IN PANDEMIC TIMES
MANAGING EVENTS IN PANDEMIC TIMES IAPCO Member: C-IN, Czech Republic
With a healthy dose of anxiety, the world sits mostly in
The situation could easily be compared to the worst nightmare
lockdown, observing the latest developments and threats
of any event management company, but determination keeps
associated with COVID-19. We all face a very serious and
us moving forward.
unprecedented challenge which in business terms has affected almost all industries, including the events industry.
One example of these challenges was the 59th Annual
As a member of the meetings industry, we face an
Conference of the Particle Therapy Co-operative Group
increasingly unpredictable future as we fight through
(PTCOG 59), one of our larger conferences. The event was
complicated scenarios of what it means to organise events
planned to be held in Taiwan in May 2020 for over 1200 people.
in such a global epidemic. We must juggle crisis-mode
For an international conference in the current pandemic
decisions whilst considering the ramifications of postponing
situation, a major part of the challenge was to consider not
or cancelling events, changing legal conditions and
only the situation in the conference destination but also the
restrictions, re-planning congresses at the last minute,
situations in the different regions around the world from
meeting new health requirements, changing staffing needs,
which key participants would travel. The pandemic is not
managing financial outcomes... the list goes on. As regulations
being managed on a global basis and as individual nations
continue to fluctuate and we float in and out of different force
implemented different laws and restrictions, each had their
majeure or contract situations, we must remain extremely
own effect on the likely success of the conference. The
vigilant in order to act in the best interests of the many parties
decision lay between running the event as planned whilst
involved. There is a real irony in how the events industry
managing participant health and safety, and postponing
manages to continue to organise mass gatherings around
the event to increase the likelihood of being able to hold a
the world whilst many individuals within it are working alone
successful meeting. In order to prevent event cancellation
from home, separated from colleagues and office normality.
in 2020, it was postponed to a later date in September.
10
| June 2020
