COVID-Safe Guidelines for Council & Community Indoor Events
VAPAC and MAV have collaborated to establish COVID-safe guidelines for indoor events to ensure the safety of staff, volunteers, performers, and attendees. These guidelines focus on risk mitigation, clear communication, adherence to government advice, and the implementation of specific COVID-safe plans for venues and events. Training programs, effective communication, and a focus on health and safety are emphasized to facilitate a safe return to hosting events in various settings.
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VAPAC MAV COVID-SAFE GUIDELINES FOR COUNCIL & COMMUNITY INDOOR EVENTS
KEY AIMS Finding a safe pathway to welcome audiences, touring companies / performers and community back to our events in a variety of settings. Mitigate Risk - provide our staff, volunteers and community with a safe work and performance environment. Be able to Communicate a common message to Local Government, our Audiences, Committee of Management, Stakeholders and Event Organisers. Health and Safety is a critical factor for audiences considering returning to venues and events.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES Adhere to Government Advice. Latest Restrictions. Check DHHS. Your Duty of Care: for workers, event volunteers, performers and patrons. Each venue or event / festival must prepare its own specific COVID Safe Plan. Fundamental Principles are the same for Venues, Events, Festivals, activated Spaces. Make your plan comparable to your Venue or Event. A simple hall should not need a complex plan. However a Festival with multiple elements may. Stick to the key aims, principles and guidelines. Risk mitigation must be effective, manageable and consistent. Ensure you have the resources to implement your COVID Safe Plan. Communication to staff & volunteers, patrons and performers must be clear, consistent and meaningful.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES #2 Training and support programs must be in place to empower event workers, volunteers and staff, & to provide confidence. e.g. Simple Good Hygiene training. COVID Safe Training for your specific event. Event workers, staff, patrons, performers and producers must adhere to the your safe event guidelines. Clear Communication. When and how to reopen or launch should be based on a realistic assessment of your organisation s ability and resources to implement and sustain safe practices that conform to approved guidelines, and to resume operations safely. Venues & Events should remain Disability Access compliant when implementing mitigation measures.
WHAT THE VAPAC GUIDELINES COVER Part A Operations & Risk Management Return to Work: Staff & Volunteers Technical and Back of House Contracts Part B Audiences & Distancing Front of House & Ticketing Part C Check Lists, Proforma and Quick Guides Part D External References and Resource Links
SIMPLIFIED COMPANION SUMMARY sample page Document now available on VAPAC resources https://vapac.org.au/covid-19-resources/
SIMPLIFIED COMPANION SUMMARY Distancing Risk Manage Return to Work & Vols Tech & BoH Ticketing Cleaning & Hygiene Communication Plans Contracts https://vapac.org.au/covid-19-resources/
COVID-19 PLAN - RISK Risk Mitigation and Control: Events & Festivals Each Event or Festival activity, regardless of the venue or location, creates a public gathering which must be controlled regards risk of COVID-19 transmission. Treat each venue, hall or community event & festival space as a Work Place. It needs to be managed as such, and set up safely. The fundamental principles of the Performing Arts Venue Guidelines apply broadly. Hygiene for audiences, festival goers, workers, performers at all points of contact. Cleaning protocols for venues no matter how unconventional. Document. Workplace inductions for each space. Protocols. Workers sign-ins and declarations. Tool box talks for event crew manage the event safely with distancing. Creating event spaces and working in teams safely. PPE briefing and training as appropriate.
