need to hire third-party companies to help to manage these protocols, while also being sensitive to the handling of personal information. But even where such concerns are handled in-house, giving top priority to safety remains a planning imperative. “Safety should always be top of mind for any event professional,” says Burke, past president of FICP. “While it’s impossible to plan for every possible scenario, it’s important to have plans in place and resources available to react appropriately.”

Fortunately, today’s planners have shown they are up to the task, thanks in part to insights gained over the long months of dealing with COVID-19. That progress represents a continuation of long-standing practice, according to Patricia Kerr, CMP, associate vice president, meeting and event planning with Nationwide Insurance. She says ensuring the safety of attendees is one of the four basic roles for any event manager, along with overseeing the exceptional and seamless execution of meetings and events, creating meaningful and exceptional experiences that strategically align to the events’ goals and objectives, and mitigating financial and logistical risks. “In today’s environment, a laser focus must be paid to instituting policies, procedures and protocols that are solely aimed at keeping people safe,” she says. “Event planners need to rethink agendas, event activities and how events will be managed.” That means the traditional event agenda needs to be put aside, she says. “Planners have a great opportunity to rethink the best way to deliver events, ensuring goals are met while instilling trust in your event’s delivery to attendees.”

Eric Holmen, CEO of event marketing platform Splash, says whether plans are focused on COVID or other potential challenges, it’s important to define safety protocols. While safety must obviously be among the most basic factors considered when choosing an event venue, that’s just the start. “Once you’ve vetted and selected a venue for an event, you’ll need to define your own safety protocols,” he says. Along with following local guidance, these should address the most current thinking related to safety. As the pandemic continues, any requirements should be clarified for testing, vaccinations and symptom checks, as well as procedures for reporting and following up on violations.

That was the process Burke and his team followed at an event where all attendees, including vendors, were required to provide proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of arrival. Using the CLEAR app, they were able to track the information and minimize the likelihood of someone contracting COVID while attending the event. Events were hosted outdoors whenever possible, and masks were required while on transfers. “Our attendees appreciated that there were visible efforts in place, and that they didn’t detract from the overall experience of being face-to-face,” Burke says. “Ultimately, the meeting was very successful.”

Considering the unexpectedly long duration of the current pandemic, such measures may be needed well into the foreseeable future. Kerr, for one, thinks that, given the persistence of the pandemic and unknown nature of current and future variants, testing will become more commonplace. “Ensuring a safe environment, and ideally creating an event bubble, can only be achieved if each attendee is COVID negative,” she says. “Further, mitigating the risk of positive, asymptomatic, fully vaccinated event attendees will be imperative to ensure each event controls, to the best of your ability, virus spread.”

Joe Fijol, left, and Michael Burke, right, wear masks at the recent 2021 FICP Annual Conference as part of the safety protocols. Christopher Barr Photography

As the pandemic continues, Holmen suggests considering keeping events on the smaller side, since they are easier to control, while ensuring attendees are following all safety protocols. “Small events also encourage more interaction, participation and engagement, while at the same time, allowing attendees to feel safer engaging,” he says. “Outside of the safety benefits, small events also let you target more specific audiences, which helps to drive real business outcomes.” He adds that, in planning safety protocols, it’s essential to have a clear, comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of local guidelines in addition to your own standard practices. “Ensuring you know the protocols for the city you are planning an event in will help you determine essential pieces of your plan, like whether you will require testing, proof of vaccination, and/or masks, and how you will handle violations,” Holmen says. This will also help in communicating all safety measures to attendees ahead of time, so no one will feel unprepared or blindsided when they arrive.

While anti-infection measures understandably hold the spotlight at present, other threats must also be considered. For example, advance thinking about possible emergencies requiring quick action is always well advised. This might involve steps ranging from studying building maps for best exit points from meeting rooms, to working with a venue’s security staff to agree on protocols to be followed in the event of an emergency. Similarly, keeping data safe, while obviously secondary to the safety of participants, is also important. One strategy is to set up a private Wi-Fi connection for an event and encourage attendees to use it instead of free services offered by a hotel or other venue. Compared to free Wi-Fi, such arrangements, thanks to online access available only by user name and password, offer stronger security.

