When it comes to event planning, most of us know how to put on a great event. However, measuring the return on investment (ROI) for each event can be a challenge. And given the significant costs and time investment required to organize events, it’s crucial to know how your efforts are paying off.

In our most recent virtual event, “Crafting the Event Experience – Part 7,” Ryan Costello, co-founder of Event Farm and Chief Strategy Officer at MemberSuite, and Gizzella Diaz, Marketing Manager at Event Farm, explored how event planners can approach their events with a marketing lens that turns great experiences into great results. This blog is designed to ensure you are making the most of your event planning process, getting great results, and establishing a funnel of potential customers for your products or services. Here are five ways to prioritize pipeline and ROI  in your event planning.Missed Crafting the Event Experience PT 7?

1. Understand the Platforms You Need

Having the right systems in place is key to making sales and ROI a priority in your event planning. Because of this, you should look to integrate and connect technology platforms that make the entire sales pipeline run smoothly. At a minimum, your setup should include a CRM system, a marketing automation platform, and an event platform. 

The CRM system (like HubSpot or Salesforce) helps you track campaign performance, leads, opportunities, sales, and pipeline generated plus keep all data related to past and current customers in one place. It allows your sales team to better manage communication with leads, customers, and partners throughout the sales process.

Event Farm Integrates With Over 1,000 Apps

The marketing automation platform (like Hubspot or Pardot) helps you segment and target contacts with relevant messaging and content. This will ensure that you reach the right people with the right message. It also helps you nurture leads through automated email campaigns, drip campaigns, landing pages, and other types of marketing strategies. 

The event platform will help you promote, manage, measure, and drive engagement at your events. Moreover, it facilitates the creation of event websites, social media promotion, captures registrations, and generates reports on how events are performing.

These systems empower you with the engine and insights you need to keep sales as a top focus of your event planning process.

2. Select an Attribution Method

When it comes to prioritizing sales and ROI in your event planning process, understanding how to count and attribute your efforts is key. Marketing attribution is the practice of determining which marketing efforts are driving a sale or desired outcome. Here are a few examples: 

• First touch – this represents the first action a prospect engaged in to become a lead. 
• Last touch – similarly, this is the last action a prospect took before converting into a lead.
• Multi-touch – takes into account each touchpoint in the customer journey and the value of that touchpoint. While this method does tell a more complete story of the customer journey it is also more complex and choosing the right multi-touch (Linear, U-Shaped, and Time-Decay) modal to use depends on your current business and which efforts you’ve found to be most impactful at bringing in new clients/customers. 

Attribution is necessary for  identifying the impact of activities and where to invest resources to drive sales and ROI. It also reveals where customers are in the funnel. Without it, efforts may be wasted on strategies that don’t actually make a difference.

Ryan compares how email marketing is analyzed (every email’s effectiveness is measured by responses, clicks, and conversions), and urges event planners to do the same with their events.

 As Gizzella noted, each event can be seen as its own marketing channel, and there are many touchpoints within each event that must be understood to optimize performance.

3. Create a Replicable Event Process 

Creating a replicable pre-event process that includes campaigns and a marketing focus will help you get in the habit of focusing on results. When you have a step-by-step process that you can use for each event, you can easily track the success of your event and make sure you’re doing everything you can to increase your sales and return on investment. For best results, your event process should include the following flow: 

1. Define your event goals and marketing plan, including features, special offers, promotion channels, and follow-up processes
2. Create the event as a campaign (in your CRM)
3. Create event registration (in your event software)
4. Segment your audience lists, and build detail if you have multiple products or services
5. Design and send promotional emails to target your audience
6. Allow the sales team to review and compare to their own account lists
7. Lead outreach efforts to engage or invite leads that may be attending
8. Create automated attendee arrival alerts and notifications to let your sales team know an attendee has arrived

“We as event organizers don’t spend enough time doing this,” said Ryan. “We don’t spend time nerding out and wiring up the systems to prove it —but when we do, it just makes it self-serving because we get to do more experiences. The thing is, we know it drives business outcomes.”

4. Track Your Metrics

Measuring the success of your events is critical to understanding the returns your efforts are generating, That means that you’ll have to generate data to look at it objectively. To do so, you’ll want to track a few metrics for every event you produce. 

1. How many (new) leads have you added to the company database or CRM
2. Total event revenue
3. Total social media reach/impressions/ hashtag usage
4. Relevant press or media mentions
5. Interactions with prospects or clients
6. The overall pipeline, from leads to MQLs to opportunities
7. How the existing pipeline was influenced, if at all
8. Any relevant survey or event ratings
9. The number of deals won during or as a direct impact of the event itself

Tracking these metrics will give you valuable insights into how successful your events are and where you should focus your efforts in the future.

 5. Turn Leads into Customers

When it comes to event planning, turning leads into customers is an important factor in achieving the desired ROI, and it all comes down to the touchpoints you have along the way. In fact, you have to “touch” a prospect 15 times before they are likely to recall your brand and take decisive action. To ensure that your event planning process is successful, you need to understand how a sales pipeline looks and how to turn leads into customers/clients.

You need to understand your sales cycle, which is how long it takes to turn a random person into a prospect, and then into a customer. What touches do they respond to? Do you score actions they take based on certain activities (i.e. lead-scoring)? For example, someone who shows up at your event obviously is more interested than the person who just clicked on the link in your event email. 

In that process once they’ve expressed interest, you may score them up to a Marketing Qualified Lead—someone that the sales team can follow up with because you know they are interested. Eventually, the hope is that person will purchase from you—effectively becoming a customer or client.

All this may seem overwhelming—especially to those not used to following the data consistently—but keep in mind that part of our roles as event planners is also to be marketers. It’s our job to drive business results and outcomes. Creating a system that not only watches the numbers—but plans for them—can make a huge difference in the bottom line of your future event. 

Event Farm’s event management platform allows numerous ways to market, engage, and reach your attendees and prospects. For more information on how Event Farm’s suite of tools can help you, download the brochure or request a demo now.

Event tech plays a significant role in shaping how events are planned and executed. But with so many options available, it can be hard to choose the right tools that help you deliver an engaging experience, understand your attendees, and most importantly, get the ROI you need.

Fortunately, during Crafting the Event Experience Part 6, Ryan Costello, Event Farm co-founder, and Chief Strategy Officer at MemberSuite discussed the world of event tech including what event planners need to consider and pay attention to.

