Volumes of needed education and research have been delivered by industry associations since the beginning of the Covid pandemic. Perhaps none compares, however, to resources from the Events Industry Council’s 44-member APEX Covid-19 Business Recovery Task Force.
Formed in March to curate accepted practices for Covid-era meetings and events plus other information for surviving the economic downturn, the task force committees have been delivering content since July when their first report, the Meetings and Event Design guide, came out. Since then, a new accepted-practices guide has been published monthly, covering hotel health and safety, workforce issues and wellness, and travel and transportation.
On November 20, EIC released its fifth Covid-focused report, Resources for Destinations Accepted Practices Guide, which looks at convention-bureau practices for safer meetings and events. The Destinations Working Group, chaired by David Kliman, president of The Kliman Group, has succeeded in creating a 28-page e-book that both bureaus and planners will find useful. Elements include:
• questions for CVBs to ask event organizers
• questions for event organizers to ask CVBs
• questions for CVBs to ask customer-advisory boards
• a crisis-communications worksheet
• pandemic-communication resources
EIC’s CEO Amy Calvert notes that convention bureaus “continue to play a pivotal role in our recovery and remain an essential voice in this conversation, as industry professionals across the globe seek to better understand the safety protocols, alliances, and external factors needed to host in-person and hybrid events that rebuild our industry.”
Co-chairs for the APEX group are Michael Dominguez, president and CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels International, and Kristin Horstman, senior director, strategic events at Salesforce.
Links to all five reports as well as supporting materials, can be found on the EIC website here.
