Planned’s Safety Checklist

As strict lockdown guidelines are beginning to lift, we’re finally starting to think about reigniting the distant memory of IN-PERSON events. It’s safe to say that we are all beyond excited to ditch the Zoom fatigue, however, as we begin our event planning processes, we must keep in mind that in order for our events to run smoothly, we need to be on our safety A-game. Remember that over these quarantimes, your guests have likely developed a heightened sense of germaphobia, and they will pay close attention to their risks of infection when deciding whether or not to attend your event. So, it’s imperative that you communicate and implement COVID-19 proof safety measures so that all event-goers can enjoy each other’s company at ease.

We understand you’re nervous to get going, but we’ve come up with an extensive, yet concise safety checklist for you to refer back to as you strategize for your post-COVID celebrations.

Size Up Your Risk: First and foremost, you need to assess the risk that COVID-19 might be transmitted at your event. Particularly, if you’re a corporate event planner, the spreading of the virus at one of your events could quickly turn into a PR nightmare. So, working on a comprehensive risk assessment strategy will not only help you make more informed decisions but also sleep more soundly at night.

To measure the risk, you should consider many different factors. Recognize that the chance of infection will increase with the number and age of guests, the location of the event and if the event is held indoors instead of outside. Once you’ve accounted for these, you can make more knowledgeable decisions on what safety measures you will take. You might then decide to enforce a mask-wearing policy, decrease the duration of the event, or omit the food and drink service.

Ditch the Coronasplaining, Keep Your Guests Informed: It’s important that you keep your attendees in-the-know on all of the steps you’re taking to ensure their safety, but you don’t want to overwhelm them with a wave of disorganized, confusing information. To make sure that the most relevant instructions reach your guests, include your safety guidelines on the ticket purchasing webpage, in the event registration confirmation email, and in your communications leading up to the event. Within these guidelines share your safety decision-making process, mention what to bring, list the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, explain how to prevent infection, and detail what guests should do if they feel sick. Specify that guests must stay home if they experience COVID-19 symptoms, such as cough, fever, or gastrointestinal issues.

During the ticket confirmation process, require guests to self-certify that they will adhere to the event’s safety policies. Also, consider offering a flexible refund policy, along with a live-streaming option, to deter guests with the self-diagnosed “sniffles” who might be on the fence about coming. Finally, send out an email a few days before the event to remind event-goers of these policies and, at the event entrance, post signs which reiterate your safety guidelines.

Keep Guests At a Distance (6 ft, To Be Precise): If you think back to your middle school dance days, and remember when your teachers would approach you and your date with a ruler stick yelling “leave room for Jesus!”, you’ll know that it is, in fact, possible to keep guests at a distance from one another. But, you can spare your event-goers of that memory. Instead, place tape or stickers around bathrooms, buffet lines, or other queuing areas to deter guests from standing less than 6 feet from one another. In areas where event-goers will be removing masks to eat and drink, consider placing the tape farther than 6 feet apart. You can modify the event space to accommodate physical distancing guidelines by installing plexiglass throughout various areas (kiosks, booths, etc.) of the venue to decrease the risk of transmission among event staff and attendees. Finally, during networking sessions, ask your guests to wear tags or beepers which vibrate when they stand less than 6 feet from one another.

Design a COVID-proof Registration Area: Before, bouncers would check if your name was on the guest-list, now, they’ll be checking your temperature. All jokes aside, implementing extensive safety precautions at the entrance of your event is an effective way to decrease the risk of transmission. In this area, you should offer point-of-event COVID testing, and ask attendees to lather up and wash their hands (for 20 seconds) at your hand-washing station. Hand out branded goodie bags equipped with water, a face mask, disinfectant wipes, gloves, and instructions on how to master the “elbow bump.” Just don’t forget to disinfect them beforehand! You should also assign medical staff to evaluate attendees by checking their temperature and asking them whether they’ve experienced symptoms and or been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 14 days. Finally, implement a contactless system to exchange items, scan tickets, and make purchases.