Here are the top 6 event tech tools you need (at minimum) to execute engaging event experiences this year.

Missed Crafting the Event Experience PT 6?

#1: Registration Software

It’s pretty common knowledge that you need a way for attendees to register for your event and to track that information to ensure you have enough resources to accommodate all your guests. To nail down which registration tool you should use, you must first understand your event use case and goals.

For ticketed events, it’s important to sell your audience on why they should attend and provide a frictionless way to share the event with their network. Leaning in on branding and customizability to build hype—for everything from the event registration site to the follow-up emails—need to be at the top of the decision ladder.

For internal or corporate events where you don’t have to “sell” the ticket, but just account for who is coming, your registration system needs to allow for the event to be invitation only assuring that only the people you invite can RSVP to the event.

For marketing-based events, your registration tool needs to look and feel like an extension of your brand, have features that allow you to spin up the event quickly, connect to your CRM, and so on.

Most event registration platforms can accommodate these use cases to varying degrees, but their ability to provide full brandability out of the gate and various feature sets differ.

However, there are some baseline features that have become quite the nonnegotiable in our industry, such as:

• Custom registration questions, with basic, if/then logic
• White-labeled event site
• Guest List Segmentation
• Personalization for email communications
• The ability to use your brand voice from ticket/registration access names to confirmation messages, waitlists, and beyond
• A way to check-in guests whether it’s on the web or via a Check-In App (we dive more into this later)

Ultimately, registration technology can dramatically enhance the attendee’s perception of the event and pre-event experience when you choose the right tool, and capture the right data to leverage at your events.

#2: Texting 

It’s 2023, right? And everywhere you go sends text messages…except events?

Think about it: You get text messages from restaurants regarding your reservation, your dentist confirming your appointment, airlines letting you know flight status/gate changes, and Uber when your car is about to arrive. We can go on forever because everything you do is via texting, which is why open rates are currently around  99%.

Plus, texting doesn’t have the same deliverability challenges as emails. And, with today’s automation capabilities, it’s an easy way to welcome people personally or provide them with important updates without adding a ton of extra work, so get on it!

#3: A Check-in Solution

Another event tech must-have is an intuitive check-in solution that not only keeps the flow of guests moving but also provides pertinent information such as guest table numbers and unlocks potential for engagement. For example, we shared how texting is one of the easiest, low-lying options for event communications and attendee engagement, and it starts at check-in with an automated text message welcoming your attendees to the event.

If your event is using experiential elements to engage attendees such as any sort of credential or wristband using NFC (Near Field Communication) technology or QR codes, your check-in process has to be able to activate those assets quickly and seamlessly. People don’t like waiting in lines so be sure to run through your check-in and asset activation process to ensure it’s flawless—as this is your attendees’ first impression of your event.

Ideally, your check-in solution would be an offering of your registration tool so that registration data automatically syncs between them. This saves you time from exporting and importing your registration list to your check-in solution.

 #4: Exhibitor Solutions

Any event planners that mainly plan conferences need to go beyond lead retrieval and think about what we call the exhibitor experience. Determine what your exhibitors want (more leads, more brand exposure, more data insights on leads, a way to schedule an appointment to meet with attendees on the expo floor, etc.,) and give them that. When you work with your exhibitors to understand their goals and help them achieve those goals, you’ll have no problem upselling them for future events or even your current event’s data, which can provide a slew of behavioral data depending on the event tech tools you implement. Exhibitors and sponsors will pay for good, solid data, so make sure you’re not leaving money on the table.

#5: Attendee Apps

While attendee apps aren’t necessarily a must-have for every event (especially since so much can be done to keep people moving and informed simply by texting them), there is a space where it can be leveraged for creating a community. Use the app as a place for attendees to meet pre-event and set up times to engage during the show,  or as a place to connect, chat, and share images of their favorite sessions (or event happenings) with fellow attendees.  In a hybrid scenario, the app is a great tool for connecting virtual attendees with in-person attendees.

All in all, humans want to interact with other humans, so if you can help facilitate that, you’ll enhance the user experience, leading to higher engagement.

#6: Health Verification Tools

While the world is consistently moving forward from the pandemic, health verification in the event industry should be part of your duty of care as an event planner. When implemented as a part of the check-in process, health verification can be a smooth operation that validates test results or vaccinations for event entry. So, whether you see this happening at events or not, it is still a great tool to have in your back pocket, should a spike in cases occur or for attendee peace of mind.

Event tech tools are easy to come by, but the key is to find the one that can help you accomplish most of your event goals and desired outcomes. For more information on how Event Farm’s suite of tools can help you create engaging event experiences that provide invaluable attendee insights and boost event ROI, download the brochure or request a demo now.

Event planning has changed drastically since the COVID-19 pandemic—from cancellations and postponements to the new wave of virtual and hybrid events, event planners had to pivot quickly in order to stay afloat. After three long years of constant changes and new challenges around every corner, it’s time to take a breath. 

For our most recent virtual event, “Event Exhale,” we brought together four industry experts to pause and examine the true state of the industry as it is today. Together, Channing Muller, Principal of DCM Communications, Valerie Bihet, Founder of VIBE Agency, and Melissa Park, a Global Event Producer with Melissa Park Events joined our co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at MemberSuite, Ryan Costello, to discuss the current state of the event planning industry, explore recent planning trends, and give planners an opportunity to exhale and move forward with confidence.Couldn’t join us for Event Exhale? Check out the session recording!

Where is the Event Industry Hurting?

It is clear that event planners have faced unique and new challenges since the start of the pandemic, and even today new challenges constantly arise as vendors, exhibitors, and attendees try to navigate the changes in their own worlds. Fortunately, our panelists were quick to identify some of the growing pain points within the industry and offered some solutions. 

Pain Point #1: Timelines and Budgets

With increased inflation and still-reduced spending from many companies and non-profits alike, event budgets have taken a real hit over the past few years—and are only getting tighter. At the same time, the hectic culture surrounding us means that timelines are shrinking, with companies waiting until the last minute to decide whether to host an event or not. In addition, costs are increasing everywhere—with hotel pricing increasing by 30 percent in early 2022 and airfare up 25 percent since the beginning of the year (with another eight percent hike expected in 2023). These increased costs create a real puzzle that event planners are left to put together.

Given this information, Costello asked the group a very crucial question: “How do you get empathy and get support, but not derail management and have them say, Well, it’s not worth it, we’re just going to give up on it?”

