Cover Feature
Inside the New Normal
To some degree, every element
inside an exhibition already
supports the idea of ‘organised
exhibitions’, and much of the
existing products and services can
be enhanced to meet the potential
new requirements.
Scheduling arrival times using
registration system software
will ensure that halls avoid
overcrowding. Contactless
registration systems that use facial
recognition, QR codes or barcode
scanning will allow visitors to pass
seamlessly through registration
areas and minimise physical
contact with other visitors (See
feature Pg 24-27).
Signage will also play a key part in
informing visitors as to where they
need to go as well as what direction
they need to take to navigate the
event safely. Thomas Walczak,
head of product at EventIgnite,
which works with Reed, Clarion
and Informa, and creates digital
signage, said: “By combining with
intelligent sensors and heat maps,
digital signage gains superpowers,
with the ability to automatically
control access to specific zones or
theatres, estimating current wait
times, and directing visitors to
streaming theatres if the live one is
nearing capacity.”
Signage company Photo
Cutouts has adapted their signage
businesses to create hand sanitiser
stations that can be positioned at
entry points and on the show floor.
Laura Hughes, marketing manager,
said: “Hand sanitising has suddenly
become at the forefront of event
planner’s minds and providing
facilities to do so helps exhibitors
and delegates feel confident hygiene
has been considered. As we have
been manufacturing freestanding
and portable photo cut out boards
28 — June
for the exhibition market for a
number of years, it made sense for
us to adapt our existing product for
a new purpose.”
Disinfect Group UK has a range
of sanitisation products to support
venues and organisers including;
temperature checking, attendee
management, hand sanitisation,
and head to toe misting. The
company has agreed a distribution
deal with beMatrix for structure
and build and Service Graphics as
the main re-seller.
Disinfect Group UK, CEO,
Tom Eatenton, said: “We are in
conversation with major venues
around the UK and internationally,
and the world’s largest event
producers, offering tailor made
solutions for their events and
venues in order to get the sector
moving again.”
There are a myriad apps, including
the NHS Covid-19 App, that can
trace peoples’ movements and who
they have been in contact with.
Providing everyone who is at the
exhibition signs up to use an app
these can be an effective tool in the
fight against Covid-19.
Crowd Connected, an app that
shows visitor movements and more
importantly who they came into
contact with by displaying heat
maps has been around since 2015.
Mark Maydon, commercial director,
said: “Using tracking data collected
from an exhibition’s mobile app
enables real-time heatmaps,
dashboards and analytics which
can help organisers with flow and
density management, as well as
identifying areas which have been
busiest, for prioritising cleaning
and sanitisation as well as other
contagion mitigation policies.
Metrics from one show can inform
planning decisions for the next.
Additionally, the same technology
can deliver on-premises contact
tracing.”
There are also a vast array of
thermal cameras and some venues
have already installed these devices
to temperature screen visitors
as they arrive. There are both
handheld and fixed optical and
thermal cameras, and there is also
a facial and thermal camera that
detects if a visitor is not wearing
a face mask that is available from
2CL Communications.
During build there are a number
of apps that can help to ensure
that contractors observe physical
distancing. Teem Services has
created software that allows floor
managers, and safety monitors
to photograph and describe any
contraventions and attach them to
a PDF floorplan of the show. This
software could be extended to
when the event is live creating an
effective way to monitor and track
anyone that is disregarding physical
distancing.
In the July issue of EN we will
comprehensively cover the products
and services that are available
to venues and organisers to help
create safer exhibitions.
For more information on the
UFI framework, visit www.ufi.org/
coronavirus
“By combining with intelligent sensors and heat
maps, digital signage gains superpowers”