How to Create Safer in Person Events Leveraged By Strategic Meetings Management Programs
November 13th, 2020
COVID-19 has changed the landscape of pretty much everything across the globe. Not only has it changed how companies use to work but it has also turned the event and meeting upside down. Meetings and events are of great importance for companies because it's where great ideas are made. But the organization equipped with SMMP (Strategic Meetings Management Program) had to face no trouble. It allows the organization to have immediate and crystal-clear visibility into all events and meetings to save substantial costs. That’s because events and meetings organized poorly can turn out to be money pits and highlights the importance of SMMP.
According to BPS Research Digest organizations only in the USA waste around 37 billion US dollars every year. In simple words, each organization on average wastes about one to three percent of its revenue on meetings. That’s why using SMMP is very important as it increases viability, quality, and mitigates costs. It also allows you to make in-person events safer. Let’s discuss the concept in detail.
Other than safety and health consideration SMMP offers many other benefits for safer in-person events and meetings which are as followed:
It allows you to create a well-thought strategy with a detailed communication plan and an organized workflow. This strategy includes attendees, vendors, and all the partners to make sure that all the participants feel comfortable and confident with the plan.
According to the WHO (World Health Organization) recommendations, all the small public gatherings must occur at outdoor venues. On the other hand, if organizing a public gathering at an outdoor space is not possible then you can opt for indoor venues as well. But it must be well cleaned and properly ventilated. You can check your indoor venue by checking if it has openable windows for fresh air. If the venue doesn’t have any openable windows then you must not opt for that. You can also check with the venue management regarding how they can increase natural ventilation. Keep in mind that some of the modern indoor venues have new HVAC air filtration systems. They are built for enhanced ventilation and proper cleansing of the air for all types of virus particles.
When you’re done with your venue selection the next step is to designate all the physical areas where all the participants and attendees can and can’t go. In order to organize and plan where your event participants should sit and go as the event proceeds, you’ll have to develop a strategic floor plan. According to the latest guidelines, all the participants who are not from the same region must maintain six feet of social distance from one another. You might think that it’s easy to achieve but you also need to account for venue employees, staff, catering workers, speakers, and everyone else present at your event. Keeping all these points in mind, here’s a list of some most important ways to develop a safety layout. Keep the following points in mind for your organization’s next in-person meeting or event.
If you have SMMP in place, it’s the best time to go through your existing event policies. Moreover, if you are planning to implement any SMMP program, consider writing a comprehensive policy according to the latest health and safety needs. It will allow your employees to make their decisions accordingly and it will also help them to mitigate risk factors. Regardless of your company type, size, and location, you must include the following points in your company policy list.
According to BPS Research Digest organizations only in the USA waste around 37 billion US dollars every year. In simple words, each organization on average wastes about one to three percent of its revenue on meetings. That’s why using SMMP is very important as it increases viability, quality, and mitigates costs. It also allows you to make in-person events safer. Let’s discuss the concept in detail.
What is SMMP?
In its essence, the SMMP (Strategic Meetings Management Program) provides guidance to plan, organize, and execute the meetings or events. SMMP is a perfect solution regardless of event or meeting type whether it’s hybrid, virtual, or in-person. It breaks down all the measurable aspects of your large budget event and cuts the cost and execution time. It involves sales effectiveness, housing and travel management, marketing investment, logistics, and supply chain. That’s why the program provides you with the average cost per attendee and allows you to make your event as efficient by both time and money as possible.Benefits of SMMP
Other than safety and health consideration SMMP offers many other benefits for safer in-person events and meetings which are as followed:
1. Safety
It allows you to maintain the latest and up-to-date health and safety standards, especially for in-person gatherings. Keep in mind that it differs from region to region. It helps you to maintain the approved in-person vendors’ list to ensure safety standards for everyone in the RFP (Request for Proposal) process.2. Accessibility
It allows you to publish your organization’s policy on your website’s web page for events or on social media where it’s easily accessible3. Well-Thought Strategy
It allows you to create a well-thought strategy with a detailed communication plan and an organized workflow. This strategy includes attendees, vendors, and all the partners to make sure that all the participants feel comfortable and confident with the plan.
