During the last 2 months of quarantine, Piovra Group as well as other experienced event professionals, have worked on monitoring the current situation and gathered a list of “suggested safety measures and options” we believe will help keep our staff and our guests safe when reopening our venues in the upcoming months.

As we all know Coronavirus creates different challenges depending on many variable factors such as the size of the event, the geographical location, the physical space and the anticipated attendees, to name a few. 

For that reason, each user shall make reasonable choices under their own circumstance and not consider these as “best practices” that would apply everywhere.

There is no guarantee of an illness-free event even if you follow all of the guidelines included in the most recent reopening guides but it is indisputable that planning, training and implementing reasonable health and safety measures are the best ways to protect events industry and people who produce them.

Below are a few points discussed in the EVENT SAFETY ALLIANCE REOPENING GUIDE:

1) WHEN TO REOPEN

A government directive legally allowing you to reopen does not mean you can do so safely.

 If small events and venues can reopen without increasing COVID-19 transmission rates, it will open the door for progressively larger spaces to implement similar measures on a larger scale in the future. If, on the other hand, the first attempt at a safe reopening is a failure, that would set back the entire event industry. 

Careful decision-making is necessary because even well-intentioned safety measures have potentially significant unintended consequences. 

As much as we are all eager to get back to work, the decision when and how to reopen must be driven by a realistic assessment of one’s ability to resume operations safely.

2) EVENT PROFESSIONALS EDUCATION

“We are in this together” and event professionals shall maximize health and safety compliance while minimizing the disruption of the event.

Event professionals have the duty to change guests’ expectations by making them realize the new rules are for their protection as well as enforce sanitary practices that will coax nervous people back into public places. The communication of the new practices shall be spread through every physical and online media available and contact tracing shall be considered to enable health authorities to track who has been to an event or location if an outbreak flares up.

3) WORKER HEALTH AND IGIENE

Because COVID-19 is a highly contagious virus with insufficient testing and no vaccine, workers and volunteers must diligently address the health risks of working in the close confines of many event spaces. 

This Reopening Guide recommends that a worker with appropriate medical and risk management knowledge be designated the “Infection Mitigation Coordinator” for the event, venue, or business. Read more about the role of the IMC here.

Here are some of the safety practices for all workers and volunteers working at a venue included in the guide:

• Social distancing

• Hand washing

• Wearing gloves

• Face covering

• PPE

• Temperature screening 

• Touching your face

• Cough & Sneeze etiquette

• Practices for Sick workers and volunteers

• responding to Confirmed Cases of COVID-19

• Paid Sick Leave

Read more about each practice by reviewing the full “Event Safety Alliance Reopening Guide”.

4) SANITIZING THE VENUE

Sanitizing each area of the event venue plays a fundamental part in limiting the chances of spreading COVID-19 during an event. Here are the areas that should be sanitized before, during, and after each event:

• Public areas (lobby, hallways, dining and food areas..)

• Restrooms

• Dressing areas, offices, BOH

• Kitchen & Food Prep Areas

The Reopening Guide also lists disinfecting and cleaning techniques to be used as we all ways to document health and safety practices adopted by each event venue.

5) INGRESS & EGRESS

Here are some other points touched and addressed by the reopening guide:

• HANDWASHING STATIONS: Stations with either soap and water or sanitizer containing at least 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol must be provided at all points of ingress and other well-marked and illuminated locations throughout the venue.

• PARKING LOTS: To ensure that patrons observe social distancing when leaving or returning to their vehicles, parking lot operators can kill spaces between vehicles.

• SCREENING: Once patrons reach the front of the line outside the venue, there should be a new screening process. Temperature and Health Screening will be included in the check-in process.

• EGRESS FROM BACK TO FRONT: Social distancing likely requires that egress be managed the same way passengers exit an airplane at the end of their flight. 

6) FRONT OF HOUSE CIRCULATION

Front of house operational decisions will require a thoughtful balance of competing interests. On one hand, you want a capacity crowd. On the other, you can invite no more patrons than you can accommodate while maintaining social distancing and healthy conditions in all areas of the venue. 

7) LEGAL ISSUES

Myriad legal issues may arise as events and venues reopen during a pandemic. Most cannot be meaningfully addressed in a general way, so you should consult your attorney about your own situation. One issue that can be addressed here is your legal exposure if someone claims they got sick attending or working at your venue or event.

The risk of contracting COVID-19 should create a new social contract between event and venue booking operators and the people who work at and attend them. Because event workers and patrons all have a duty to behave reasonably under their circumstances, everyone should promise to maintain social distancing and engage in sanitary practices suitable for a pandemic, rather than doing only enough to keep their job or avoid getting ejected. Likewise, even if there is relatively little risk of losing a lawsuit based on negligent sanitary practices, event and venue operators should implement robust health and safety measures because they will save lives and help reopen more events. 

All of our venues are currently following the Government and Industry Safety Guidelines for reopening and are getting ready to host your upcoming event. Check out and safely book one of our available event venues in Los Angeles.

Here is the Full Reopening Guide the Event Safety Alliance has put together: LINK TO FULL GUIDE.