According to the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals, in the first 10 months of the pandemic the travel industry lost more than $147 million with the United States taking the greatest revenue hit of any nation in the world. Correspondingly, meeting professionals felt COVID-19’s rippling effects in terms of jobs lost, roles expanded, salaries cut, massive cancellations, unrealized revenues, and uncertain futures as our physical world was transformed virtually. Needless to say, in the last 18 months, we’ve all learned the true meaning of “resilience.”
Now, it’s time to get back to business. Below is a simple acronym that will make it easy to remember the topline event safety practices:
C – consult CDC guidelines and check the specific rules for your city of origin before traveling
O – obverse all rules and onsite protocols for your personal safety and that of others
V – vaccinated or not, take control of your personal safety, verify the facts, don’t rely on hearsay
I – inspect your surroundings at all times, inspire safety habits in others
D – distance socially at all times
Here are a few safety measures in compliance with CDC guidelines and industry best practices:
Health Guidelines – health and safety guidelines will be displayed onsite and on NCBMP’s Website
COVID-19 Updates – we will provide real-time news and virus updates throughout the convention
COVID-19 Testing – discrete onsite COVID-19 testing with rapid results will occur daily, and prior to admission (no test, no entry)
PPE Supplies – branded personal protection equipment (e.g., masks, sanitizers, etc.) will be available in our SWAG bags and other sponsored giveaways
Venue – we are working with the venue to address ventilation, and all emergency measures
Cleanliness – our venue and preferred hotels will be undertaking the highest cleanliness protocols
Traffic Flows – we will practice social distancing in all aspects of event scheduling and layout
Scheduling – flexible schedules will allow us to minimize flows of people to avoid crowding
F&B – we will offer plated and/or boxed lunch options, and weather permitting, we will engage food trucks on staggered schedules to ensure contactless meal environments
Registration – we will encourage pre-registration and will limit the number of in-person interactions