The Solution: 

The first thing you need to do, the panel decided, is to know the goals of the company, the priorities of the event, and the mission you’re trying to bring to life. Then, come to the table with solutions. 

“It all comes back to mission and goals,” noted Park. “Your entire design—hybrid, virtual metaverse, whatever it is—comes down to where your people are and what you need to achieve.”

Muller agreed. “Instead of coming to complain about all the things that are happening, clarify what the goals are and make sure you’re on the same page. Educate them. Say, “Here’s what I’m seeing talking to all of my peers, doing the continuing education, making phone calls to vendors and hotels. Based on that, here’s the budget that we need to make your goals happen,” she said. Then, if they can’t meet that budget, you have a point to move from. “I’ll give you three other options that we can do, but we need to adjust our goals a bit for that.”

Pain Point #2: Lack of Staffing

When it comes to manpower, everybody is hurting these days. Not only are event teams more streamlined than ever before, but hotels, caterers and other vendors are all feeling the pinch. And whether it’s because of staff shortages or high turnover that brings new, less-experienced members to the team, building the perfect event team can be tricky, to say the least.

The Solution: 

Network. It may seem too simple an answer, but sometimes your best team member is already in your network—or should be. 

“Right now there is a great partnership that can be made because of the economy,” said Bihet. “Some of us might have more clients at some times and others have more clients at another time. The idea is to network and see who you have a great fit with, and who you can partner with. Sometimes, it’s all about teaming. You cannot do it alone, so find the right people to help you and support you. There are actually a lot of freelancers out there willing to help and join in on teams, as well.”

Pain Point #3: Low Attendance

Attendance and attrition have always been a big focus for event planners, but in a post-pandemic era of virtual options, online recordings, and limited (or costly) travel, getting registrants to actually show up is a whole new level of difficulty. Unfortunately, data provided by Event Farm shows that attrition is incredibly high—and around three people out of four won’t even show. 

“We have a lot of data on this from the last 15 years because of course, we have a registration tool,” noted Costello. “There is a dramatic increase in drop-offs…you can see basically 30 percent of your guests showing up, and that’s normal right now.”

The Solution: 

To address the attendance issue, there are two main things that event planners need to be doing: first, focus on getting the right people to your event. Then, make sure you are building engagement into every single touchpoint, to create a real experience for them all along the customer journey. 

While the panel noted that we need to start re-focusing our attention on quality over quantity, Bihet agreed.

“The top priority is not to attract the most attendees; it’s to attract the right attendees,” she said. “The demand is actually growing for simpler, smaller, more frequent events with authentic opportunities to meet face to face, to engage better with their audience and to build trust with their consumer.”

Once you have the right attendees in place, she noted, engagement becomes much easier, as you know who they are and what they’re looking for—and what experiences will resonate with them. 

As an example, Park shared a personal story of a startup client with a small budget who bought a 10×20 booth at one of the largest shows in the U.S.—Cisco Live—and had to make a big splash with a little budget. To do this, they focused on one thing: Engaging attendees and giving them an experience they wouldn’t forget.

“We knew that there were going to be a lot of developers there, so we set up Beer Pong at their booth. We set up a game of Beer Pong in this little 10×20 and before you knew it we were surrounded,” she recounted. “What ended up happening was all the booths around us were empty and our line was long the entire time.”

So where do we go from here?

Fortunately, while there are many challenges facing the industry—and many more to come—there are several things that show us that the future of event planning is still bright—and poised to become an invaluable piece of every great marketing plan. 

“Events got taken away from us, and I think the industry was taken for granted ,” said Costello. “Everyone realized real quickly that, ‘Whoa, that was really important to me.’” For Costello, when we realized as a society the real need for human connection, it only boosted the need to bring back events as a way to connect and engage with others. 

“It put a huge light on our industry in a lot of directions,” he added.

Muller agrees. 

“We have an opportunity with every challenge,” she said. “There is still a lot of opportunity that wasn’t necessarily there before.”To watch the replay of Event Exhale, click here now. For more information on how Event Farm’s suite of tools can help you create engaging event experiences that deliver results, download the brochure or request a demo now.

Times have changed, no doubt about it.  People are sick of being sick; things are more expensive; there seem to be challenges around every corner. In response, new societal norms are becoming more prevalent — a major one being that people would rather stay home than get on a plane and attend an event. 

As event producers, we now face new and steadily growing challenges: how to fight against these shifting priorities, find what resonates with our attendees, and get them to register, attend and engage during our events. Are these competing priorities? Absolutely. But there are answers for those willing to seek them out. 

In Part 5 of our virtual workshop series on “Crafting the Event Experience,” Ryan Costello, co-founder of Event Farm and Chief Strategy Officer for MemberSuite, addressed the realities of driving attendance and engagement at events—both in-person and virtual—in the midst of an ever-changing cultural landscape. Missed Part 5 of our Crafting the Event Experience Workshop series?

What Really Makes an Event?

Ask any event planner what constitutes a great event, and you’ll probably get a ton of different answers. Food, lighting, great speakers, or a great location—these are all great components of what comprises an event. But if we really want to get to the root of it all, we need to recognize one thing from the start: the only thing that makes an event an event is humans.

Think about it. If humans come together, no matter where it is—a grassy park with no bathrooms, no water, no food, no microphone, no stage, no video production, no lighting, no nothing—you can still create an incredible event that people remember, simply by the fact that people showed up and connected. 

Of course, the opposite could also happen.

“Imagine if we had all the other things, you know, and not a single human showed up,” Ryan posed to the group. “The next morning we would say, how did your event go? And you wouldn’t even describe it as an event, because you could just describe it as a set, right? All you did was build the venue; you didn’t build an event.”

Using the Funnel

If you’ve ever worked in sales or marketing, you can probably relate to this idea of a funnel, but if not, let’s lay it out. In a marketing funnel, you get people that are interested in whatever you’re trying to sell, and then as they walk through the customer journey, you start filtering out the folks that are actually really interested and will ultimately do business with you.

When you’re thinking of events, many people see their registration number as the metric to focus on, but in today’s environment, that number may not mean anything. As Ryan noted in the session, it’s more important to consider the funnel as your event experience—from first-touch marketing all the way to the second the door closes behind them when they leave. 

“A big registration number, in today’s environment, doesn’t mean anything to me; I don’t even care if they paid—they still might not get on a plane,” he said. “We need to understand that we need to hold these attendees’ hands all the way through the funnel. Never let them go, because every touch point is an opportunity to hold tighter.

