Arvi Virdee, (Event Technologist – Brightspace Events) 

As live events pick up again and restrictions are lifted, the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to linger in people’s minds for some time, resulting in many event attendees preferring to attend events from the comfort of their homes or offices.   

This, combined with a long overdue focus on sustainability (beyond some CSR box ticking) means that we have a real challenge ahead – to manage both live and remote audiences… ie. hybrid events. 

Although this term is not new, it’s very much here to stay and the range of experiences on offer, and the budgets and time investment they need, varies drastically! 

Hybrid Event Options 

 

 So, how to choose the right software platform for your next hybrid and virtual event? 

The first step is to look at your event objectives (blog coming soon on that one!) and make sure you’re clear on what features you will need.  Don’t choose a platform on what looks good or what you’ve seen competitors using.  Focus on what you want to get out of your event. 

Practical Considerations  

Some of the factors that event managers and planners need to consider when choosing the ideal platform for hybrid events include:  

Event registration And Delegate Management

• Can you clearly register who is in-person and who is virtual? 
• Are you able to offer them different customer journeys throughout the reg. process? 
• Consider the following inclusions that may need to be different for each attendee type: session selection, travel details, ticketing, payments, appointment setting and more.  
• Can you control your ‘mandatory’ questions for each type so they only have to complete the fields that are relevant to them?  
• Ideally, the platform should support ‘conditional logic’, so attendees only see certain questions based on their answers to previous questions.  

Delegate Communications

• Use automated communications and make sure these work with your delegate types so that everyone receives tailored information depending on if they are in-person or virtual as well as if they are a speaker or attendee, for example 
• Set up your emails based on a time and date, or an action (or inaction) by the recipient. Eg, if a recipient has not registered x days after the invitation was sent, send them a reminder email.  
• Do you need onsite session scanning and badge printing? An integrated platform will avoid exporting and importing attendee data between platforms. This becomes very complex, very quickly!  You also risk having out of date data in one system.  
• The really sophisticated platforms will record all data changes in real-time. For example, if an attendee adds a session to their personalised agenda online, this should automatically be picked up as the attendee scans into the session without having to print a new badge.  

Event Production

For hybrid events, event production takes on a whole new meaning – it is much more than simply placing a camera at the back of the room!!  The following are questions to consider BEFORE you go looking for a hybrid platform: 

• How many feeds will you need?  Are you looking at one central location for producing the content or will you also be connecting speakers from virtual locations? 
• What technology / capabilities do these speakers have available and are comfortable with using?   
• Are you going to use breakout rooms – either in person or virtually?  Streaming multiple choice breakouts is possible but expensive and you will need a platform that can make sure the right virtual attendees are allowed into the right breakouts! 
• How are technical rehearsals arranged?  Are you limited in use of your platform due to tech support from the hosting company or can you schedule rehearsals whenever you like? 
• What mix of content would you like to show?  Live speakers, pre-recorded videos, presentations, interactive elements for in-person and virtual? 
• What technical support is available in the pre-event planning and during the live show – and are they on the same time zone as you are?  Can you phone someone or is it via a helpdesk system? 

 The Events App

 Most platforms have apps which can be viewed on both a mobile device and on a computer, and this app connects the live event with its remote attendees. The common areas are: agendas, speaker bios, feedback, live stream but some of other features to consider are:  

• Integration with the core platform- so any changes on one are reflected on the other (i.e., change of session selection, or purchase of a new ticket) 
• Real-time engagement features, like moderated Q&A, live polling, event and session chat, gamification, etc. for ALL attendees – that is, both in-person and remote.  
• E-tickets / payments / confirmations 
• Networking: Instant chat, email connections, appointment booking or 1 to 1 video calls 
• Recording and ‘on demand’ viewing after the live days of the event
• Closed captions or language translations 
• Accessibility eg. large text format or other adaptations 
• A web app for onsite attendees who are using their own devices, so they don’t need to download anything 
• In person extras e.g. locations / menus / maps / hotel information  
• Help desk for online attendees to chat / request password resets.  The platform provider may even provide staff to man the desk as an extra service.  

Sponsors And Exhibitors

• Will you have sponsors / exhibitors (internal and external) who require stand space in a virtual environment? 
• Do you need to capture visitor details to in-person and / or virtual exhibition areas?    
• Can both sets of data be fed into the same database? 
• What is available for follow up – scheduling calls / appointments / sending emails  

 The Final Word! 

