On September 15th, I attended to the Professional Observatory of Protocol and Events (virtual) that ISEMCO (Spain) has been organizing since the beginning of the year with COVID. Three protocol professionals participated in the event: on the one hand, Jesús López, from the Junta de Extremadura, and on the other, Gemma Rodríguez and Maribel Santamaría from Xunta de Galicia. It was very interesting and I could notice the changes and challenges that protocol and events professionals face day by day to make the events develop in the best possible way in the post-COVID reality. This is the summary I have made of their words:
1) The number of attendees is reduced. It is a fact that, if we can do an event on the outside much better, but whether we carry them inside or outside, the number of attendees will be smaller and we will increase the safety distance between them.
2) For photography after the events: they have to be taken in the outside and a safety distance is applied between the people. I leave you an example under these lines.
3) Masks and alcohol-based gel hand disinfectant has to be part of our life, but also present in the events. They are essential to prevent and to be able to carry out events normally and safely.
4) Invitations add information: the arrival time, the departure time and the prevention measures to follow. In the three cases presented, the guests were asked to arrive in different time slots to avoid the accumulation of people, and the same happened with the departure. In addition, they were told the security measures to follow, such as the obligation to wear the mask at all times.
5) They assigned staff to ensure that no accumulation of people was formed before, during and after the event.
6) Finally, space changes. When events are done, for reasons of safety and prevention, they become wider. More space must be left between all the elements that form the event. I leave you an example of the event of the inauguration of the councillors of the Xunta de Galicia under these lines.
Can you think of anything else to add to the list?