If we’re looking at an event through the lens of a marketing funnel, there are two major points-in-time that we need to focus on when it comes to having attendees make it all the way through: Getting them to sign up, and then, getting them to show up.

Getting Them to Sign Up

This challenge—getting people to actually register—is one we’re probably all familiar with, because our focus has always been on getting attendees to pay for a ticket or to register to attend. We know what this takes, but it’s still challenging. 

The poll conducted during the workshop,  showed that the majority of event planners face a common challenge in this regard—getting potential attendees to sign up for, and then read their emails.

Outside of the regular problem-solving that must happen first (are your emails being delivered? Have you been marked as spam?) one of the areas that we need to focus on is ensuring that the emails have value to your customer. 

Don’t Be Desperate

If you’ve ever used the “Going Fast” or “Only two tickets left” schtick in a subject line….stop. As Ryan noted, language intended to invoke action usually only comes across as desperate. 

“Does that sound like something that’s really exciting, that has exclusivity that you really want to jump on,” he asked. “Or, does this sound like an event planner who’s desperate? You decide.”

Create a Unique Experience

Imagine getting an invite from a friend that was for an intimate get-together at their house, and you were one of a few invited because you’re one of their closest friends. Then you get there, and you’re there with 300 other people, crammed into the living room trying to find out where the drinks are.

Too often that’s how we market to our attendees. The content we send tells them how much we want them there because they are important to us and one of the exclusive crew. Then they sign up and we ask them to invite all their friends from Facebook. 

Wait. Is this event exclusive, or not?

“I encourage you guys to look at tactics like this and ask: Is it publicly accessible or is it invite exclusive only?” Ryan said. “You could have a hybrid; maybe there’s a group of people that you want to treat well that need this love and extra hand-holding, and then the  others you just need to fill the seats.”

Whatever it is, he noted, be honest about it and authentic to your attendees. They’ll know if you’re not.

Getting Them to Show Up

Once someone has registered for your event, you may be on the right track, but you’re far from done. The next step is to get them to actually walk in and attend, and that takes a concerted effort that is ongoing, to build up enthusiasm and get them truly excited for what they will experience. 

Create Anticipation

Many planners will wait until everything is locked in to announce it—and by that time there’s so much to tell that the attendee gets overwhelmed. Instead, drip out content to keep the attention and build anticipation for the event.

“Look for things along the way as your event comes together to surprise and delight; to create that funnel of ‘Oh my God, yet another thing I want to be a part of.’

Build the Community

As event planners, it’s important to know that, good or bad, our attendees are talking about us. They are asking each other if they are going, or what they want to see. The more that we can get on the front end and drive that conversation, the better off we’ll be. 

​​”You can sit back and just hope and wish that that happens for you because it’s really powerful,” said Ryan, who noted that the power of community can drive everything from signing up to showing up, and wanting to really engage with others while they are there. On the other hand, he said, you can help ignite it by partnering with influencers in the community and sparking a “whisper” campaign. 

Whatever your event looks like, and however you decide to market it and create that experiential funnel to keep them along, make sure to keep in mind that people are the key. If you can consider the needs and motivations of your attendees, and craft an event around that—from the first message that goes out to every touch and impact point along the way—you can be sure you’ll create an event worth coming to, and one where your community can ultimately have a great experience.To watch the replay of Crafting the Event Experience Part 5, click here now. To access all recaps of previous sessions in the virtual workshop series, visit these blog posts:

• Part 1: Designing the Event Brand
• Part 2: A Guide to Experience Mapping
• Part 3: How to Wow Attendees Beyond the Door
• Part 4: Reimagining the Conference

For more information on how you can drive attendance and build engagement at your next event, check out Event Farm’s suite of tools; you can download the brochure or request a demo now.

To ensure that your attendees return to your conference year after year delivering a memorable event experience is key.  And while event planning can be stressful, it’s also important to note that there is a huge difference between hosting an event and creating an event experience, and after two years of a global pandemic—experience matters more than ever. 

So, instead of seeing your next event as a way to get butts on seats, make money, or generate content, consider it as a work of art because it takes a thoughtful approach to get highly engaged attendees and build memorable experiences. This is why “Reimagining the Conference” was the perfect topic for Part 4 of our virtual workshop series on Crafting the Event Experience.

During this session, ​​POP X co-founder Margaret Launzel-Pennes, joined Ryan Costello, co-founder of Event Farm and Chief Strategy Officer for MemberSuite, to discuss four areas that you should begin to pay attention now to reinvent your conference.Missed Part 4 of our Crafting the Event Experience Workshop series?

Find Out What Makes Your Attendee Tick

When it comes to planning a truly engaging event, It’s not just about getting them in the door—it’s also about creating an experience that will make them want to come back and get others to join them. You also have to address the issues of attrition.

According to Ryan, getting buy-in from attendees is crucial to both gain attendees and reduce attrition, and that buy-in can come in a number of ways. Cost buy-in certainly helps (if you’ve bought a plane ticket, registered and booked the hotel you’re far less likely to flake out), but some sort of emotional or personal buy-in helps lock people in for the long run.

“If I’m going to a club, and I wait in line for 45 minutes to get in, that’s buy-in, and that is going to change my mindset when I get in—even if no one is there, and the drinks are crappy, and the music’s too loud—I am emotionally bought in.” 

That emotional buy-in is powerful, and a signal of what really drives your attendee. If you can capture that, you have a great shot at getting them to join you. 

“Depending on the industry that you’re in, they can be very linear in their thinking, so you have to kind of think outside of all of that and figure out what’s going to resonate with people in terms of messaging,” Margaret said. After all, she noted, “You need to get them off of their butts and on a plane or in a car and into a hotel room, spending money, and asking for a budget. Content is key—early on—in how you market it—in order to even get people paying attention.”

Beyond that, it’s important to understand the power that events—both live and hybrid —can have on the attendees and vendors. For Margaret, that power lies in capturing the element of community that so many people have missed for the past few years.

“​​We have to start thinking of conferences and events as a community, not as stand-alone things that people go to,” she said. “How does it fit into the fabric of the overall industry that you sit in, and what other elements are there? How do you tether yourself to that? How do you make yourself valuable in a different way so that the event becomes a foundation of community, not just something that you go to?

“However, to get to that point, event planners need to scrap all the ways that their event has been done things in the past, and start fresh.

