Ecomondo #SAFEBUSINESS

What does the keyword ‘Ecomondo #safebusiness’ mean? The hashtag responds to the Covid-19 emergency applied to trade shows. European fairs are falling like skittles, cancelled or postponed until 2021, which announces itself with a saturated fair calendar. What to do to ensure the continuity of the event and to respect safety conditions, especially for that place which is proposed as a world showcase of sustainability? Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) explained how.

Ecomondo #SAFEBUSINESS, save people, save events

“Holding and taking part in trade shows in Italy in complete safety, in total respect of the rules and healthcare protocols, protecting the health of companies and visitors. #SAFEBUSINESS by IEG is the name of the project launched by IEG Italian Exhibition Group, the trade fair and conference organizer with head offices in Rimini, Italy and operative in Vicenza, Milan, Brescia, Rome, Arezzo and Naples as well as in China, the United States, and Dubai with associated companies. Listed on the Italian Stock Exchange, IEG has devised this plan thanks to a working group together with its outfitting and catering companies, technicians and international operators.

«We have worked on this plan,» says Corrado Peraboni, CEO of IEG, «with the aim of providing a complete  and reliable answer for our customers and the international public which, now more than ever, is asking us to be able to count on trade shows and conferences re-starting. We have done so in line with the anti-Covid-19 health regulations and documents drafted by AEFI, FEDERCONGRESSI, UFI and EMECA, which I would like to thank for their constant presence regarding the question concerned.»

Fifty guidelines

The project provides over fifty guidelines with a rigorous regulatory and organizational protocol upstream. These include: sanitized shuttle transport between the airport, hotels and Expo Centres, all equipped with disinfectant, the obligation to wear face masks on board and a fixed number of passengers; conventions with bike sharing and electric scooter companies in accordance with hotels and the territory; ticket office and payments exclusively on line, scheduled entries according to hall capacity and extended trade show opening times, face mask distribution desks (with mandatory use and specific aids for those with special needs such as transparent face masks for IEG staff to facilitate relations with the hearing impaired); multiple entrances, safety aisles and distancing signage, dematerialized entry tickets, temperature checks on the public using thermo scanners and a sanitization route, wardrobe with automatic rack and disposable individual coverings. The entire outfitting supply chain will be organized and managed in safety, visitor flows will be monitored with centralized digital tracking and on-site controls by remotely guided stewards. All the areas, rooms and bathroom facilities will be sanitized on a continuous cycle and air-conditioning channel filters will be sanitized. Digitalized informative material, multi-media productions and live streaming to support events, conferences and the media.

Catering

Catering: temperature checks for the workers, gloves, face masks, disposable overalls, skip-the-line payment apps, single portion lunch and coffee boxes, coded delivery system to the stands. A strict crisis management protocol will be established which defines on-site behaviour should suspected cases occur. IEG employees and trade show staff will also undergo training for their own safety and to ensure the safe execution of their duties, the use of PPE, respect of the strict procedures for personal hygiene, sanitizing and distancing.”