Re-Emerging Ready

Planning for the post-pandemic return of live events

There’s little doubt that our industry is clamoring for a return to normal. Beyond the financial hardships caused by the current pandemic, an innate need for community and creation makes most event professionals ill-suited for extended downtime and social isolation. Some have managed to endure the 2020 shutdown through webinars, live streams, and the occasional drive-in production. While these have been necessary lifelines, they are pale substitutes for the visceral, sweaty, and life-affirming experience in-person events regularly provide.

With the recent approval of several COVID-19 vaccines, the return of live mass gatherings is within sight. When that time arrives, however, the operational landscape will be profoundly different than it was just one year ago. Events will continue to face a patchwork of rules governing capacity, face coverings, testing, sanitation, and health screenings. What works in Toronto may no longer fly in Tulsa, requiring us to be flexible, patient, and creative in our approaches. Our workforce will initially be smaller, out of practice, and adjusting to a plethora of new requirements. Comrades and competitors alike will need to collaborate closely, and sometimes uncomfortably. All this to say, while we’ll be together again it is likely things will remain far from “normal” for quite some time.

From the early stages of the pandemic Event Safety Alliance has focused significant time and resources on preparing event operators for an eventual restart. In May 2020, ESA published free comprehensive reopening guidance for event professionals in response to COVID-19. Developed in collaboration with over 300 medical, public safety, and production professionals this document has been downloaded more than 30,000 times and inspired a six-month update that was released this past November. An online, “pathogen-aware” event site training is nearing completion and will be released in early 2021. COVID-19 preparedness was also a core focus of ESA’s “virtual” Event Safety Summit, with discussions of the pandemic’s impact on site planning, global touring, event insurance, and more.

Continuing these efforts, Event Safety Alliance will be hosting a one-hour session on planning for a post-COVID reopening as part of NAMM’s Believe in Music Week programming. Led by ESA Canada President and Occupational Safety Consultant Janet Sellery, “Planning Through Tough Times: Figuring Out Your COVID-19 Response” will explore considerations, tools, and resources that can help organizations develop a plan that meets their unique needs, opportunities, and jurisdictional requirements.

As we have seen throughout 2020, the impacts of COVID-19 can change rapidly. While a return to live events may still be months off, the time to prepare for our “new normal” is now. Through comprehensive planning, training, and diligence we can ensure a safe and prosperous future for all.