Consider Clear Face Masks: Even though I’m sure that you’ve been perfecting your smize ever since America’s Next Top Model, your attendees may find that covering half of one’s face can make it difficult to read others’ facial expressions, which can be especially important while networking. To solve this problem without compromising safety, hand out clear face masks at the beginning of the event! Bonus: these are great for hearing-impaired guests who rely heavily on lip-reading to communicate.

Look Out For COVID-Friendly Venues: Just like event planners, vendors and venues have also quickly adapted to Ms. Rona’s rapidly changing demands. So, when booking, check whether venues are equipped with resources and accredited to help you achieve all of your safety goals. Take note of whether the venue is “hands-free” with automatic sliding doors or foot-operated door openers. Inquire whether the space includes ventilation, UV, or HEPA air filters. You should also check if the space has a small room or area in which you might need to isolate event-goers who develop signs of COVID-19. And, be sure to map out close-by hospitals in case a guest or staff member falls ill.

Clean, Wash, Sanitize, Repeat: The smell of household disinfectant is now music to your guests’ ears. So, it is important that you work closely with your event staff to ensure that all surfaces remain squeaky clean before, during, and after the event. Be sure to repeatedly disinfect commonly touched surfaces, such as tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, toilets, taps, and sinks. Make sure that guests can easily access numerous hand washing stations or hand sanitizer dispensers (which contain at least 60% alcohol) throughout the event space. And, if your event will occur in multiple shifts, remember to disinfect the spaces before and after guests move throughout different areas of the venue.

Plan Out the Protocol: An on-site medical professional will probably now be guests’ most sought out event amenity! It’s important to have a strict protocol ready if a guest or staff member develops symptoms or signs of COVID-19 during the event. This will put attendees at ease, prove that you’re putting the event-goers’ best interests first, and show that you’re diligently following the recommended health guidelines. Equip your designated isolation room with on-site medical staff (hopefully a McDreamy or McSteamy type) and first aid supplies so that guests who feel ill can seek care in a timely fashion. At this medical station, guests can wait to be transported home, or to the nearest hospital.

Since COVID-19 is easily spread through community transmission, it’s extremely important to have a contact tracing system in place. Create a plan to notify attendees if an event-goer develops symptoms, and follow up after the event to communicate whether the suspected person’s test result is positive or negative (and don’t forget to include staff and venue operators in these communications!). Also, if the COVID-19 outbreak has decreased the availability of other essential first-responders, develop a precise response plan for other potential threats or hazards (for example, a fire or a weather emergency)

It’s hard to stay up to date as info changes regularly. Here are our favorite resources for all things health and safety in our 3 major cities:

MTL:

1. Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) COVID-19 tool kit: provides up-to-date guides on how to take preventive measures and ensure that non-essential activities resume safely
2. CNESST tool kit for COVID-19 safety planning in the audiovisual production sector
3. CNESST tool kit for COVID-19 safety planning in the restaurant and bar sectors
4. Institut national de santé publique du Québec website: offers advice on how to implement the province’s health recommendations
5. Quebec government’s guidelines on gathering during the COVID-19 pandemic: as of July 7th, 2020, indoor and outdoor gatherings of up to 50 people are allowed in some public places

TO:

1. Canadian government’s risk mitigation tool for gatherings and events operating during the COVID-19 pandemic
2. Toronto’s COVID-19 Reopening Guidelines for Businesses & Organizations

NYC:

1. New York City’s official reopening webpage: provides updated information on NYC’s current reopening phase, detailed industry-specific guides for each of the phases, and dashboards which monitor the spread of the virus

Although your next event may require a bit more research and planning than normal, referring back to this checklist will help you quickly and effectively ensure that Ms. Rona is not in attendance. By implementing these steps, and getting your guests on board with your safety protocol, we will finally be able to turn “locktail hour” into “cocktail hour” again.