“This is an opportunity to really think about your approach differently from every single aspect,” said Margaret. “Think about exhibits as brand activation. Think about content as an exchange, versus drilling people with information. Be sure that there are peer-to-peer networking opportunities to learn and grow from each other. That’s the only way you’re going to differentiate from what the events were when they were in person before the pandemic, and what people have been going through for the last two years.”

Know Your Budget Up Front…and Use It Well

It’s no secret that event costs have been on the rise in recent years, and quick calculations can even show that event costs are up by 35% since the beginning of the pandemic. With prices continuing to climb—as well as inflation and supply chain issues—it’s more important than ever to use your budget wisely.

Because costs are much higher, many event venues are much less likely to negotiate, hold you to attrition, and service is astoundingly low. It’s a situation that Margaret notes will be around for a while “Take control, as much as you can, of your own spend, and don’t be pushed around when it comes to your food and beverage order, or wifi,” she said. “My sense is that is a very bullying situation right now, so push back and take control.”

And when it comes to hybrid—or blended—events, taking control of your budget is even more crucial to ensure you can cover everything you need. “The moment that you treat the virtual aspect as an add-on or don’t include it in the initial planning, it will definitely cost you more money. The mindset has to be holistic right from the outset,” Margaret noted.

Use Safety Protocol as a Marketing Tactic

While safety protocols have been waning across the U.S., and changing moment by moment and location by location, it still holds true that one way to make your attendees feel comfortable and safe is by being clear about your safety protocols. According to Ryan, the two biggest concerns when it comes to safety come down to whether or not people will show up, and if their own teams can remain safe. 

“​​To the people thinking about safety, my heart is with you, because I think about it a lot too,” he said. “Everybody’s got their own audience they are trying to take care of, and as an organizer, I think duty of care is our responsibility.”

Fortunately, it’s not hard to integrate safety notices and processes into your event. In early event marketing, let attendees know what you’re doing to keep them safe. Be sure to include information about your safety protocols on your code of conduct website, and in all of your communications leading up to the event.

“That’s what makes it feel like a community,” Ryan said.

Don’t Forget Who Got You There

Sponsors and exhibitors are often forgotten when it comes to the conference experience, and in the past few years, many feel burned or overcharged for what was actually delivered in the virtual or early hybrid events. For Ryan, it’s a cautionary tale that event planners need to hear.

Don’t take your exhibitors for granted,” he said. “They are your lifeblood, and if treated well they can also be your expansion revenue.”

To do this, event planners need to—similarly—take a step back and explore what it is that these companies really need and want, which in many cases is to be acknowledged, well-positioned in the community, expect follow-up, and—most importantly—to interact with attendees and get leads.

In the end, Ryan noted that exhibitors want more than just scanning badges, which is why the focus should be on creating an exhibitor experience that brings both vendor and attendee closer together. 

To watch the replay of Crafting the Event Experience Part 4: Reimagining the Conference, click here now. For more information on how Event Farm suite of tools can help you create attendee and exhibitor experiences at your next conference, download the brochure or request a demo now.

Last year in May, when in-person events started showing signs of life again (after being nonexistent with the pandemic), our team set out to check the pulse of our event community with a 2021 Back to In-Person Events Survey — leaving us with really helpful insights as we evaluated how event professionals were feeling about a comeback. This year, we performed a 2022 In-Person Events Survey, which received over 220 responses, and here’s what the results revealed…

Events are back, and now we have a plan.

The main return we got back from the survey showed that 93% of event planners are once again planning a live or hybrid event this year—a 17% increase over 2021. Another 3% are sticking with virtual events only (a significant change from 18% in 2021), while the remainder is still waiting to start their event planning back up.

What is even more interesting is the number of event teams who now have a plan in place for their events. Almost 94% of planners say they have an in-person event safety plan that adheres to local and industry compliance standards—a huge jump from only 74% who had a plan in place in 2021. Driving those plans is attendee comfort, followed by local requirements, the organization’s requirements, and the venue requirements. 

While this is evidence that the industry has made changes that are likely here to stay, it also shows that we are ready and willing to do whatever it takes to have those in-person connections once again!

Safety is still top-of-mind, but we have other concerns, too.

In 2021, the primary concern among event planners was by far attendee safety, as noted by a whopping 77% of respondents. Trailing behind that concern was travel restrictions, budget and then other considerations like attendee comfort and turnout.

In 2022, we still see that the primary concern is attendee safety (at 58%), but has given a little way to other concerns like budget, travel restrictions and local restrictions (each around 13%), with a 6% margin on other concerns—which include case surges and dealing with new COVID-19 variants. 

To address attendee safety, event planners are turning to a variety of solutions, especially as it concerns event entry procedures. The 2022 survey found: 

• 50.35% will require COVID-19 vaccinations;
• 30.07% will provide health screening questions;
• 28.67% will require a Code of Conduct agreement and signature;
• 27.27% will require COVID-19 vaccination boosters;
• 13.29% will conduct a temperature check;
• 11.19% are requiring an on-site COVID-19 negative rapid test; and
• Meanwhile, a quarter of the respondents (26.57%) will not require any of the above.

Additionally, when it comes to enforcement and validation of the safety protocols, responses are split. While 35% will not require vaccinations or negative tests as part of the entry validation process, around 22% will require a test result or vaccination card to be shown at the door, with 13% using the CLEAR Health pass, and another 10% will rely on some other technology product to provide those results. A minimal 6% will require email proof of the results, instead.

Finally, when it comes to assigning or employing a safety officer (such as a Pandemic Compliance Advisor) on-site, only 13% of planners say they will definitely have one. Forty-six percent don’t plan on having one at all, and the remainder of respondents (40%) aren’t sure, but realize that the responsibility will ultimately fall to them to fill or delegate.

Safety protocols may still change, but they are here to stay

While we all know that the COVID-19 pandemic has potentially changed the event landscape forever, how we all proceed forward remains a moving target. As event planners start making their way into 2023 events, many of them expect to see continual changes in requirements and restrictions, but are ready to adapt. More than half (55.24%) plan to change in whatever ways the local requirements force them to change, while 19% realize that these safety protocols are now just another aspect of any future events. And while 4% think that their current protocols will get stricter as time goes by, significantly more—around 22%—think the opposite will happen. 

