Preparing for Safe, Efficient, and Productive Meetings and Events in a Vaccinated World

Now that vaccines are becoming more readily available in the U.S., hotels have geared up to meet the pent-up demand for face-to-face meetings and the overwhelming desire for social interaction while continuing to ensure the health and safety of attendees.

In doing so, hotel and meeting venues should confirm that prior COVID protocols remain in place and effectively communicate their efforts. Reverting to the "old ways" isn't an option. Venues must listen to the needs and concerns of planners and their attendees, who are hyper-sensitive to cleanliness. From technology, air quality, and sanitation to food and beverage handling, the hospitality industry needs to embrace best practices and implement high standards for events and meetings.

Studies show we need face-to-face interaction. While video calls are efficient, they do not give people what they really want. However, it's challenging to create that dynamic when masks and social distancing are required. How do you keep everyone in a group meeting environment?

Having a Plan

According to JLL's research, the number one priority of meeting planners is that the venue has a plan. It's not just about availability and cost anymore when booking space, safety and health concerns are a top priority for meeting planners and their clients. Whether it's a hotel, convention center, arena, or entertainment facility, the planner is relying heavily on the venue to put their plan forward.

This plan should highlight how it is meeting local, state, and federal safety guidelines and recommendations as well as all other building protocols being implemented to ensure attendee safety. Additionally, the venue would be wise to consider putting its own plan forward, which may go beyond City/County recommendations, such requiring masks when governmental officials may say are recommended.

The big question is how hotels handle mandated vaccinations. There may not be a correct answer at this time. Because of the recent uptick and the risk of the variant, some properties are requiring vaccination cards to enter. In other cases, the organizer is requiring vaccinations to attend. The venues/hotel should have a plan to embrace their requirements whenever possible. However, there are also legal issues to consider if this is the case. For example, if an attendee isn't vaccinated what's the operator's responsibility? How does the venue enforce or deal with that requirement? As more and more organizations start to require proof of vaccinations, the venue needs to be prepared to facilitate that requirement.

At this point, the venue operators are having to make quick decisions and quick legal review.

Communications

Communication is key. Experience tells us that people want to follow the rules, they just need to know what they are. For meeting planners, it's imperative to have all the venue protocols outlined before the registration phase of the event. Selling the plan to your client helps sell to their attendees. This early stage of planning is where most people determine if they are going to attend or not and understanding protocols before they sign-up and commit is imperative.

This is probably the most important time to get the word out about health and safety measures that will be in place. If you think about the broader marketing, that may or may not hit the actual attendees before the meeting. This helps the attendee feel comfortable enough to commit while also knowing what regulations they will need to meet in order to attend.

As each venue will have its own specific procedures to follow, it is key to provide easily digestible onsite means in which to know what is expected and offer key highlights of all safety measures at the hotel. The number one source for this is through signage and the key message to promote is health and safety. Whether it's digital or physical signage, the message needs to be consistent throughout the facility to reinforce the rules and guidelines and elevate any questions concerning building protocols. In addition to signage, messages can be related via on-site kiosks, websites, and social media. The main objective is to be consistent in communicating your message.

Technology

Technology is a top priority. As a result of the pandemic, touchless technology has become much more of a "must have" as opposed to a "nice to have" for most facilities. Guests have come to expect digital check-ins and apps that allow them to call an elevator, access the garage, and reserve conference/meeting rooms without encountering common area surfaces.

For meeting planners, technology provides a host of opportunities to enhance the attendee experience, including live streaming activities for overflow guests to access in other areas of the facility, including break-out rooms. These events can deliver content from general sessions, but the quality of the virtual experiences is key in keeping people engaged. Virtual exhibit halls, where attendees can use an appointment-based model to connect with others, is a unique way to encourage networking and socializing, so you can still get some "face time".

Incorporating the plug and play notion or leveraging already built-in production studios in meeting spaces can help streamline the process. Meeting planners also need to be realistic in the capabilities of a hybrid meeting, including what content you can share. In addition, it is important to have access to a good online platform. Understanding what you need to be effective in your hybrid event is critical.

Sometimes meeting planners shy away from virtual meetings due to the technical complications and the added costs involved in coordinating all the technical elements necessary to have a successful hybrid event. Having the right audio and video equipment on hand as well as the bandwidth to sustain it can facilitate a meeting planner's ability to provide both physical and virtual meeting options for attendees. Some meeting centers and venues are now building production studios in their spaces to better support and enable hybrid work events.

Food & Beverage

The days of the large-scale buffets are gone, at least, for now. With the advent of COVID-19, the trend is moving away from the open buffet-type environments to prepackaging, including bento boxes and grab & go items. Venues are also placing increased efforts on ensuring food handlers and staff are trained in safe food preparation and service as well as implementing sanitation guidelines that include hygiene and disinfecting practices. Sneeze guards, which have always been in place, are now more visible.

If offering a variety of dining choices, hotels and other centers are encouraged to have a trained server on staff to take those requests, place them on plates, and hand them over to the customer, thereby providing an additional safety measure surrounding food and beverage service.

Sanitation

Safety and sanitation standards are increasingly evolving. While maintaining regular cleaning schedules and providing accessible hand sanitizer and other cleaning resources for attendees is a good start in making them feel comfortable, some centers are going a step further. They are pursuing on-going health and cleanliness certifications to showcase the steps taken to create a healthier environment, installing medical- and hospital-grade air filtration and disinfecting systems, incorporating electrostatic sprayers to sanitize surfaces throughout the hotel, and adding on-site rapid COVID testing stations as well as a vaccine clinic.

In terms of masks, it might be prudent to have masks available and use them when needed. However, it might not be necessary for the entire meeting time thereby allowing for some degree of personal interaction, which is so greatly craved. As for service personnel, it is still standard practice to wear masks, a safety and precautionary measure that is occurring throughout the country, no matter what state.

Looking Forward

Prior to this last uptick, meeting spaces were working their way back to "normal" with less focus on masks and social distancing. As soon as vaccines were readily available and the number of individuals infected began to go down, there was an immediate reaction from the pent-up demand – almost as strong as demand from leisure travel. The interest in getting together is strong. From a booking perspective, it is looking like a big year for the second half of 2021 and into 2022 for meetings and conventions. We've just seen some indications with this delta variant that some of that is waning a little bit, but not to the point that it was at the height of the pandemic.

The biggest mistake to assume is that the pandemic is in the rearview mirror. The industry must be forward-thinking, and these best practices should carry on for the foreseeable future. Without standards in place, events can lack in attendee experience, safety and branding. In order to be reputable in this industry, you must defeat the notions that public spaces and events aren't as clean as they could be.

Meeting planners must prioritize standards and effectively communicate what's being done. It's also important to communicate to the venues their requirements and standards so they can work with the demands of attendees. Meeting planners should focus time on creating the safest environment possible for attendees and encourage their staff to practice good hygiene and wellness measures.

The venue and the organizers need to be clear and consistent on how to safely meet in person and communicate that message effectively with potential attendees.