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Choosing the right technology for your event

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The playing field has changed as we continue to work through the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Safety is now even more top of mind than it was before, and you may be asking yourself - how do I get back to business? Am I properly set up to keep everyone safe at my event? How do I manage in such difficult circumstances? Will my participants and crew be comfortable returning?  

When it comes to risk management during a pandemic, effective communication is as important as your plans and safety procedures. Whether the method is through the use of a combination of radio, SMS, social media or a dedicated event delivery platform like Blerter - using the right mix of media is crucial. 

Ensure you are well-equipped so you can best protect your attendees, participants and crew from illness. Here are four important aspects that you need to consider when choosing the right technology for safer events:

 

Reliability

When the worst happens, instructions and updates need to reach as many of the event workforce as possible. Relying on telephone trees and runners means delays, and can lead to messages being diluted or ā€œlost in translationā€.

Security

Data privacy regulations are tightening around the world, from the European GDPR to the California Consumer Privacy Act and beyond. It is no longer acceptable to send a photo of a missing child to event workersā€™ phones unless it can later be deleted by the event manager, or to allow volunteers to access participantsā€™ information unless there are robust controls in place.

Consistency

The range of places to find or submit information for a single event can truly boggle the mind. A volunteer or vendor may have a physical check-in onsite, and have been emailed the event safety manual. They may have a paper form to fill out to report an incident, be required to join a social media group or keep an eye on their text messages for updates.

Consistent, simple communication channels reduce confusion across a temporary workforce, allow an event team better visibility over the different groups, and make it easier to conduct investigations or audits post-event.

Crowd-sourcing

Most events have a small group of permanent members, but use an expanded workforce to deliver events. Team leaders, security personnel and police are connected to the command center, but there may be hundreds, even thousands, of volunteers, suppliers and vendors around the venue throughout the event who are involved in spotting and managing issues.

Giving as many as possible an easy, direct way to report concerns and actions, even when no damage has resulted, allows the core team to align and manage their resources in a proactive rather than reactive way to manage hazards and reduce risk.

If you haven't used an event delivery platform before, get a quick overview of Blerter. 

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Blerter Team
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