 Data, data, data – ok, it’s repeated but still one word 😊.   

 Because of the digital nature of hybrid events, they generate TONNES of data… but the trick is to ask the right questions to get useful insights into your audience / objectives and actually DO something with it after the event.  

 When you’re choosing a platform, think about what you need OUT of it at the end.  You can’t get out, what you don’t put in. 

 

Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn and for Event Management and COVID Safety consultancy enquiries or send us an to hello@brightspaceevents.co.uk.

To be kept in the loop, follow @Brightspace Events on LinkedIn.

Sign up to our Information and Training Hub for updated advice and guidance for COVID Secure Events.

It’s very exciting seeing this event featured in our local paper! I suppose that once you start doing very cool things for really famous clients, everyone is going to be a bit more interested, even the media!! 😀

We’ve spent the last two years carefully dissecting articles by and about event professionals on all things COVID-19, now we ARE the event professionals, with an article of our very own!!

New York Times praises Brightspace Events for helping deliver pioneering COP26 event in Glasgow

Greta Thunberg, John Kerry, Nicola Sturgeon and David Lammy were there as speakers, with Leonardo DiCaprio also in attendance.

The New York Times (NYT) has praised Brightspace Events for helping it deliver ‘the most ambitious journalism and event project in its 170-year history.’

7th September 2020

As we all look nervously, optimistically and excitedly towards 1 October, Risk Assessments will take on a new importance as a non-negotiable process required to operate live events, safely, legally and – most importantly – to ensure that the guest experience is as seamless and enjoyable as ever.

In this blog, we sum up the key considerations for every event that is organised by a business, organisation or charity in the future.

What is a risk assessment and why do we do them?

Your usual legal requirements from the Management of Health & Safety at Work regulations remain – and now there is additional stipulations from the COVID Secure government guidelines. Principally, a Risk Assessment allows you to keep your staff, visitors and members of the public safe.

What happens if I don’t do one or it’s not good enough?

Under the new Coronavirus Legislation, Local Authorities now have increased powers for enforcement around COVID-19 risk assessments and events. Many authorities as well as the HSE are operating spot inspections at premises and events – plus ‘tip offs’ from the public will often trigger an investigation.

This could result in your event being immediately shut down.

What are the other benefits of doing a COVID Secure Risk Assessment?

• Make sure you are operating legally and safely
• Build confidence with clients who will be asking to see them earlier and in more detail than before
• Attract audience by reassuring delegates that everything is safe
• The process provides a structure and confidence to a brand-new way of working for Event Planners. No one has experience to rely on when it comes to COVID secure events so a regimented document will ensure everything is covered.

Key Points for a positive COVID Secure Risk Assessment process

• Start at the beginning of the event design process – aim to have the measures identified well in advance so they can be woven into the event rather than stamped on top of an already laid out event.
• Include Risk Assessment as an item on the agenda of any and all planning meetings to ensure it gets buy in from all stakeholders
• Stress the importance of leading by example to event staff and clients – if PPE / masks are required then EVERYONE needs to wear it, no exceptions (unless medical).
• Consultation with all involved including suppliers and ‘on the ground’ staff to ensure all measures are practical and sufficient.
• Prioritise – focus on the higher risk areas and not every trivial point

What to include:

A COVID Secure Risk Assessment focuses on the Risk of Transmission of COVID-19 and nothing else.

• What do we know about the hazard; about COVID-19 and who is at risk
• What’s the current risk regionally and nationally
• Set out which areas you can control and therefore are included in the assessment
• What is definitely NOT included eg. areas that you cannot control

**You don’t need a Hazard / Severity matrix as with a normal assessment**

• Break down every ‘action’ at the event and assess specific risks for transmission eg. arrival, registration, cloakroom, using toilets etc.
• Include reference to the TYPE of transmission at each point – Direct, Indirect or Airborne
• The control measures that are REASONABLY PRACTICABLE to minimise risk

Additional Requirements for COVID Safe Events

• Procedure for dealing with guest who shows symptoms
• On site considerations
  • Nominated COVID officer
  • Additional safety / monitoring staff
  • Sign in / sign out procedures to aid track and trace including all delivery drivers / suppliers
• Supplier Risk assessments and policies should all reflect COVID Secure measures eg. have hotels amended fire policies to aid social distancing?
• Impact assessment of self-isolation / quarantine. As track and trace would require people to immediately self-isolate, you need to minimise the impact on your team by eg. keeping your event team apart so that they don’t all have to isolate.
• Communication – how will you ensure crew, delegates, clients and staff are aware of all measures and comply?

