When the world begins to open up again, the safety and wellbeing of event attendees will be of exceeding importance. It will only become more crucial to make sure appropriate action is being taken to assess an event’s safety hazards before, during, and after an event. Especially for larger events and bigger crowds, a small detail that may go overlooked could prove to be an entirely preventable disaster. Effective event risk assessment is not just a good idea, it’s a responsible and necessary step to ensure the success of your future event. 

Step 1: Assess

Risk assessment begins in pre-production, as event planners start to think about what their event will be, what it will look like, who and what may be involved, etc. To begin, effective risk assessment begins with considering onsite consultation and the nuts of bolts of the event. Make sure there is a plan in place for food and beverage handling and safety, event permitting, and security (cyber and otherwise). 

In regards to equipment, ensure each presenter, for the entire conference/presentation, receives their own microphone, wireless slide advance, and sanitizer wipes. Keyboard covers should be available for all laptops, and proper microphone head cleaning would be best for the safety of everyone. 

In a COVID-19-free future, event planners should also take into account the residual anxieties of a post-pandemic world. How will people feel about crowd sizes moving forward? Can you offer room for social distancing and health safety? Lastly, take into account the importance of insurance - event cancellation, liability, and cyber. We live in uncertain times, and it’s best to be prepared for anything. 

Step 2: Treat

Risk assessment in the production phase involves the right plan and the appropriate personnel to ensure an event remains safe, sanitized, and hazard-free. With this in mind, it’s best to liaise with partners to implement a variety of solutions.

For ensure the safety of all those attending your event, consider the following:

• Using rope and stanchions or particulating partition barriers to keep space between attendees to ensure social distancing

• Making hand sanitizing and hand washing stations readily available throughout the event space

• Using event signage to promote health safety

In regards to your personnel, ensure they are doing the following:

• Use team members to disinfect and sanitize spaces and surfaces that are being used frequently throughout the event 

• Check and reinforce air filtration systems

• Continue sanitizing all equipment that may be used between team members

Lastly, allow health checks of all personnel on-site to occur frequently. Your on-site team members should have health clearance prior to the event, have their temperature taken on site, and are wearing face masks and rubber gloves, when needed. 

Step 3: Monitor

In the “post production” of risk assessment, on-site event managers should work with staff members to keep an eye on the event and adjust protocols as needed. 

This involves managing crowd flow with on-site security or additional staff members, restocking sanitizer and hand washing stations often, and continuously reminding everyone to wear protective masks and wash their hands often. 

As with anything in the event planning industry, it makes all the difference to enlist the help of an event professional. Contact Wizard Studios to help with your risk assessment today!