NOVEMBER | SECTOR FOCUS says it is a great branding opportunity , given the ubiquitous nature of sanitiser and signage at events .
“ Hygiene and sanitation isn ’ t the focus of our business ,” he says , “ but if there ’ s still a market for these products going forwards , we ’ ll continue to provide them .
AnyBrand co-founder Colin Graham
THE RISE OF ‘ BIOSECURITY ’
The concept of ‘ biosecurity ’ is one that has been floated during the pandemic , to describe venues and spaces adopting rigorous cleaning regimes . Achieving ‘ biosecurity ’ means more than just cleaning regularly , however - it means having systems in place to log the cleans , as well as controlling the flow of crowds and much more .
Halo Solutions is a provider of event and venue management software , and is launching a new digital platform in November to help venues achieve biosecurity . CEO & co-founder Lloyd Major describes it as a “ safety trail ” for sanitation and hygiene : “ If you think about biosecurity at an event , there ’ s robust cleaning , sanitising touchpoints , and the supply of PPE . We sit above all that and make sure it ’ s being done .”
All this helps customers to trust venues , which Major says is crucial in the current environment : “ Customers expectations have changed massively this year . There ’ s been a huge and often underestimated requirement of trust from the public . They are coming into your venue , and are trusting that it is clean and you have followed the rules . People are taking it very seriously , as they should .”
A1 ’ s Martin Cottrell says some are taking advantage of that trust : “ Some people are charging an extra price for a ‘ disposal fee ’ on PPE such as masks but all they are doing is chucking them in the bin anyway . Whereas our waste management partners make sure its disposed of properly , and none of it ends up in landfill or on the street .”
AnyBrand ’ s Colin Graham also echoes the sentiment . He says : “ Even since we started working in the [ hygiene & sanitation ] sector , there are developments and lots of charlatans looking for a quick hit with sky high pricing for average products . Due diligence is needed .”
A CLEAN SLATE
Without doubt , the market for sanitation and hygiene products has changed over the course of 2020 . Many companies , such as Arena and Visions Group , have pivoted into the sector
while applying their years of experience to new products . Others have been less thorough and turned to selling cheap sanitiser as a quick fix to the massive disruption faced by all event industry suppliers .
Regardless of what the hygiene and sanitation market looks like a year or two down the line , it is clear that the sector will play a crucial role in restoring the events industry to something resembling normality . AnyBrand ’ s Colin Graham says : “ The events industry has always been good at finding solutions and now , more than ever , we need to work together to get doors back open as soon as possible .
“ Its time to be proactive in getting the world back to some kind of normal .”
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