KEY COVID-19 PLAN CONSIDERATIONS Risk Management Work Health and Safety. Updating procedures. Who does what and how? COVID Safe Plan; Identify a Response Team; Appoint a Compliance Coordinator for your event. Risk Assessments COVID-19 is a Hazard. What are your controls to mitigate? Responding to COVID-19 Cases: event staff & patrons. Communications Plan. Return to Activity Planning to recommence events / festivals Meet and Consult with your Event / Festival team Workers, Committee, Community Group. Discuss. Document concerns & responses. Workers Training. What s new in their role? For the event? In health & hygiene? How does you team run an event together safely? PPE for workers. What is necessary? What is optional? Assess & Document
KEY COVID-19 PLAN CONSIDERATIONS Technical and Back of House. Event & Festival Crew. Keep your plan as simple as your venue, festival or event. Walk through it. Ingress/ Egress. What is happening as your team/ performers enter and leave the event site? Managing risk & compliance space by space. Maximum capacity, distancing & etc. Dressing Rooms, The Stage, etc. Cleaning & Sanitising Contracts updating clauses; potential issues; compliance with health and safety
KEY COVID-19 PLAN CONSIDERATIONS Audiences & Distancing Physical Distancing: Seating, ingress-egress, common spaces foyers, restrooms. If not normally a seated event, how will you manage distancing? Temporary Seating? Patron Tracking Contact Tracing. Inc Free Events. Multiple entrance issues etc. Messaging to Audiences Managing expectations of a changed experience. Front of House Managing Pre & Post event and intervals for hygiene, distancing and risk. Box Office. Contactless if possible. Distancing. Food & Beverage. Manage safely. If someone else sells drinks at event, what is their health & safety and distancing plan? (3rd party COVID-Safe plans)
KEY COVID-19 PLAN CONSIDERATIONS Ticketing Seat allocating for distancing, not General Admission. Allows control. Terms & Conditions and consent to your venue / event plan when purchasing Exchanges and Refunds. Encourage unwell patrons not to attend. Check Lists, Guides Some great work has already been done for you. Signs to print etc Resources Lots of links to other resources, more information
EVENT & FESTIVAL WORKERS Ensure that you comply with public health authority guidelines and Workplace Health & Safety legislation regards workers including community volunteers. Prepare written guidelines for event works / volunteers so that they are aware of your organisation s COVID-19 precautions and measures. Discuss the guidelines and your event operational strategies with your workers/ community organisers to ease any issues, concerns or anxieties. Seek guidance from your local Government (or independent) insurance provider before reinstating volunteer programs. Volunteers and Workers aged over 70 years are classified as Vulnerable Workers. Seek guidance. See Safe Work Australia Vulnerable Workers.
VOLUNTEERS @ EVENTS & FESTIVALS Utilise Volunteering Victoria as a resource https://www.volunteeringvictoria.org.au/covid19volunteermanagers/ Welcoming Volunteers Back Safely Checklist https://www.volunteeringvictoria.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Welcoming- Volunteers-Back-Safely-Checklist.pdf Training and Induction Create a simple updated venue / event and volunteer role plan Have all event workers and volunteers attend a training and induction session A great opportunity to listen to and address any concerns Ask them to agree to and sign any new workplace/ volunteering policy https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/coronavirus-covid-19
COVID SAFE PLAN We ve written a COVID Safe Plan for our Event or Festival using Safe Venue Guidelines and other resources now what? Ensure your plan does not contradict advice in published guidelines, or your legal duty of care as a workplace under Work, Health & Safety. Creative Victoria https://creative.vic.gov.au/coronavirus/return-to-business VAPAC https://vapac.org.au/covid-19-resources/ DHHS published restrictions and guidelines https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/victorias-restriction-levels-covid-19 Work Safe Victoria / Safe Work Australia. See VAPAC Guidelines Resources Section for References.
COVID SAFE PLAN Walk through your plan with event coordinators in the venue or event site: Is it workable? What extra resources will you need to implement it? Do you have/ can you get those resources? Have your Board of Management / Committee and / or Council approve and sign off on your plan. Your written plan and its implementation shows that you have taken action to ensure a Duty of Care to workers, volunteers, patrons and performers, and have put in place control measures to mitigate risk of COVID-19 transmission; including compliance with Government and Health Authority regulations and requirements. Your plan will need to be dynamic. Update it if and as regulations change Update it as your implementation / events inform ways to manage your plan.
MESSAGING TO PATRONS Changing Experience Expectations. Communicate the new normal well in advance of arrival at the event. Tell the story, take our audience on the journey with us. Consistent and clear messaging by each event / festival can accomplish two essential goals: (a) audiences & festival goers will learn that the new practices around attending events are for their own protection, as well as that of workers and performers; and, (b) transparently demonstrating new operational and sanitary practices will encourage our audiences back into our venues and to our community events. Create a clear pre-event campaign to audiences, stakeholders and partners, including lapsed and former audiences as well as current. Audience Outlook Monitor
MESSAGING TO PATRONS Here s one great example of simple clear messaging from Linden Gallery https://www.lindenarts. org/about-us/book- your-visit-to-linden/
THANK YOU VAPAC MAV COUNCIL & COMMUNITY INDOOR EVENTS & FESTIVALS Q & A
