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  • 1.  How will you keep your events sustainable while maintaining safety & health measures?

    Posted 05-17-2021 11:55

    Hello, and happy Monday - we're here with another Huddle of the Week discussion! Earth Day was only a few weeks back, and with some regions around the world returning to in-person and hybrid events in the near future, it brings up a valid consideration – are new safety & health measures going to affect how green you can keep your meetings & events?

    We have seen properties, businesses, and organizations alike take excellent measures thus far to ensure they are meeting, and even exceeding, health & safety standards during these times. Some examples include hand-sanitizer and hand-wipes for attendees, personal to-go boxes and silverware for meals, disposable masks, and more. There are also aspects that may lead to less of a footprint, such as less printed material and more digital experiences to prevent certain interactions & physical exchanges.

    With all of that in mind, prior to the pandemic the industry was making a great charge ahead to keep events sustainable.

    • How will you keep your events sustainable while maintaining safety & health measures?
    • Will hybrid events help manage this experience by still offering a virtual experience for attendees?

    Let us know your thoughts below! #HuddleoftheWeek #VoiceIt

    P.S. - Have questions about hybrid events? Join us this Thursday at 11am ET for our next Ask the Expert session with members of Cvent's Professional Services team! This team works directly with clients to support their virtual and hybrid events through the Attendee Hub, and they have a ton of insight to share. You can post your question on the Q&A thread at any point between now and Thursday, so don't miss out. πŸ˜Šβ€‹β€‹
    #ManagingVirtualEvents
    #SourcingaVenue

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    Danni Czark
    Senior Associate, Online Community Marketing
    Cvent
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  • 2.  RE: How will you keep your events sustainable while maintaining safety & health measures?

    User Group Member
    Posted 05-18-2021 09:45
    • How will you keep your events sustainable while maintaining safety & health measures?
    Using silverware instead of plastic, boxed lunches, hand sanitizing stations everywhere and using Cvent Diagramming and Seating to ensure proper social distancing.
    The use of electronic emails with event information instead of printing; glasses and cups instead of plastic or paper; offering tea instead of so many sodas in plastic bottles. 
    • Will hybrid events help manage this experience by still offering a virtual experience for attendees?
    I think the hybrid event model was on its way to being the "new" way to having  meetings; however, the pandemic just pushed it to the forefront and meetings exploded in attendee numbers. The events industry has gotten creative on offering the virtual attendee a better quality attendance, more like an in-person attendee and more engaged, which was well overdue.

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    Mary Ann Hall
    Event Specialist
    Federal Reserve System
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  • 3.  RE: How will you keep your events sustainable while maintaining safety & health measures?

    Community MVP
    Posted 05-18-2021 12:30
    Hi Danni,

    • How will you keep your events sustainable while maintaining safety & health measures?
      • probably adjust to how we handle things, virtual site instead of in-person, suggesting hand sanitizing stations and social distancing spacing, plated or boxed meals/to-go/grab & go instead of buffet
    • Will hybrid events help manage this experience by still offering a virtual experience for attendees?
      • yes, I think so, as not everyone feels comfortable with traveling yet


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    Andrea Timbes-Cox
    CRM Administrator & Lead Catcher
    Visit Fort Worth
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  • 4.  RE: How will you keep your events sustainable while maintaining safety & health measures?

    Community MVP
    Posted 05-18-2021 12:54
    Hi Danni, 

    The tough part with the increased health and safety measures is the whole dining experience. Buffets with washable dinnerware are ideal to reduce waste, but won't be possible for a while longer. I think a good alternative might be compostable items, with clear bins for what goes where and a real plan for the volume produced (most composting plants don't take events' compostable because it's too much dry material at once and can unbalance a compost pile). For the masks, I think including reusable, washable masks in the goody bag (one per day of the event) would be a great way to have swag available for sponsors + insure we're not using a ton of disposable masks. 

    As for how hybrid events will factor in, I'm not sure, but we are considering keeping some of our smaller meetings fully virtual to dispense with the expense and logistics associated with travel, which is also good for the planet since people would drive or fly to attend. 

    Cheers,

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    BΓ©line FALZON
    Conference Program Specialist II
    California Teachers Association
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  • 5.  RE: How will you keep your events sustainable while maintaining safety & health measures?

    User Group Member
    Posted 05-18-2021 19:34
    Safety and health are always top of mind but given the pandemic, everyone has to be more mindful. We are looking into limiting our in person event attendance so people can be properly distanced. We will have extra cleaning, masks and hand sanitizer and require masks to be worn indoors. We will try to do food service out of doors or in an aired out location to minimize risk.

    People will expect events to be hybrid and look on you as backwards if you don't supply this type of option. Companies that do not go hybrid are taking a step backwards as they will lose the audience they've gained when things were virtual and reach will contract. I'm sure no one wants that.

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    Davi Ellis
    CIO
    The Jewish Federations of North America (Previously - United Jewish Communities)
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  • 6.  RE: How will you keep your events sustainable while maintaining safety & health measures?

    Posted 05-18-2021 20:30
    • How will you keep your events sustainable while maintaining safety & health measures? Limited printed materials, mostly clean/simple digital pieces.
    • Will hybrid events help manage this experience by still offering a virtual experience for attendees? focusing on tech and less on printed tangible items


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    Katie Dreifus
    Employee Experience Manager
    loanDepot
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  • 7.  RE: How will you keep your events sustainable while maintaining safety & health measures?

    Posted 05-19-2021 10:00
    • How will you keep your events sustainable while maintaining safety & health measures?
    • Less reliance on disposables (cutlery, plates, etc.) and continue to encourage attendees to bring their own water bottles to use at filling stations. This can still be a safe practice with some guidelines and frequent sanitation in place. Also, eliminating printed materials and relying on the app and other digital media
    • Will hybrid events help manage this experience by still offering a virtual experience for attendees?
    • Absolutely! First of all, not having to travel by car/air/etc. is sustainable, and the event can highlight it's sustainability practices on site to virtual attendees to keep the messaging going. Even if you are a virtual attendee, there are still ways to be sustainable and to appreciate the commitment made by event organizers.


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    Bouran Qaddumi
    National Field Trainer
    Cajun Operating Company d/b/a Church's Chicken
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  • 8.  RE: How will you keep your events sustainable while maintaining safety & health measures?

    User Group Member
    Posted 05-19-2021 10:22
    Edited by Rachel Sigley 05-19-2021 10:25
    • How will you keep your events sustainable while maintaining safety & health measures? Moving towards smaller more intimate events from such large scale. Rely more on technology which we had already been starting to do pre-covid. But no printed anything other than badges. Everything will be managed digitally. We'll also find ways to bring in biodegradable materials.
    • Will hybrid events help manage this experience by still offering a virtual experience for attendees? Yes, it could also just help us reach more people that maybe wanted to attend but couldn't travel for one reason or another.


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    Rachel
    NJ
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  • 9.  RE: How will you keep your events sustainable while maintaining safety & health measures?

    Posted 05-21-2021 09:19
    • How will you keep your events sustainable while maintaining safety & health measures?
      Select the venue with the lowest carbon print possible. Recycle and use biodegradable products, make the event paperless, and give away useful freebies, not ones they'll throw away.
    • Will hybrid events help manage this experience by still offering a virtual experience for attendees?
      Honestly, I think virtual events are here to stay. They are a lot cheaper and can reach out to a huge audience. We've had virtual dinner events using Door Dash coupons and sending beverages to the attendees, you can also send them gifts via courier, if needed. 


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    Luciana Cis
    Analyst
    Accenture plc
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