MeetSAFE™
Meetings and events support more than ten million jobs worldwide. To help get the live event industry, event planners, and our teams back to work and begin the road to recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic, meeting safely will undoubtedly be a priority.
Encore and our family of companies will be at the forefront in safe meeting practices related to the services provided by our industry leading brands.
As shelter-in-place restrictions ease, physical distancing and enhanced cleaning procedures will remain an essential part of making people comfortable with meeting.
Risk and health are two key considerations for businesses and associations. An anticipated phase one recovery for our industry likely represents smaller meeting sizes following evolving government guidelines.
With fewer people meeting and a cleaning routine in place, the risk to attendees will be reduced.
How will meeting safely in the early stages of recovery look?
Working alongside venue partners, Encore is designing a series of meeting formats, equipment packages, and recommendations that address how to reduce risk, increase confidence, and promote health within the meeting space.
Meeting design, room layout, technology considerations and enhanced cleaning procedures are at the heart of this offering with the goal to make the meetings and events industry strong, and healthier than ever.
Meeting Design Options: Local to Global Solutions
As people return to in person meetings, smaller groups could potentially fall into three meeting designs:
Hybrid Boardroom Meetings
One
Room
A small in-person gathering in a huddle room, boardroom, or similar collaboration pod with remote participants. A single webcam (including one built-in to a personal laptop) could provide capture coverage for a small group.
Hybrid Small
Meetings
Multi-room,
Broadcast Communication
An in-person conference in a small meeting room with remote participants. The room can be set in a U or traditional conference table configuration.
Hybrid Mid-Size Meetings
Multi-room/Multi-venue,
Networked Communication
An in-person gathering in a traditional meeting room or similar with remote participants. The room can be set in a classroom style, rounds or designed to meet your specific event needs. Remote attendees can join on their own from an office or as a group from another meeting room.
*Hybrid: All three meeting designs can incorporate a virtual stream for attendees and presenters that are not able to make the in-person meeting.
With the meeting design in mind, room layouts may look different. Incorporating physical distancing and traffic flow will reduce risk and promote health within the meeting environment.
Tables and chairs may be spaced to meet best practices and floor decals, and other forms of signage may inform attendees on the best way to move through the space to limit contact.
Technology equipment will be sized according to the new space with the addition of virtual components as necessary.
Technology Considerations
This illustration highlights technologies that can help support these meeting designs.
Beyond traditional items like projectors and screens, items to support sound reinforcement, recording, web-conferencing and digital tools for polling and Q&A should be considered.
Cleaning Guidelines
As the event space changes, it will be more important than ever to create a space that continues to promote collaboration and engagement and while focusing heavily on hygiene.
Encore is educating our team members on enhanced cleaning procedures. We are doing this to help stop the spread of germs as we strive to build upon our commitment to safety.
Tent cards will indicate when equipment has been cleaned, with particular attention to high-touch items such as microphones, keyboards, wireless presenters and markers.