4. Risk Management
It clearly outlines safety, financial and legal risks for all the people attending the meeting or event.5. Contract Terms
It negotiates clear and easy to understand contract terms and conditions with all the participating vendors. It allows you to save a substantial amount of money if the in-person meeting is cancelled.6. Cost Saving
IT saves the total cost your organization spends on the event or meeting by 10 to 25 percent. For that matter, it centralizes the time-consuming functions such as attendee registration and venue sourcing.7. Minimizing Risks
The SMMP offers 24/7 access to sensitive data to easily locate and find all the attendees in an emergency situation. It also allows you to develop standard terms and conditions for your venue and accommodation contracts to protect your organization from onerous attrition and cancellation fee.8. Operational Control
SMMP allows you to set pre-determined approvals and control to prevent out of policy spending. It also comes with comprehensive reporting and analysis tools that allow you to keep track of your organization’s spending to enforce different policies.How to Make in Person Events Safer Using an SMMP?
SMMP is the best tool for all event planning companies UK. With it’s easy to use functionality it allows you to create guidelines and plan out your event space to maintain safety and health standards. Here’s how you can do it for your event planning UK.1. Creating Layouts
According to the WHO (World Health Organization) recommendations, all the small public gatherings must occur at outdoor venues. On the other hand, if organizing a public gathering at an outdoor space is not possible then you can opt for indoor venues as well. But it must be well cleaned and properly ventilated. You can check your indoor venue by checking if it has openable windows for fresh air. If the venue doesn’t have any openable windows then you must not opt for that. You can also check with the venue management regarding how they can increase natural ventilation. Keep in mind that some of the modern indoor venues have new HVAC air filtration systems. They are built for enhanced ventilation and proper cleansing of the air for all types of virus particles.
When you’re done with your venue selection the next step is to designate all the physical areas where all the participants and attendees can and can’t go. In order to organize and plan where your event participants should sit and go as the event proceeds, you’ll have to develop a strategic floor plan. According to the latest guidelines, all the participants who are not from the same region must maintain six feet of social distance from one another. You might think that it’s easy to achieve but you also need to account for venue employees, staff, catering workers, speakers, and everyone else present at your event. Keeping all these points in mind, here’s a list of some most important ways to develop a safety layout. Keep the following points in mind for your organization’s next in-person meeting or event.
2. Six-Feet Apart
Placing your podiums, tables, and chairs six feet apart is very important. You will have to make sure that your seating arrangement ensures consistent spacing everywhere. Ask your working staff to use accurate room measurement techniques in order to scale the design properly. It will allow you to maintain the safety guidelines compliance once it’s physically set up.3. Use Event Diagramming
It’s very important to use 3D or even 2D event diagramming. It will allow you to judge your venue with a bird’s eye view as well as virtually walk through your venue. The 2D diagram allows you to see how the furniture can be arranged with proper spacing. Moreover, the 3D view will allow you to virtually walk through your event venue. This way you can analyse the venue the way your participants will perceive it without even visiting it physically.4. Remote Collaboration
You can opt for remote collaboration in order to talk to the event venue managers and partners. It allows you to minimize the unnecessary physical contact and go through the layout of your event. You can also update it in real-time with virtual walkthroughs to ensure health and safety guidelines compliance.5. Mandated Standards Compliance
Keep in mind that every government and local authorities have announced guidelines to combat COVID-19. You’ll have to check the guidelines put by your country, state, province, or city to organize your in-person event accordingly. Event planners UK must inform the organization about the mandatory health and safety guidelines. It will keep your in-person organization from all the risk factors and ensure that your event goes smoothly and seamlessly. You also have to keep in mind that these standards are changing continually because of the changing landscape of COVID-19. You must include waivers for all the participants and ensure to include the following points in your in-person event’s waiver.- All the participants must weak facemask in all the events happening in public areas
- Any person feeling sick or having any slight symptoms of flu must not attend the event
- Any person who is confirmed with exposure to COVID-19 within the last 14 days must not attend an in-person meeting or event
6. Updating the Policies
If you have SMMP in place, it’s the best time to go through your existing event policies. Moreover, if you are planning to implement any SMMP program, consider writing a comprehensive policy according to the latest health and safety needs. It will allow your employees to make their decisions accordingly and it will also help them to mitigate risk factors. Regardless of your company type, size, and location, you must include the following points in your company policy list.
