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The Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) has delivered a set of strategic principles to Government that instils confidence in Australia’s business events industry so that COVID-19 restrictions can be safely lifted and the industry can rapidly restart.

The news coincides with the unveiling of the three-step plan to lift COVID-19 restrictions by the Government last Friday. While welcomed by BECA, the peak industry body and its Safety and Hygiene Subcommittee are now seeking to work closely with officials to ensure a robust and sustainable distinction can be made between highly organised and managed business events in controlled settings from mass gatherings – to further expedite the industry’s recovery.

The development of COVIDSafe Guidelines for Business Events by BECA will underpin the distinction and allow for the rapid restart and reinvigoration of business events and the many businesses, industry groups and associations that rely on these for success.

A recent study shows the Australian economy is set for a $35.7 billion loss over the next 12 months, as the impact of COVID-19 on these businesses bites (source: Lost Business Report: Impacts of COVID-19 on the Business Events Industry, McCrindle, April 2020).

The new guidelines focus on five key areas, providing advice on managing a business event during the planning phase, the event itself and following the event. The guidelines will be applied, adapted and implemented in a fit for purpose way across the business events industry to ensure the highest levels of COVID safety. They will remain a living document to be updated and reviewed as knowledge of the virus grows, health advice develops and the industry gains experience in best-practice safety and hygiene regimes.

Chair of the Business Events Council of Australia, Dr Vanessa Findlay noted “the Government’s three-step framework is a positive step forward for the business events industry. There is a recognition by Government in that framework that given the right operating environment, larger gatherings can be considered. We must now work closely with officials to ensure we can increase gathering numbers for businesses events, which will be critical for the industry’s rapid recovery, as well as that of the many businesses that rely on its success and wider Australian economy.”

Findlay adds “the establishment of the Safety and Hygiene Subcommittee is an important step in this process. Clear industry guidelines for hygiene and safety will provide Government with the confidence to lift restrictions and for organisers to rebook and hold events as soon as possible. We’re also working with individual State and Territory jurisdictions to ensure clarity and consistency across the country so that delegates can travel interstate to attend business events.”

The COVIDSafe Guidelines for Business Events will:

• Ensure personnel and personal safety
• Enable physical distancing
• Increase health and safety measures
• Implement maximum gathering controls
• Encourage and enforce measures

For more information go to  www.businesseventscouncil.org.au/covidsafe-guidelines.html

Image courtesy of Cairns Convention Centre.

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