Take the following steps to ensure you are ready for Alberta’s Stage 2 Relaunch on Friday, June 12.
By Taylor Rojo
With Alberta opening the doors to outdoor events and indoor seated/audience events of up to 100 people, as well as other indoor events of up to 50 people as of June 12 as part of its Stage 2 Relaunch, you may be feeling eager to squeeze a few small events out before summer 2020 ends. And rightfully so! Since March, event planners in Alberta have been making do with virtual options, but we all know that nothing compares to the magic of a live event. So, you want to plan an event during a pandemic? Take the following steps to ensure you are ready:
Make a Risk Assessment: This risk assessment should take into consideration existing public health measures, the likelihood of transmission occurring at your event, and your ability to apply prevention and control measures. Will your event include singing? How about a band of wood-wind instruments? Are there party games that require attendees to share items? These activities are considered a high-risk for transmission and may need to be adjusted to minimize risk at your event.
Consider Your Demographic: COVID-19 has been shown to disproportionately affect people 65 and older, as well as those with pre-existing health conditions. If the target audience for your event falls within these groups, consider postponing these events for the time being. Perhaps your target audience is young and overall healthy. Can you proceed? Maybe, however, some people just don't feel comfortable attending in-person events during the pandemic. In order to accommodate these people, consider the use of a hybrid event, where those unable to attend an event in person due to health concerns can still participate through a live stream or video conference.
Stay Home If You Are Sick: While we have been hearing this for months, it still applies, and you need to communicate this with your attendees. Providing virtual options in conjunction with your live event, as mentioned above, as well as flexible refund policies will help enforce this idea.
Include Medical Staff On-site: These staff should assist in detecting COVID-19 symptoms, perhaps through temperature checks or general crowd surveillance, and should assess attendees who have an onset of symptoms during the event. An isolation room for attendees or staff should be made available during the event for initial assessment by medical staff.
Prevent Crowding: So you found a venue that allows for attendees to maintain their physical distance, but have you considered how they will enter and exit your event? Consider staggering arrival times or having multiple points of entrance in order to prevent crowding at the start of your event.
Listen to Local Authorities: The Government of Alberta released a set of guidelines for outdoor events on June 4. While a new set of guidelines is expected following the Stage 2 Relaunch, highlights from the June 4 guidelines include:
Maintaining physical distance between attendees and staff, and encouraging the use of non-medical masks.
Providing adequate stations for hand hygiene, whether that be with soap and water or hand sanitizer containing 60% alcohol.
Refraining from buffet, potluck, or family-style food service.
Taking extra precautions to clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces.
Keeping a list of attendees for two weeks to enable contact tracing if required.
To review these guidelines in their entirety, please visit https://www.alberta.ca/assets/documents/covid-19-relaunch-guidance-outdoor-events.pdf Updates to these guidelines that we can expect to see following the next phase of the relaunch include:
Limiting the number of individuals at outdoor events or indoor seated/audience events to 100 people, and other indoor events to 50. This number includes event staff and vendors on-site, so carefully consider how many staff are required for your event to run smoothly before creating a guest list or opening registration for the event.
Continued restrictions on concerts, festivals, conferences, tradeshows, and major sporting events.
Further information on Alberta's Stage 2 Relaunch can be found at https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-relaunch-strategy.aspx#stage2
As stated in the World Health Organization's document "Key Planning Recommendations for Mass Gathering in the Context of COVID-19" (released May 29, 2020) "mass gatherings are not merely recreational events; they have important implications on the psychological well-being of large number of individuals." Event planners have long understood the role that events play in our lives and are looking forward to the day that we can gather again. Just be sure that if you decide to plan an event during a pandemic, you consider the physical, as well as the psychological, well-being of your attendees.