Don’t forget the other risks

A COVID assessment is as well as a normal and full risk assessment for build, live and breakdown. In fact, COVID measures could introduce additional risks – specifically queues that extend into public areas / car parks that could be targets for terrorism.

A Final Word on Staff

Arguably, Event Staff are the ones most at risk in running an event and are also the ones most likely to start proceedings against a business if they felt that not enough was done to keep them safe.

Your Risk Assessment should pay particular attention to the way the staff work including the office, briefings, the build and crew catering. Consult with the team on deciding what measures are required so that you can improve compliance when on site and make sure you include monitoring and enforcement so that what’s on paper translates into the event itself.

COVID Secure events aren’t hard but they will require VERY careful planning and meticulous documentation and implementation. With everyone following the guidance, we can be confident that we will #getbritainmeeting again very soon!

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Our Training Courses…

Everything you need to return to live events safely, is covered in our courses.  The full, COVID Secure Events Training Course gives you the skills, knowledge and confidence to carry out your own risk assessments . The Introduction course will give you an executive level summary of the protocols, science and guidance and allow you to talk to clients, suppliers and team members, with knowledge, understanding and confidence.

Click images to find out more.

Join our Facebook group #Back2live Events for lively discussions and a ‘hive’ mind for all those burning questions as we start to open up.

To be kept in the loop, follow @Brightspace Events on LinkedIn and @brightspaceevnts on Facebook.

Sign up to our Information and Training Hub for updated advice and guidance for COVID Secure Events.

We CAN open Safely

My wonderful colleagues across this great industry have been working tirelessly to raise awareness of the drastic impact that the Coronavirus shutdown is having on the Live Events market.  We CAN open safely, we just need the government to recognise that and support us financially in the meantime.

Today, I have taken the excellent work linked below that HBAA have done and sent it to my MP for Northampton South, Andrew Lewer,  imploring him to raise our plight with his colleagues and to reopen and / or support us.

HBAA Business Events Meetings and Accommodation Report

 

Letter to MP For Northampton South

Hi Andrew,

I am writing to you as a business owner in Northampton South who offers consultancy B2B services to Corporate Event Management agencies around the UK.  I offer Project Management support for corporate events such as conferences, exhibitions, product launches etc.  These events are usually very high end, with big budgets and often operate all over the world as well as a significant proportion in hotels and venues around the UK and in Northamptonshire.  They are not weddings, music festivals or other ‘consumer’ type events eg. the Good Food show.  These are events which bring usually hundreds of corporate attendees together and, according to latest research (attached) is worth over £30 Billion to the UK GDP.

However, the industry has been decimated as you can imagine by the Coronavirus lockdown.  There is no end in sight as the Government will not publish any guidance or indication of when the sector may reopen.  As you can imagine, the average conference delegate is VERY compliant – certainly much more so than a member of the public who has had several pints in their local pub or who is out shopping with their family.

The industry already has a hugely positive Health & Safety culture and is well versed in Risk Assessing every single event.  Working within existing Government guidance for social distancing etc. we have already produced several Best Practice guides on how to operate events safely.  And yet, we remain ‘illegal’ with no signs of when restrictions will be lifted.

Up to 30% of jobs in this industry could be lost as a result (again, see the attached for source) due to agencies closing or making redundancies.  As we have seen with previous recessions, our industry is hit hard, and so we need the Government to specifically address our concerns urgently so that we can reopen as soon as possible.  In the meantime, we would also appeal for additional, specific financial packages in order to support us during this time.  Due to the ‘unclassified’ nature of what we do (we have no individual SIC code and individual councils sometimes place us in Tourism or Hospitality) we fall down the many gaps in current provision.  There are also a high percentage of self employed or PAYE Director owned Ltd companies earning largely or solely through dividends which, again, have been left without sufficient support.

I urge you to discuss our concerns and the industry in general with your colleagues in Westminster who will hopefully be receiving similar messages from others in my profession.  Corporate events can be run safely and will generate confidence and revenue again in a very beleaguered industry.  We need you to reopen the corporate events market NOW and provide immediate financial support to those that are employed in it.

Many thanks

Sarah Threlfall