While the events industry is preparing for a fragmented reopening, Ovation has been preparing exciting ideas.
Events are slowly but surely coming back. How do we know? Simple; the amount of global requests of in-person events is increasing. While most large events are planned for Q1 and Q2 of 2021, Ovation was honored to support a few clients weathering the maze of restrictions and challenges. 600 attendees in Orlando back in July, an incentive group visiting Jamaica and rolling events and activities in various destinations. Ovation is seeing, quite a few of them, choosing to make their event hybrid in the near future, due to global travel restrictions. These events share common traits, such as face masks, social distance, signage, and much more.
Our Response
The safety of event attendees, clients and employees is a top priority for Ovation. All our events are assessed for security and sustainability risks, using our internal event audit tool and security checklists. However, the COVID-19 outbreak requires the integration of additional measures to avoid spreading the virus in connection with an event. From the first appearance of COVID-19 in China, Ovation Global DMC activated its crisis cell, which is led by our Global Health & Safety Director, a Security Engineer who specializes in risk and crisis management. Based on his past experiences (H1N1 Flu crisis, Ebola crisis) and his extensive training, he advises our teams on the level of measures to be taken to ensure the optimal safety of our events. In times of pandemic crisis, a presence on the ground is paramount, because local legislation and measures implemented to combat a virus differ from country to country and are adapted over time. Thanks to its global outreach, Ovation was able to set up a COVID-19 repository list in each of its global offices. This provided us with both a source of information on the evolution of the virus in the world, but also valuable insights into the best practices used to respond to the crisis.
We are aware that the crisis will last over time but will be evolving, Ovation has developed its own methodology for organizing events in the COVID-19 period. Our method is intended to be adaptive to be able to respond to the reality of the place and the time, and not to impose measures that would no longer fit the situation at the time of the event. This methodology must be seen as guidelines to be integrated, deployed, and adapted by our operational teams for each event they manage.
Our methodology consists of 12 steps that has been proven to be safe, in the reopening of events:
In parallel, we stay vigilant about all other security aspects and follow our risk analysis and management processes, as well as data and information security policies. We guarantee that the measures taken to combat COVID-19 are compatible with all other security measures. Finally, our Business Continuity Plan remains fully operational and always allows us to guarantee the holding of our activities. Our approach and guidelines will be updated continuously according to the latest information from the World Health Organization (WHO), local health experts and the research/publications that are released on this topic.
New ideas and Sample Programs to Discover
During these challenging times Ovation did not stay idle. Our teams have created curated virtual experiences to engage audiences, created new content and signed new partnerships with amazing results. Our Virtual Incentive Experience is a clear example of bringing culture, people and local experiences closer to the attendees, where companies can virtually engage on a deeper level, over an extended period of time. Or the official partnership with the Michelin Guide, where top chefs are creating virtual gastronomic experiences to your attendees. A great tool to engage with the best chefs in the world, but also to learn and engage with them directly on how to build teams, and what leadership means.
Ovation destinations did not lean back either, but refocused on how to offer the best programs to future in-person events. Focused on bespoke local experiences and creative content, our Ovation Australia DMC and Ovation New Zealand DMC teams built new sample programs, which are only the tip of the iceberg. Have a look at these individual programs in these two amazing destinations:
Ovation Global DMC is looking forward to keep on creating memorable experiences with you. We are ready! Are you?
Contact us here for any queries.
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