Measures event organizers should take to tackle Coronavirus

• As WHO has declared Coronavirus a pandemic, the events industry will suffer.
• Mazhar Nadiadwala, Managing Director, Dome Entertainment shares some steps for organizers to minimize the spread of the virus.

The events industry is bracing itself for a large scale impact as Coronavirus has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO). For an industry that is primarily based on bringing people together from across the globe and connecting those from different walks of life, the future seems uncertain.

Going forward, organizers need to be extremely flexible and adaptable as the situation around the world is changing on an hourly basis. However, there are still some small scale events happening around the country, and organisers should take certain corrective measures to combat this virus.

Remote events
Over the years, with the development of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AV), ensuring remote attendance is a potentially feasible option. This could be very useful in the coming months as it offers attendees the opportunity to experience events/conferences without the grave concerns that are associated with travelling, or at large gatherings.

Safety Precautions
At such a critical stage, wherein exposure to the virus should be minimized, safety is of utmost importance. Here are some steps organizers must opt for:

• Nominate a specific person within their team to monitor guidelines of government officials, as they are bound to change daily.
• Necessary temperature checks at the entry point of the events, along with check-ups of all the staff and volunteers at regular intervals, at every event.
• Having a dedicated medical unit at the event, with state-of-the-art facilities, qualified doctors with adequate supplies, and isolated places in case of any emergency.
• Ample stations allotting face-masks and hand sanitizers for all attendees.
• Distributing sheets with WHO guidelines to educate the attendees, staff and volunteers for ways through which they can protect themselves.
• Clear communication to be established between the attendees and organizers thus ensuring that they are aware of the point of contact at the event, if need be.
• Ensure additional disinfection measures, more washing points, better cleaning facilities are in place at every event.

- This column has been written by Mazhar Nadiadwala, Managing Director, Dome Entertainment