Every meeting professional wants things to get back to normal as soon as possible. The pandemic has been particularly painful for the meeting industry. However, is “back to normal” going to be possible? Or do we have to embrace that we must accept a “new normal” in the industry?
By all accounts, this crisis will diminish in the coming months and stakeholders will start holding meetings again. However, this virus is not going away anytime soon. Further outbreaks may continue to occur for the next year as the virus spreads through the entire global population. And even if the virus magically disappeared today, the persistent fear of this virus will linger like a bad hangover on the meeting industry for quite some time.
A “new normal” is the best we can expect. And this “new normal” must address something most planners rarely prioritize on their precon checklist
- “Health Security”
Why? Because the Covid-19 crisis is due to only one thing - health insecurity . And just like any other type of attendee risk, it must be faced head on with a plan that mitigates the threat. Only then, will stakeholders’ hosting meetings start to feel safe again.
Of course, every planner considers the health of their attendees a priority . However, in practice, they rarely take action to support the Health Security of their meeting. And though, in the past, this has been acceptable, the “new normal” we are living in demands more from planners. So what does an effective Health Security plan look like for the meeting industry? What will it take to demonstrate to your clients that you understand the “new normal” and are addressing the risk?
An effective Health Security plan must include all of these three foundational elements:
Below are six strategies guided by these three foundational elements that planners may want to consider when creating a Health Security plan for their upcoming meetings.
The most effective way to protect your meeting from exposure to Covid-19 is to keep ill attendees from coming to the meeting. How do you do this? Sit down with your client well before the program and encourage them to set a clear and effective sick attendee policy.
Respiratory droplets spread Covid-19 from person to person. These droplets land on surfaces when someone is breathing, speaking, or coughing. Other people in the area then touch these droplets with their hands and later touch their face infecting themselves. Therefore, frequent disinfection of surfaces is another powerful way to protect your attendees from Covid-19 infection.
Fever is the most common symptom associated with a Covid-19 infection. Temperature checks are an efficient way to screen attendees who are coming to the meeting. They are quick, non-invasive, and easy to perform for large groups.
Every human is exposed to hundreds of viruses a day. Our most powerful defense from these infectious agents, and the reason we don't get sick more often, is our magical immune system. So what can planners do to strengthen attendees’ immune system? It turns out that y our lifestyle choices can affect how well your immune system can protect you from viruses. Create a wellness program for your meetings. This wellness program must include components that supports the following:
The “new normal” elevates wellness programs at the meeting to more than a “feel good” offering. It can actually reduce the risk of your attendees’ coming down with a flu like illness such as Covid-19.
One of the three elements of an effective Health Security plan is the “Medical Response”. To respond to the needs of ill attendees, planners must demonstrate to attendees that they have taken the extra step to ensure that sick attendees have access to high quality, convenient, and cost effective healthcare during the meeting. What are the options planners have at their disposal?
Whatever option you choose, it should ideally have the following capabilities:
Clear communication needs to be established with attendees and other meeting stakeholders. This communication should focus on the three elements of Health Security - Prevention, Detection, and Medical Response.
a) Outline the communication channels available to reach attendees– i.e. email, Intranet postings, fliers, posters, videos, blog posts, FAQs and have a "source of truth" resource where employees can go to for the latest updates (this could be a company intranet site or a physical location such as a bulletin board).
b) Partner with legal, human resources (HR) and other key leadership for timely review and approval of all messaging and materials prior to distribution.
c) Designate a point person to stay on top of developments, manage the communication process, and receive and respond to employee concerns.
f) Redirect more complex questions to your client’s HR team.
In summary, the meeting industry does not have the luxury of sitting back and waiting for things to return to normal. The “new normal” necessitates taking proactive measures to reassure organizations that it is safe and responsible to have meetings again. The concept of Health Security has traditionally been one associated with public health. However, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the meeting industry must prioritize Health Security as an achievable goal for every meeting and event.
This new priority is not solely for the purpose of ensuring the health of the meeting industry, but also to protect the world. To be very clear, the meeting industry is perfectly designed for the spread of pandemic viruses by encouraging global travel and meetings which brings millions of people together to connect. Therefore, the meeting industry also has a moral obligation to be a part of the solution in containing Covid-19 by partnering with the public health community to promote Health Security.