Companies in the Bay Area recognize that their employees crave social interaction as a spur to better collaboration and productivity. So, they are starting to organize team building company events that involve “pods” of people. But, with pandemic guidelines still in place for in-person meetings, it takes careful event planning to make the event a success. A company might plan for a series of smaller catered lunches over a week’s time in place of the old large group gathering that would happen pre-COVID.
Careful Company Event Planning Makes for Successful Pandemic Team Gatherings
Any decision to hold a company event during the COVID-19 pandemic should take a safety-first approach. County guidelines lay out the basics on social distancing, and we have built on those to create a socially safe program that allows teams to meet safely in person and get re-engaged with each other!
Precautions that guide our planning for company events include:
- Structure the agenda to allow for social distancing.
- Stage the space to allow socially distant setting or mingling.
- Create menus that offer plenty of individual servings, or arrange for boxed meals.
- Lay out the protocol for attendance:
- People with symptoms that could be COVID should attend.
- People who may have had recent contact with a person with symptoms should attend.
- Persons with a high temperature will not be allowed to enter the venue. PPE-garbed staff will be at the entrance to take temperatures and provide hand sanitizers.
- When eating, maintain that social distance and replace masks when done.
- Wash hands before and after eating with soap and water, or with a hand sanitizer.
It is also very important to communicate to employees that attendance is always voluntary at company events during this time!
What does Handheld Catering do to stage and run safe, fun company events?
- Keep abreast of all local guidelines while planning your event.
- Encourage the client to brief guests about precautions before the event starts, and we repeat the briefing as they arrive.
- During the event, our staff gently reminds guests of the precautions they need to follow and ensure they are followed.
- Recommend attractive, convenient outdoor venues first, and open, airy indoor spaces when necessary. The spaces also need to be larger now to allow safe interactions.
- Minimize crowding by working with the client to use procedures like staggered arrivals and departures, designated seats and places and marking the floor to ensure physical distancing between people of at least six feet.
- Provide all necessary supplies – hand hygiene stations, hand sanitizer or soap and water, tissues, closed-lid bins, distance markers, masks.
- Use no-contact serving methods, with plenty of individual plates and utensils for guests.
Put on Safe Company Events with the Team at Handheld Catering and Events
Rely on the corporate event planning expertise of Handheld Catering and Events to conduct safe, fun and productive company meetings. Put our tested approach to event planning to use during the pandemic!
