Our safety, Our events: Health & safety global SOPs. The solution to earn trust and rebuild the industry.

More than a third of the planet’s population has been under lock down for the last three months. As the restrictions ease and professionals look to travel again, the events industry should be ready to welcome with open (and safe) arms. 

Each aspect of our lives is now regulated by new standards, from a trip to the supermarket to a visit to the park, there is a new normal (standard). Similarly, the event industry should look into standardising health & safety procedures globally, for the sake of the participants and itself. 

For example, in May, Germany listed mass gatherings and trade shows as separate segments on the country’s plan for dealing with COVID-19. The government explicitly highlighted trade shows and exhibitions as types of events that can be allowed again. 

The Netherlands, as it stands, despite having had open borders with Germany throughout the lockdown, only plans to slowly reopen exhibitions and trade shows starting with 100 people or less. “If garden centres, department stores, home furnishing outlets like IKEA and DIY centres are able to open, so can we,” says CEO Paul Riemens of the RAI in Amsterdam, one of Europe's largest exhibition centres.

Which may make a participant wonder, how will they be safer in a trade show environment vs mass gathering in Germany? What makes an event of 100 people safer than 150 in the Netherlands? or compared to Germany? What is the criteria for calling an event safe?

Setting up global SOPs could help assist in getting clarity by having one reliable standard of safety around the World. 

The UFI (the global association of the exhibition industry) has published a comprehensive global framework for re-opening exhibitions and B2B trade events. However, it is in their own words ‘Good practices’. It is not yet official and recognised guidelines which should be implemented by all professionals worldwide. Will this be the moment where the power of larger organisations such as the European Union, finally shine?

As countries start their own independent initiatives in developing requirements for future events, participants are likely to look at references/certifications/standards they can trust to assure their health and safety before attending. For example, is a 1.5 meter distance rule in France safe enough? vs 2 meter in the UK which is better? or an overkill? How should a participant decide? Or are we leaving it to individual interpretation of safe distance? or should have solid science behind it, which does not change from country to country. 

The question is, who should lead the industry? Is it UN? Is it EU (at least for Europe)? or UFI? It doesn’t matter as long as one of the organisations works with the scientific community to set and implement standard Health and Safety procedures for events around the World.

Amsterdam, 27 June 2020

Sources:

• https://www.ufi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/MR_UFI_statement_on_Germany.pdf
• https://www.rai.nl/en/update-coronavirus/
• https://www.ufi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Good_Practice_Guidance_Reopening_Business_Events.pdf
• https://www.ufi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Exhibition_Industry_Market_Status_Tracker.pdf