When it comes to money—costs are up, but budgets aren’t

Unfortunately, those aforementioned budgetary concerns aren’t just worrisome—they are real challenges that event planners are dealing with. In 2022, with inflation on the rise and supplies in high demand, budget costs are up, with half of the planners surveyed planning on additional cost increases (per attendee) to cover additional safety measures like sanitizers, food packaging, masks and more. Here’s how it breaks out: 

• Around 34% are planning on an additional five to ten percent increase per attendee (up from 32% in 2021);  
• Six percent are working with an 11 to 15% increase (down from 13% last year); 
• Eight percent are planning on 16 to 20% increase (up from 5% last year); and
• Two percent are bracing for a 20% increase per attendee (down from 4% in 2021).

However, it’s important to realize that other event expenses are also up. Outside of food and venue, the top costs for 2022 survey respondents were technology, staffing, safety equipment, and other expenses (speakers, entertainment, advertising). 

Unfortunately, budgets haven’t necessarily kept up with the demands of the economy and new safety protocols. Out of all the survey respondents, only 31% noted that their events budget had increased since COVID, while all others stayed the same (42%), saw a decrease (20%), or were put on hold or just doing more with less (7%). 

While these survey responses tell us a lot about how the industry is moving back toward in-person, the results are encouraging in that—in spite of the economy, travel restrictions, insecurity, and new, constantly changing safety measures— the event industry is ready to return.

If you’re planning to go back to in-person events this year and are curious about how event technology can help and why you need it, download this infosheet or click here for more details.

When you’re in the event industry, ensuring that your events run safely and smoothly isn’t just an ideal to strive for—it’s part of the job description. Keeping everyone safe, engaged, and well-informed can be an enormous challenge; add a pandemic on top of it, and event planning has become more taxing than ever.

In March, we held Part VI of our Pandemic Compliance & Safety at Live Events virtual series, to bring together three very experienced event professionals and discuss tips and lessons learned along the way as they planned and executed large scale events across the country during a pandemic – Ryan Costello, ​​Chief Strategy Officer of Membersuite and Co-Founder of Event Farm, Jennifer Ross, the Founder and CEO of JHR Global Events, and Amanda Gayle, Director of Conferences and Meeting Services for the American Nurses Association.

Here are the takeaways from the panel discussion.Missed Part VI of the Pandemic Compliance and Safety at Live Events panel series?

#1. We Have a Duty of Care

While there’s a lot of new focus on how much responsibility we as event planners bear for attendee health safety, the reality is we’ve always had the duty to keep our audience safe. In the past, that may have included fire codes or metal detectors, but the responsibility was still there. 

“It is a duty of care, and just like with anything we do when we approach events as event professionals our job is to make people feel welcome, make sure that they’re safe make sure that we’ve established and created an environment for learning and education and networking that follows all the rules and regulations that need to happen for meeting events,” Jennifer said. “So why isn’t it our responsibility not to continue to do that as it relates to health safety? It’s just another layer of what it is that we’re doing.”

In response, Costello recounted a time when, at an event 16 years ago, an attendee at a large music event dropped dead after walking in the doors. Fortunately, due to a quick response and a plan of action that included an on-site ambulance, the man was revived and lived to tell the tale. But that decision, Costello notes, convinced him of the imperative to always have event safety protocols in place—no matter what the challenge.

The bottom line? Our event guests trust us to create a safe and inviting space for them to connect and engage. It’s simple; it’s our job to do that.

#2. Choose Your Location Wisely

Venue and location have always been significant pieces of the event puzzle; that hasn’t changed. But what has changed—a lot—are the many different mandates and regulations put in place by various entities at different levels of government that affect what people think is normal safety protocol. 

If you’re looking to create your own rules and regulations for attendance—and you should!—choosing a venue that will support that effort is even more important. 

One approach is to choose the least stringent areas—for example: Florida, Texas and Arizona, who have looser mandates than other areas of the country—and have an open space in which to set whatever protocol you feel is necessary. 

“I work with risk management companies all the time, and they have the tightest, strictest rules, and they’re going to the leanest, easiest states to be in so that they can enforce what they want to enforce,” Ross said.

The most important thing to take away from this is that everyone on your team, including the venue employees, security teams and anyone related to your event, needs to not only know the rules, but follow them explicitly. 

“Everybody has to be on board with them—from your senior leadership, all the way down—and your staff needs to understand why those rules are in place and how it affects them,” said Gayle. “You set the rules for your organization. Be very clear about it, and don’t waver on it.”

#3. Stringent Rules Don’t Equal Low Attendance

There’s no question: creating stringent masking or vaccination rules around events is sure to make even the most experienced event planner nervous; what if it impacts attendance? But is that actually a valid concern?

According to Costello, probably not much. In his experience with Event Farm, it’s actually the opposite.

“Because of our event registration platform,  we can actually get data to see registration spikes correlate to rules’ announcements,” he said. 

Fairly, though, in some of these cases, the environment matters. The response from a team member who is being required to attend a sales conference will likely have a much different one from a patron of Coachella—which is held outdoors and typically a much younger audience. Still, there is the argument to be made that people who truly want to connect with others will comply with the rules in order to do so.

Ross added, “We have found—across a bunch of different industries and a wide range of them—that people legitimately want to be in the room together, and if this is what they have to do to be in the room together, they’re going to comply.”

#4. Enforcement Matters

We all agree that having rules in place is great, but what happens when you have someone who just won’t follow them? It’s bound to happen, so knowing how you will handle it before it does is crucial.

For one, make your expectations clear before and during the event. Attendees should, from the point of registration, see communication about event rules and safety protocol, and agree to your Code of Conduct before purchasing a ticket. From that point forward, the message should be clearly and consistently communicated.

And when it’s ignored? Well, you have to be willing to enforce it.

“At our recent event, we had a ‘three strikes’ rule, and we had one exhibitor who just would not comply,” said Gayle. After being warned, he was asked to leave and escorted away by security. “Luckily, it didn’t turn into anything more than that; the rest of the booth staff were in compliance, but he was the only one that wasn’t. But they were pretty irritated with him.”

Ross agreed. “It really is all about that key upfront communication,” she said. “Let them know. Tell them again. Tell them again. Make them check a box on your registration site that says, ‘I acknowledge these rules.’ Then they can’t say they don’t know, because they have to acknowledge it when you register, and so you just kind of have to deal with them.”

#5. Contingency Plans are Key

In a COVID world, the likelihood of someone catching the virus at your event is still a possibility, even with all the safety precautions and enforcement that you’ve put in place. Fortunately, if you’ve taken all the right steps—communication, planning and enforcement—you can sleep well at night, but you still need a plan in place for when—not if—it happens.