Whatever measures planners embrace, an important step is to communicate them to participants and others who may be affected. On one level, this applies to the fundamental need to assure potential attendees that adequate safety measures are in place. In conference registration materials and other information, best practices include providing details on factors such as how food will be handled, ways space will be configured to minimize crowded conditions, and other strategies focused on safety.

Venues, like the Orange County Convention Center, pictured, have boosted cleanliness measures to ensure health safety. Courtesy of the Orange County Convention Center

Holmen says that clear communication about safety is vital both in advance of an event and while it is under way. “Transparent communication is critical,” he says. “Whether through signage or a mobile app, participants should be fully informed about safety measures and expectations.” This should include frequent updates as needed during the course of an event. Even the most well-thought-out safety protocols can be undone by event attendees not knowing or understanding what’s expected of them, Holmen adds. Maintaining a steady stream of clear communication between organizers and attendees is crucial in the era of COVID and beyond.

“All requirements and guidelines should be clearly communicated to all participants,” says Greg Duff, a partner at Foster Garvey in Seattle, who focuses his practice on hospitality. “If a location’s conditions are worsening or requirements are insufficient and likely to cause concerns among participants, consider what additional protocols might be needed or whether the event should be canceled.” He adds that it’s also important to understand the policies and practices of the venue where the event is being hosted and communicate those clearly to participants. He emphasizes that when it comes to not only coordinating meetings but also communicating with key parties, flexibility is a key. “What constitutes a safe meeting can change rapidly,” he says. “Communication with the venue, airlines or other means of transportation, participants and others is critical.”

In the same way meeting planners focused on physical security following 9/11, meeting planners are now rightly focused on the health and safety practices and protocols of the venues, caterers and other contractors that host or service their events, Duff says. Although there isn’t much evidence yet of meeting planners or venues being sued for COVID exposure, it is not beyond the realm of possibility. “For some time to come, travelers in all segments — leisure, corporate and group — will be concerned about health and safety issues, and meeting planners will be forced to address those issues to host a successful meeting,” he says.

Duff recalls an event where planners had to locate, retain and then coordinate COVID tests for a group with hundreds of participants, all at the last minute. This was before testing became a regular requirement, and included all employees serving the event as well as all attendees. “We broke some new ground in the way that we pulled things together, with lots of lessons learned,” he says. “We’ve also seen some really bad examples of where groups tried to game the system, and COVID, to avoid holding a meeting that the group wanted to cancel for reasons other than COVID.

Greg Duff, a partner at Foster Garvey, stresses that planners must clearly communicate with attendees, venues and other entities involved with an event to ensure everyone is on the same page when it comes to health safety. Courtesy Robert Wilson for HSMAI

Regardless of the time frame involved, attention should be placed on making all concerned feel comfortable with the arrangements, Holmen says. “It’s so important that attendees and presenters not only are safe, but also feel safe and confident that their health and wellness are a priority,” he says. “When deciding on event size, choosing a venue and defining safety protocols, meeting and event organizers should take the latest information and CDC guidelines into account. Advance prep is needed to get a venue ready to enact those safety protocols and clearly communicate them to attendees before, during and after the event.”

Along the way, planners must recognize that everyone won’t be in total agreement about what precautions should be taken or the best strategies for promoting safety. “Everyone thinks about COVID risks and mitigation measures differently, and it’s important to respect those different opinions,” Burke says. At the same time, whether with the current pandemic or in other areas, attendees generally appreciate “reasonable and logical” efforts made to ensure their safety.

From the planner’s viewpoint, the careful thinking required for other aspects of event preparation is a must in promoting safe practices. “Approach each in-person event with caution, well thought-out safety protocols and extensive communications,” Kerr says. “These should clearly align each of your event attendees to the policies and procedures that will be implemented for your event.”

Once protocols are established, adequate follow-through is also a key. That, along with the commitment to communicate health and safety preparations and expectations, the integrity of following thorough with those preparations is vital. And, as with other aspects of the planning process, teamwork and diligence will go a long way to assure that meetings are as safe as possible. I&FMM.