In-Person Events

7 Tips for Making In-Person Event Attendees Feel Comfortable

Eventually Learning Team

03 November 2021

Read time 6 min 26 sec

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic forced all of us to remain indoors to stay safe. People are still reluctant to step out of their homes, even after getting vaccinated. Plus, the news of new COVID-19 variants isn’t helping matters much.

At such a time, event organizers need to make sure that the return to live events is not rushed. Instead, it should be slow and steady. As an event organizer, you need to delve into the psyche of your audience and know that they will feel nervous, anxious, or even panicked at the thought of gathering in groups.

Hence, it is the responsibility of event organizers to ensure that in-person event attendees feel comfortable, and their fears are eliminated from the beginning till the end. To help you out, we have listed 7 tips for making in-person event attendees feel comfortable. Use them wisely, and your attendees will feel safer and more comfortable.

1 Focus on Safety Measures for Those Attending the In-Person Event

The first tip is to focus on safety measures for those attending the in-person event and communicating the same with the prospective attendees. At the same time, it is also vital to ensure that you talk about the safety measures from time to time to gain the confidence of your prospective attendees. To ensure that the attendees know about all the safety measures without reminding them repeatedly, you should create an FAQ page that gives them all the information about safety measures in place. After that, focus the communication on the event itself, like who will be the speakers, what giveaways will be offered, etc.

2 Ensure You are Communicating with the Attendees via Regular Messages

As safety from COVID-19 is such a huge topic these days, you can’t afford to provide a link to a webpage and forget about it. It will help if you keep communicating with the attendees via periodic messages highlighting the safety precautions you have in place. Direct communication will help boost the confidence of in-person attendees. Make sure you highlight all the steps you are taking before, during, and after the event via messages.

3 Share the Guidelines You Are Following and the Laws You are Complying With

In these troubled times, it is essential to follow a few guidelines laid out by the public health agencies and comply with the laws mentioned by the federal and local governments. If you are doing that, you should share it with the in-person attendees to feel comfortable and confident. Communicate to them that you will take care of basic safety measures like enforcing masks and positioning several sanitation stations. While enforcing laws, make sure that you and your entire team know about the latest requirements, like some states are considering vaccine passports.

Remember to follow the guidelines when it comes to choosing a venue. Choose a venue that can accommodate a much larger group than the number of in-person attendees invited to the event. Also, make sure that you keep certain features like filtration systems in place when hosting an outdoor event.

4 Remind About Screening Procedures for Uplifting Attendee Experience

When hoping to uplift the in-person attendee experience, make sure that you communicate all screening procedures that are put in place to avoid any confusion later on. For instance, if you want the attendees to provide their COVID-19 test reports (negative) as a part of the screening procedures, make sure that you tell them in advance so that they can get tested and carry the reports to the event. Create content for attendees that specifically talks about the screening procedures and what steps they need to take to ensure participation. (Planning a hybrid event- Read - how to host a successful virtual event)

5 Set On-Site Reminders

Communication about safety must not stop during the event. For that, you can set up on-site reminders that talk about the safety measures which are in place. Signage like, are you wearing your mask right, or have you checked your temperature today, can go a long way to make in-person attendees feel more comfortable.

Keep the signage present all over the event venue but make sure it’s subtle. Please don’t overdo it by placing a sign every two feet as it might irritate or annoy some guests. It is also essential that you avoid all group activities (if you had them during previous in-person events).

6 Allow Attendees to Share Feedback

When all proper safety norms are not followed by the guests, you need to take the responsibility of the safety of all guests seriously, as the risk of COVID-19 is still there. It would help if you allowed the in-person event attendees to report any non-compliance quickly and effectively.

For instance, if an attendee is not satisfied with the breaches of social distancing norms by others, they should be able to report it to you or your team so you can take prompt action. Similarly, if the attendees are not comfortable with buffet dining and want seated dining with staff members trained in food handling measures, you need to give them that option.

It would help if you also had some actions in place for attendees who risk their own safety and the safety of others. It could include strict measures like removal from the event venue.

7 Post-Event Follow-Up Boosts Future Attendee Participation

The safety measures shouldn’t stop even when an event is over. You should stay in touch with in-person event attendees and consider doing a post-event survey about the safety measures followed at the event. Most people will attend an event organized by you in the future if they felt safe and comfortable during the event. Also, work on any negative feedback you receive to improve future attendee participation.

You can use the feedback shared by the attendees while creating future content for attendees. For instance, if an attendee says that “Your team deftly followed the safety protocols,” you can use it as a testimonial that can be added to marketing materials to boost the confidence of the future audience that is considering attending the in-person event.

FAQs

How do you drive attendance to an in-person event?

In the current climate, you can do that by having COVID-19 safety precautions in place and ensuring in-person event attendees feel comfortable with those.

How popular are in-person events?

Though the popularity of in-person events had reduced due to COVID-19, and it paved the way for more virtual and hybrid events, in-person events are coming back, and they are here to stay.

What are good promotional ideas?

To promote the safety measures of your in-person events, you need to maintain direct communication with every in-person event attendee. Also, use the power of social media to promote your event.

Final Words

Communicating with attendees about all the safety measures you have taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19, creating effective content that reminds them of the safety protocols, and ensuring their safety pre, during, and post an event are essential in today’s climate. Taking a few simple steps will make in-person event attendees more comfortable, and they will be more likely to attend a future event hosted by you.

If you need more help in planning an event to make all in-person attendees feel comfortable, you can partner with Media 7 –click here. We will help you plan a flawless event and help ensure the safety of every attendee. To help you get honest feedback on the events you plan or organize in the future, we have also come up with a unique review platform Eventually. It will allow all in-person event attendees and virtual event attendees to share their honest feedback publicly so that you not only get to know the gaps but also get some kudos for all the hard work you do. Visit Eventually now!