Can the conference industry cope with social distancing measures?

As countries begin to relax their lockdown measures and ease social distancing rules, could we see the resurgence of face to face conferences, seminars and events, or will the benefits of the online webinars change the industry and our preferences forever?

Social distancing - the measures we can all take to reduce our social interaction with others - has been controversial for many reasons. Firstly, many from the public health community have challenged the use of the word ‘social’ and would have preferred ‘physical’ - the former implies that you need to cut yourself from others and may have contributed to social isolation for some people, when we are all aware that social media technology can actually help us to maintain a physical distance and remain connected. Secondly, some governments have suggested a safe distance of two metres whilst others have recommended a one metre distance; the latter favoured by the World Health Organisation. Thirdly, the number of people who are able to meet in a group has also been debated and differs from country to country.

The difference is significant, especially for the conference and event industry who, at the time this article was written, have yet to be given the go ahead to reopen their doors and halls to delegates.

When universities and conference venues are finally given the go ahead to re-open, they will have to adopt social distancing measures. For many EventCentral users, attending a conference in person can be the highlight of their year as it provides them with an opportunity to share their research and projects that they have worked on for the past year, informally discuss issues with like-minded colleagues and take time to relax with colleagues in new settings.

We contacted a selection of conference venues across the UK to get a sense of how they feel they will cope with the social distancing measures and the impact it will have on their events. Many indicated to us that ensuring delegates maintain a safe social distance will be a challenge, but it is something that many larger venues can easily accommodate. Organisation is key, and as many event and conference planners are in the business of organisation, their training will have adequately prepared them for this. Social distancing during a conference talk is relatively easy to maintain by ensuring distance between seats, and an organised system during refreshment and lunch breaks will ensure that these can be managed without any problems.

As with everything in this new world, things may take longer - we will all need additional patience - and smaller, more manageable events, will certainly be the way forward. However, one of the benefits of the rise in video and online conference technology will mean that we may see a blend of webinar and face to face events or find (& accept) that some events are better suited to one or the other format

The event and conference industry are in urgent need to restart their businesses, and those who benefit from the discussions and opportunities to gain new knowledge are also eager to go back to them; we just hope this happens soon and that when it does, it happens safely.

Image courtesy of United Nations