Corporate Event Ideas During Covid-19
Urgh, yes 2020 has been a positively miserable year! Whilst certain individuals reading this might have had a relatively successful year (and may your good fortune continue), most people on the whole can agree that 2020 has been a giant, steaming pile of dog height.
The global coronavirus pandemic has had some devastating impact, both regarding the loss of many lives and the extreme pressure on the world’s economy. Countless businesses have been put under so much pressure in fact, that they have had to fold altogether.
All of that being said, this misery is hopefully (for the most part) behind us. So as we look to the future, it is still important to be able to celebrate and reward the hard work of your employees, especially for those who have had a tough year, but have managed to weather the storm as a result of pulling together and grafting like there’s no tomorrow!
Of course, planning an event in the current climate can be a bit risky. You wouldn’t want your employees to be put in any unnecessary danger and you certainly don’t want anybody getting sick on your watch. Not only will that be bad for your brand image and business, but it’s also not ideal knowing that your valued employees are at risk.
That said, there is much that you can do to keep the risks to a minimum. In this article, we’re going to share some corporate event ideas during the Covid-19 pandemic! If you get stuck and don’t fancy planning an event all by yourself, then we advise that you use corporate event management experts. That way, they can help you with all of the necessary precautions to ensure that the event runs as smooth and safe as possible.
Ground rules:
1 – Make sure that you check and abide local guidelines before you plan your event.
2 – Brief your guests about all of the necessary precautions before your event starts; during your event, remind guests of the precautions and ensure that everyone follows the rules.
3 – Make sure that you opt for a decent outdoor venue over an indoor space. If you must opt for a indoor area, be sure that it is spacious and well-ventilated.
4 – You can minimize crowding by staggering arrivals and departures, numbering the amount of entries, designating seating areas, and marking the floor for safe physical distancing between other people (1 meter recommended).
5 – Provide all of the necessary supplies onsite (i.e., hand hygiene stations, sanitizer, soap and water, tissues, closed bins, safety masks, distance markers and anything else you deem appropriate to ensure your guests safety.
Physical Events
Provided that you plan appropriately, it can still be viable to put on a physical corporate event. However, you will need to be mindful of numbers in order to ensure that everyone can practice safe social distancing. If you are going to put on a physical event, follow the ground rules mentioned above before and incorporate them into the planning process.
Pick a Large Venue
Select a large venue that can accommodate your numbers with social distancing in mind. A sit-down Gala style dinner for example would be perfect, providing that the tables can be appropriately spaced out and that you can have enough of a gap between seats so that guests can sit comfortably at their table with other guests, without feeling dangerously close to their neighbour.
This coupled with all other safety precautions can enable you to have the safest possible event. No mingling, and no DIY food stations. You can serve a sit-down meal with table service for drinks. Provided everyone is on board and follows the rules, keeping their masks handy, then it should be a great success.
Mask-uerade!
Why not host a masquerade style event, only where guests have to customize their own safety masks! This is a fun way of dealing with the fact that everyone must wear a mask when in public. Just as well turn it to your advantage and get a fun theme from it!
Utilize Large Outdoor Spaces
So long as the weather holds out, hosting a corporate event outdoors with enough space to practice safe social distancing can be a great approach. That way, you can easily ensure that everyone is practicing safe social distancing whilst being able to enjoy an awesome event. Couple that with some live music and a BBQ with some alcohol and you’ll be sorted!
Convert to a Virtual Event
If you are not comfortable with the idea of hosting a physical event during these difficult and uncertain times, then there is always the option of switching to a virtual event. It might sound rather farfetched, but when executed properly it can actually be really good fun!
All you need is to find some decent software for your event (of which there are many options, such as Zoom), and then you can get to planning and promoting it.
This way, all of your guests can attend the event without even having to leave the comfort of their own homes. It can be a BYOB (bring your own booze) event, where your guests can mingle and share ideas for the coming year.
Of course, an event is no good without entertainment, which means that you’ll have to think of lots of fun things for you guys to do! Depending on the size of the event, you might not be able to successfully pull off some games. However, you can indeed do a virtual raffle and give out some awesome prizes!
You can even hire a band to perform for you over Zoom of Skype, or whichever software that you decide to roll with. It’s not quite the same, but there is much that your entertainers can do to really personalize the experience and make it feel extra special!
Conclusion
We hope that this article has been useful to you and that you have some excellent ideas for your corporate event during the Covid-19 pandemic! If however, you’re still not quite sure what to do and would like some expertise, check out a reputable events planner such as Bold Events for some expert assistance.
In any case, we wish you the very best of luck and hope that you are able to plan an amazing event to remember, no matter which way you decide to do it. Stay safe and enjoy!