Many Americans are eager to return to face-to-face meetings and business events when the threat of COVID-19 has passed and it is safe to do so.
The industry that supports large in-person gatherings continues to work behind-the-scenes to prepare for the moment Americans can come together again. In lockstep with partners from across the broader travel, health and safety communities, we have aligned on six key principles for reopening, based on recent guidance from the U.S. Travel Association.
83% of Americans working from home say they miss attending in-person meetings and conventions.
The industry that supports large in-person gatherings continues to work behind-the-scenes to prepare for the moment Americans can come together again. In lockstep with partners from across the broader travel, health and safety communities, we have aligned on six key principles for reopening, based on recent guidance from the U.S. Travel Association.
1. Adjust operations, employee practices and public spaces to help protect employees and customers.
2. Consider implementing touchless solutions, where practical, to limit the opportunity for virus transmission while also enabling a positive travel experience.
3. Implement enhanced sanitation procedures specifically designed to combat the transmission of COVID-19.
4. Promote health screenings for employees and isolate workers with possible COVID-19 symptoms and provide health resources to customers.
5. Establish new procedures, aligned with CDC guidance, to use if an employee tests positive for COVID-19.
6. Follow best practices in food and beverage service to promote the health of employees and customers.
These principles have informed efforts underway to create more specific guidelines for meetings and event professionals. Our partners at the Events Industry Council have convened an APEX COVID-19 Business Recover Task Force to develop a curated list of accepted best practices across the events eco-system and a framework for face-to-face meetings in the future.
While there is still more to be done, we are proud of these efforts, and others at the corporate level, to create reassurance for employees, customers and suppliers as well as each and every meeting attendee.
Read more at Meetings Mean Business.
