During this time of social distancing and major care to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the events industry has been significantly impacted. Many events have been cancelled or postponed, and an uncertain future makes planning for upcoming events a different challenge than it would have been otherwise.
At In The Event™, we’re taking a number of significant precautions for all our event planning and party rental services to ensure all our clients and employees are safe and protected. In this two-part blog series, we’ll begin by going over several event planning methods and themes to consider during this time, then segue into some ways event venues and companies are changing their operational elements to account for this new reality.
For starters, modern technology offers several great tools that mean you don’t have to pause your planning stages for any major event just because you can’t meet in-person. Zoom and other online meeting formats are widely-used during the pandemic, with users ranging from businesses and event planners to families and friends.
If you’re still in the early planning stages of an event, get a group Zoom channel up and running. This is a simple way to involve everyone and hold your normal planning meetings despite distancing.
For those still looking to format their event and find some design themes, social media outlets like Pinterest and others are great resources that haven’t changed a bit during the outbreak. You can make boards for a variety of need areas, from food to décor, table arrangements and others. You can even combine Zoom meetings with pinning to boards or other forms of social media.
Whether you have a near-term date already set for your event or are waiting on a firm date until you have more clarity on the situation, it’s good to begin sourcing your options for restaurants that will still cater during this period. Many restaurants may even be willing to work out special deals for future catering, as they’re looking for ways to keep income flowing during this time.
We may not be precisely sure when, but there will be a time where society will return to normal and we will be able to join others for normal events. If you’re planning an event with uncertain timetables or guest lists, we recommend planning multiple contingencies – including at least one featuring a full guest list and a proper head count for such a scenario. You want to be prepared for all possible situations, after all, including one where you can hold your event as-desired.
For more on planning and holding events in a period of social distancing, or to learn about any of our event planning or rental services, speak to the staff at In The Event™ today.
