Would you Feel Safe Attending a Physical Event Today? Here’s What Industry Stakeholders Say

by  Komal Parmar Industry Watch | December 7, 2020 | Feature

Aarti Manocha Thanush Joseph Gitikka Ganju Dhar 70 EMG Milestones to Memories

As Unlockdown 5.0 is being implemented in the country, various on-ground events have started making a come-back, albeit with adherence to the Government’s strict safety protocols. EVENTFAQS Media reached out to industry stakeholders to get their view of the current situation and understand how safe they would feel if they were attending a physical event.

Our question: Would you feel safe attending a physical event today? How and by when do you see the events industry making a come-back to the real world?

Here is what the respondents had to say:

EVENT PLANNER

‘Strip Tests can potentially turn the tide in favour of physical events’
- Thanush Joseph, Co- Founder and Director, 70 EMG

This has been the longest eight months for a lot of us, wishing this virus away. For a while, we experienced a gradual and considerable improvement in sentiment and the subsequent confirmation of in-person events in the next quarter. In fact, 70EMG and our social events specialists, 7 Steps, actually produced some physical events in October and November. However, the ongoing second wave of coronavirus has had a negative impact and although it doesn't mean going back to April 2020, I suspect it will be a long wait as predicted initially - possibly H2 of 2021 for physical events to come back, as we all hope.

It’s anybody's guess when things will improve, guesstimates range anywhere from the next four months to 18 months before it is business as usual. In the meantime, we are excited about the Strip Tests that are now available - literally in 15 minutes, we can test anyone for Covid-19 infection. This can potentially turn the tide in favour of physical events without risking infection. I'm quite excited about the potential of this for our entertainment and cultural eco-system. Several other advances in science are helping all of us live with the virus till an acceptable vaccine comes along for the global population.

WEDDING PLANNER

‘We have to create a safe environment for events to come back’
- Aarti Manocha, Founder, Milestones to Memories

We have to create a safe environment for events to come back. It has begun already, it’s slow, but happening. We recently concluded our first wedding of this season in these pandemic times. The dynamics of planning and executing it was a first of sorts for us. We ensured that health and safety and sanitisation protocols were the key factors that were well-executed, so that all our guests felt secure and comfortable. Every aspect of planning for each department and area of operations was in keeping with health and safety as the top criteria. We are proud of the fact that we pulled this off without any glitches and did not compromise on safety measures.

ARTISTE

‘I do not see corporates pump up the volume of live events before June, 2021’
- Gitikka Ganju Dhar, Anchor, Actor, Communication Coach and Founder, Ministry of Talk

I have made a life-choice to resume hosting live events. In fact, I have already hosted a few including the Delhi Government's Diwali Poojan, a big fat wedding in Udaipur and another vibrant wedding event in Chennai. Many anchors, including me, have hosted multiple virtual hybrid event shoots in the presence of full-blown crews. Right now, too much is at stake for our industry, economically, structurally and creatively. We have to go to work. It is as simple as that. Given this reality, yes, I would continue working on live events. However, I do not see corporates pump up the volume of live events before June, 2021; even the ones that are being held are attended by a very limited number of people. The immediate future, to be optimistic, will rely on the wedding industry bravehearts who are battling ruthless challenges to stage weddings. Government-led events will contribute to our industry's financial bucket, but not to volumes. I don't see us saying ‘Happy Days are Here Again’ before September 2021. And that too, in an all-new avatar. One thing I am sure of, though, is that this will end well, very well, as long as you respond to the great transformation.