Creative during the crisis

Although the first steps towards easing restrictions for the meeting and events industry in Austria were taken at the end of May, returning to business will only be possible to a limited extent. In response, a number of hotels and service providers have been busy looking for creative solutions – and come up trumps.

‘Unusual times call for unusual measures’ is the watchword for Vienna’s Gösserhalle. Until the end of September, the events venue will be repurposed as a location for creating live streaming experiences. Various scenarios are possible in the 5,000m² of space available: from podium discussions, staff information events, product launches and presentations to interviews and concerts – the sky’s the limit.

In times of social distancing, Hotel Sacher is breathing new life into the tradition of the private dining room by temporarily converting its suites into pop-up restaurants. Now welcoming non-business travelers once again, Hotel Sacher is offering guests the pick of up to 152 exclusive mini-restaurants. Up to four adults and two children can move into the suites for three hours for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This also gives people from Vienna and travelers the opportunity to experience the main part of the hotel from the inside without staying overnight. Sacher classics such as goose liver mousse, Tafelspitz (tender boiled beef) and original Sachertorte are served by personal butlers.

The Zeitgeist Vienna hotel is transforming its rooms into Covid-19 compliant opera boxes. Using its courtyard as a stage, two opera singers will perform various classical favorites by composers from Mozart to Strauss. Each courtyard-facing room is a private box with window seats shared by two audience members. Food and drinks are provided by room service. As the first batch of concerts sold out so quickly, the hotel is planning to host more in the near future.

In response to the crisis, Reed Messe Wien’s technical partner STANDout has designed and produced a product series called CO-PS (Corona Protection Shield), which guards against transmission of the coronavirus through airborne droplets. The system comprises mobile plexiglass elements which can be arranged in various sizes and designs in accordance with client specifications. The range covers everything from simple table tents to multi-part constructions for reception desks and mobile space dividers for open plan offices. As partition walls are standard fixtures at trade fair stands and congresses booths, it did not take long before the idea of putting this expertise to use in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic was hit upon.