“We can’t possibly guarantee that no one will get COVID, but what we’re trying to do is create enough comfort rules that people are okay with the smaller risk,” Gayle said. “Try to reduce the total number of options where you can get it.”

To learn more about how technology can help you keep attendees safe and streamline your event safety protocols, check out Event Farm’s Safety Toolkit. To watch the reply of Part VI – Experiences From Event Pros in the Field, click here.Check out all recaps of the Pandemic Compliance & Safety at Live Events virtual series:

• Part I: Public Health Safety Factors to Consider
• Part II: Legal Liability and Questions for Live Events 
• Part III: Introducing the 2021 Event Playbook
• Part IV: Event Budget Adjustments for Safe Events
• Part V: Top Considerations for Event Organizers
• Part VI: Experiences from Event Pros in the Field

Thirteen months ago, as everyone in the events industry was trying to navigate their way through a global pandemic,  we started a journey to bring expert panelists together to learn and guide the event community toward once again hosting safe live events. Thousands of registrants and four panels later, we haven’t missed a beat, and in February hosted the fifth panel of our Pandemic Compliance & Safety at Live Events virtual series, which followed four others in the sequence: Public Health Safety Factors to Consider;  Legal Liability and Questions for Live Events in the age of COVID-19; Introducing the 2021 Event Playbook; and Event Budget Adjustments for Safe Events.

For Part V of this series, Ryan Costello, ​​Chief Strategy Officer of Membersuite and Co-Founder of Event Farm joined Adam Landsman of CLEAR and Ari Nisman of Degy Entertainment to discuss the critical things event organizers must know in 2022, including lessons learned from live events in 2021, do’s and don’ts of event entry requirements, COVID-19 testing options, and software applications that support event teams as they determine how to best deal with the long-term changes that COVID has brought.

Out of this panel, the group addressed four major considerations for live events…

Missed Pandemic Compliance & Safety at Live Events Part V?

1. Using Technology to Validate Vaccination Cards 

While the concept of asking for something to prove your access at an event is not new—be that a ticket, a pass or registration information—doing the same with vaccination status is new territory for many. Still, in the age of COVID and beyond, it’s important for those event planners who want to confirm vaccination status to be able to do so easily and definitively.

Fortunately, tools have been developed to do just that. In the partnership between Event Farm and CLEAR, event attendees can confirm they meet the event safety protocols by downloading the Health Pass app and uploading their vaccination card or linking to COVID tests lab results. CLEAR then does the validation process and produces a QR code to enter the event which shows you met the entry requirements. In doing so, attendees don’t have to carry around their paperwork; they can simply show their QR code  for onsite staff to scan using the Event Farm Check-In app – which validates the code and event registration at once. 

As an added bonus, whether you want to require negative COVID tests, vaccinations, and/or boosters, the CLEAR app is also flexible to use, so event planners can be sure to have a solution that works with whatever safety protocols they want to put in place.

“It’s a very flexible solution,” noted Landsman. “If there are ten events with ten different ideas of what ‘fully vaccinated’ means, that’s fine; we can help with that.”

2. Requiring Negative COVID-19 Test Results 

Because COVID vaccination does not necessarily mean that an attendee is COVID-free, testing is quickly becoming the best way to ensure the safety of your attendees and staff. In this vein, there are two types of tests that event planners may decide to utilize: PCR and Antigen. While the Antigen test is quick and can be self-administered, it has a higher rate of false results. In contrast, the PCR test, a lab-based test, can be expensive and takes longer, but can also provide you with a higher level of accuracy.

Because these tests can help serve as a baseline for your event, it’s important that event planners consider advanced testing (prior to the event start) to help in the planning phases. 

Nisman notes, “I think that every event at this point should have some sort of policy and verification in place…it’s imperative to know ahead of time because you’re trying to manage a certain percentage that is going to show up, whether that be for catering purposes, or security. You can’t just budget for a certain percentage; you have to budget for the 100% who might actually show up.”

3. Video Proctoring for At-Home COVID Test Validation

For those choosing testing as a safety protocol, who are also concerned with the truth and accuracy of said tests, there is an additional service you may want to consider. Video Proctoring, where a medical professional watches the attendee administer the test and can certify that they have personally witnessed the test being taken, is a way to ensure that attendees—no matter where they are located—can produce an honest result for whatever process or plan you have established.

While video proctoring is most often done with an Antigen test, keep in mind that it is an added cost that must be accounted for. In general, a PCR test—which is a lab-produced result and therefore considered by most to be reliable—will cost around $100 each, plus shipping costs. However, an antigen test, while cheaper in price (around $20-$50), will have the added cost of proctoring (another $20). 

Ryan Costello suggested “allowing attendees to use free COVID test kits from the government, while requiring the proctoring piece (regardless if it’s paid by the organizer or the attendee) to dramatically reduce costs and ensure results validity. There are paths to not make this crazy expensive.”

4. Managing International Attendees

In an endemic world, we are likely to see more countries opening up their borders to travel, and that will naturally trickle into the events industry. But because of the disparate vaccination records systems between countries and continents, you can expect a bit of confusion—at least at the beginning. 

Many regions are looking toward more cohesive requirements, like the United States, Canada and Japan, who are working toward a global system, and the European Union, who is considering a similar model. Until such time that a system is available, the question remains: How do we confirm vaccination status for an international attendee?

While this answer may be a while in coming, it will likely take shape over 2022. Until then, one recommendation is to simply use travel status, since some countries, airlines and/or other forms of transportation  already require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test as an obstacle to travel.

As event organizers we have a duty of care to do our best to keep attendees safe. It is our job to create an environment of safety that brings peace of mind to our audience and meets local requirements. As you evaluate what your next event’s safety protocols should be, consider our panelists predictions on the future of health safety as it relates to the event industry.

“I think that it’s going to continue to ebb and flow. There are going to be some people who are going to do this forever—and when I say this, I don’t mean that necessarily it’s COVID—but health, as a credential, could be here in one shape or form, to stay.” said Landsman. Pointing to the similarities of the increase in metal detectors in the public arena after 9/11, he added, “twenty years later the threat level is not the same, but most of those metal detectors are still there. The world evolves, and…maybe this just becomes the norm. In some way, shape or form, maybe your health just becomes a regular component.”

Nisman agreed. “I’m prepared to wear a mask for years to come, and I think that this is with us for many many years in the event business.”

