So your meeting or trade show has been postponed or cancelled. You turned your misfortune into good fortune for others by donating your unused food and event supplies to local food banks and charities. You even got your team involved in the feel-good effort, which you made sure to share with your event audience via your marketing and social media channels.

Earlier this month, the Global Biorisk Advisory Council announced the GBAC STAR facility accreditation, which establishes protocols, procedures and systems for event facilities such as convention centers to help control risk associated with infectious agents, such as COVID-19.

The rules for meetings are in a state of flux. Various organizations, coalitions and task forces are working through the ramifications of holding events where addressing health and safety concerns is a top priority.

This means rethinking everything — from where to how to when you hold your meetings — within a new framework. That was the main tenet of this week’s IACC Americas Virtual Connect event, held May 18-21.

The COVID-19 pandemic has event organizers rethinking every component of live events, including food and beverage. With convention centers such as Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta winding down makeshift hospital operations as they prepare to reopen for meetings, conventions and trade shows later this year, catering companies are being forced to address every component of how they’ll serve guests again, too. But will event F&B ever be the same? What’s on the plate may look similar, but how it’s served will be forever changed.

The word of the day in events is virtual (usually prefaced by “pivot to”) And there’s no doubt about the fact that virtual — or in future, hybrid — events will help event organizers reach a wider audience. But what are attendees looking for in their virtual events, and when it’s safe to meet again, what will attract them? Two recent studies conducted by CensusWide for PromoLeaf may shed some light. 

 To bring a smile to your face during challenging times, read on to learn about event organizations, venues and companies that are setting a positive example of human compassion and charitable giving in-action.

GPHA Launches Hospitality Workers Relief Fund 

The Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association is seeking donations to assist with purchasing gift cards for local grocery stores and pharmacies to distribute to Philadelphia hotel, Pennsylvania Convention Center and Independence Visitor’s Center hourly employees who lost their jobs due to COVID-19. 

More than 400 event professionals joined the “Ask CEMA Live!” webinar on April 9. The first in an ongoing series from CEMA, the webinar featured a panel of event marketers discussing the current challenges in the industry and how they are addressing events in this uncertain time.

With trade shows and conferences of all sizes being canceled or postponed due to travel restrictions and COVID-19 health concerns, event planners are scrambling to take their live events digital to meet the needs of their audiences. While nothing beats the power of face-to-face meetings, given the choice between hosting a virtual event or nothing at all, it makes sense event organizers are taking full advantage of digital tools like video conferencing and online marketplaces, and streaming keynote speakers and educational sessions. 

More than 2,200 event professionals attended the Events Industry Council live webinar, “COVID-19: Discussion of Critical Insurance and Legal Considerations for Event Professionals” webinar on Friday, March 6.  

When I first learned about Chicago Planner Master Class, I was intrigued. Put on by Ateema Media & Marketing, this series of events designed specifically for professional event planners and event marketers isn’t a typical talking-head education session or a loose networking opportunity. Instead, events (which take place several times a year) are structured as a brief introduction from a partner sponsor followed by 10 roundtable discussions on topics pre-selected by attendees.