Safe Exhibiting Guide

ESSENTIALS

EXCLUSIVE DIGITAL CONTENT

When in-person trade shows return in earnest, everyone must play their part to ensure the industry remains open. And in many respects, exhibitors will be on the front lines of minimizing the spread of COVID-19 via their exhibit designs and in-booth precautions. But what will those new exhibit design and practices look like? We asked designers, venue managers, show organizers, and health experts for design tips and protocols that face-to-face marketers can readily implement. While program managers should always review the provisions in place for each event, venue, and locale, the sources we spoke with offered the following general best practices. By Ben Barclay and Charles Pappas SAFE EXHIBITING PRACTICES: Considerations to Keep Your Booth as Safe and Successful as Possible

1. Physical Distancing

One of the surest ways to maintain in-booth safety for visitors and staff alike is to adhere to what is known as the Crowd Density Standard (CDS). Devised by the Interna tional Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), the CDS sets a limit on how many people can safely inhabit an area using the following formula: Divide the total amount of space available by 28. (The number 28 refers to the amount of socially distant square footage each person needs to maintain in order to have 6 feet of distance in all directions.) In a 10-by-10-foot exhibit (measuring 100 square feet), the formula indicates 3.5 people — includ ing staffers — can safely occupy it. Since you cannot round up and maintain the recommended distance, you must round down to three people. Following the same formula, a 10-by-20-foot exhibit will hold seven people, a 20-by-20-foot space can have 14 bodies, a 20-by-40 foot enclosure can contain 28 people, etc.