To learn more about how technology can help you keep attendees safe and streamline event safety protocols, check out Event Farm’s Safety Toolkit. To watch the reply of Part V – The Critical Things Event Organizers Must Know in 2022, click here.

At Event Farm, it’s been our mission to help the events industry bring live events back safely. Throughout the past year, we’ve been working tirelessly to rebuild the events industry by providing event organizers with solutions to execute safe events that instill confidence and drive attendee turnout. Today, we are excited to share that ASAE announced Event Farm as their partner to help with enhanced screening and safety protocols for all their 2022 in-person events. Last fall, ASAE announced that to minimize risk, they are requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for admittance to their in-person meetings and events until further notice. 

ASAE will be streamlining the process by using our Check-In and CLEAR Health Pass solution to provide attendees with an easy and secure way to upload their COVID-19-related health information prior to the event. Onsite the event, staff are using Event Farm’s Check-In app to validate the CLEAR Health Pass, ensuring attendees meet the safety requirements and quickly get them in the door. Additionally, ASAE will be taking safety one step further by leveraging other safety tools within our Event Safety Toolkit, including crowd control, contactless data exchange, and real-time SMS texting.

As ASAE’s Chief Executive Officer, Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE, shared in the press release:

The good news is that meetings and other in-person events are safely taking place now, providing association members and partners with innovative learning and networking opportunities that are ideally afforded in a face-to-face setting. However, the safety of our community is still ASAE’s top concern for planning purposes across our events portfolio. This partnership with Event Farm provides a best-in-class, convenient technology solution to ensure the health and safety of everyone invested in the success of ASAE in-person programs.

ASAE’s Chief Information and Engagement Officer, Reggie Henry, CAE, also commented:

With this partnership with Event Farm in place, ASAE is confidently moving forward using CLEAR Health Pass to provide the best level of safety we can for our members, and we hope to serve as a model for many other associations seeking to bring back their in-person meetings and events safely and confidently.

To learn how you can leverage Event Farm’s suite of safety tools to streamline your in-person event entry requirements contact us now.

While the pandemic meant that most event planners had to move toward virtual or online platforms, live events aren’t a remnant of the past. Still, planning a live event these days requires quite a bit of planning that wasn’t necessarily a part of your pre-COVID event checklist—and a higher level of awareness by those who aim to keep their attendees, speakers, vendors and staff safe. The 2022 Event Safety Guide is a great place to start if you’re planning on hosting a live event in the near future.

What is the 2022 Event Safety Guide?

The 2022 Event Safety Guide for in-person events is a downloadable resource that gathers all the knowledge accumulated from the Pandemic Compliance & Safety at Live Events virtual series hosted by Event Farm. The goal of the guide is to provide information to event planners on how to hold a safe and effective event in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. 

Top 10 Highlights from the 2022 Event Safety Guide

While we know that event planners who download this free resource take away numerous tips, we wanted to provide a “sneak peek” to help you grab some of the highlights—straight from the Guide itself.

1. Select your Safe Space (Location and Venue)

For those planning a live event while a pandemic is still in full force, having a “safe space” can mean something totally different, but in this instance we should talk about how you go about choosing the safest place—by both location and venue—to host your guests. Fortunately, in the Guide you’ll find no shortage of tools and tips to go about doing just that, from the COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planner and the GBAC STAR Facility Directory, to the top questions you should be asking your venue to ensure you are starting your event off on the right foot.

2. Lock down Your Contracts

In a world where liability matters, it’s important that you know who is liable, and for what, in the case of something happening. Fortunately, much of this can be mitigated by a locked-tight contract that spells out the liability for you and your vendors, in case something happens. Similarly, you’ll want to ensure that you are covered under some sort of liability policy as added protection. 

3. Test Smart (COVID Tests)

To mitigate virus spread, testing for the presence of the COVID-19 virus and its variants should be part of your plans. For that reason, it’s important that you understand the two main types of tests, and the guidelines within which they operate. 

4. Capture (And Log) Test Results

Asking for COVID testing and vaccination status is easy; verifying it is less so. Fortunately, Event Farm and CLEAR Health Pass help ease that burden for event providers, giving you the confidence to safely bring people together in-person and allowing for an easy check-in process. Additionally, the Guide can help you think through compliance, HIPAA, and much more.

5. Engage a PCA

Setting guidelines on behalf of the safety of your guests is a great idea, but those guidelines only work if you ensure they are being followed. For that reason, consider engaging a Pandemic Compliance Advisor (PCA), someone who can ensure that all your connection points—from the venue all the way down to your attendees—stick to the path you set out for them. More than that, a fully-engaged PCA can also be your point-person for education, on-site problem solving and risk mitigation, as well.

6. Create a Safety Code of Conduct

A Safety Code of Conduct can be a great first step to getting everyone involved on the same page. Not only should it include the rules and outline acceptable behavior, but also spell out (in plain language) where your liability begins and ends. As an added precaution, add this information to your registration setup as a way for attendees to acknowledge that they have read and agree to it. Need help creating one for your event? No worries; we provide a sample link in the guide. 

7. Create a Safety Plan of Action

Once you have an established code of conduct, it’s equally as important to reinforce it.  In addition to your PCA, enroll a team member or two to know your plan inside and out, and be able to back it up, as well as be aware of any Event Guidelines put out by the CDC, as well. 

8. Communicate Often and Clearly

Once you have all the parameters in place (your Code of Conduct, testing guidelines, and all that) communicating it clearly is of vital importance to help manage those expectations. Then, once your attendees hit the event space, clear, direct signage and consistent communication by staff can help reinforce those expectations.  

9. Create an Emergency Communication Plan

In case of non-compliance, a positive COVID test or other unfortunate events, it’s important to have immediate communication access to anyone associated with the event—from staff to vendors, exhibitors and attendees. Bottom line? Whatever marketing or event platforms you use, consider if your messaging system will work quickly and effectively to reach the segments of people you need to reach with relevant information.

10. Focus on Flow 

When it comes to how your attendees move about your event space, there are a number of things to consider: how you’ll handle lines, seating for sessions and breaks, and major bottlenecks that keep too many people in one place at the same time. In the guide, you’ll see how to make preventative plans, like staggering check-ins, staging gathering areas, and more.

If you’re planning a live event, or even just considering it, we hope that these tips can be of help. To download the guide and keep handy all of our tools, online resources, and insights to host safe live events, download the 2022 Event Safety Guide now. Happy Planning!