How event planners can think out of the box to ensure social distancing in venues

The pomp and show, the decorations, music, dance, and food — social gatherings — especially in India, were a thing to look forward to all week before COVID-19 struck.

However, precautionary measures such as social distancing have cast a pall on the festivities associated with these gatherings. Luckily, almost two years into the pandemic, things are finally starting to look up now.

Recent times have provided a respite to social gathering lovers by making small intimate gatherings possible. But, as the world opens its arms towards these gatherings, some precautions must be exercised by all to ensure safety. 

In a scenario like this, event planners bear the brunt of the responsibility, who have to abide by the necessary precautions while ensuring not cutting down on fun and celebrations.

This balance can be tricky to strike, but event planners are coming up with distinguished ideas to bridge the gap between social distancing and social gathering. Here are some practices that can help maintain the equilibrium:

Regulated guests list

The thought of having a huge gathering, including all of your close and distant loved ones, can feel pretty tempting, especially when it's a big day of your life. However, it must be remembered that the COVID-19 threat is far from over.

Bigger crowds gathered in confined spaces increase the possibility of the virus spread, which makes it more important a reason to practice social distancing.

Keeping the guest list in check can ensure the same. It is wise to only invite a small number of people for everybody’s general safety, and to abide by the government norms. The focus while circulating invitations should be on those people who are the closest to the client.

Contrary to the popular belief, small gatherings do not necessarily have to mean small fun. In fact, a smaller crowd allows a larger budget to cater to other areas of the celebration, thereby making things much grander.

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Must-haves of the social gatherings

What is more important in a celebration than having fun, right? True, but the pandemic times have brought out a priority in celebrations — protection from the deadly virus.

To take care of the same, the event planner must ensure all people present in an event — ranging from the event and catering team to the guests and hosts — are vaccinated and/or carry negative RT-PCR reports at all times.

The health and well-being of all the participants of the celebration are at risk if this necessary condition is not abided by all. Thus, it is wise to stay diligent about precautions.

No entry without masks and gloves 

The COVID-19 pandemic has marked the advent of the mask era globally. Seeing people with half their faces covered with a mask has become the new normal of our lives. While it can be tempting to take off the mask amidst festivities, it is a no-brainer that it can prove to be fatal.

All the guests, employees, and serving staff must be sporting a protective mask and gloves at all times during the event. The event planner must ensure this as it is critical to the well-being of all the stakeholders.

Planners can set up a separate mask and glove counter at the venue to help those who need them or forgot to carry them. The masks and gloves can be customised to suit the wearer, sparking the interest of everyone and ensure safety alike.

Moreover, separate bottles of hand sanitisers can be made available on each table to make them easily accessible for all throughout the venue. A sanitiser fogging machine can also be used at the entrances and exits.

Safety and sanitisation comes first 

Getting a cleaning protocol in place is also an indispensable part of planning any occasion. The rules and code of conduct based on the decided protocol must be carefully communicated to all the staff and event professionals to the best of their understanding to avoid any breaches.

Venues should be precise about the safety rules. They should make an effort to convey them clearly to all the participants before the occasion. All decisions should be taken while taking safety into account as the foremost priority.

The washrooms and other restrooms should be spot clean and sanitised at all times. They should be disinfected for easy and safe usage. This can work wonders in ensuring the safety of all attendees.

Summing up

The COVID-19 pandemic and the necessary precautions have made planning and organising an event a slightly tougher task. However, with the right planning and prudence, any low can be turned around. Through efforts and dedication, the COVID-19 threat can be minimised in events, leaving only blissful memories of the episode.