Festivals Without Borders

With Robert Baird

RETURNING TO A SEMBLANCE OF NORMALITY

Returning society to a semblance of normality in the face of COVID-19 appears to be a multi-phase operation. The first phase involved a virtual lockdown of most things with people being urged to stay home to stay safe. Borders were closed, restaurants and retail outlets shuttered and only essential elements and personnel allowed to operate to deal with maintaining the basic necessities of life in our world and fighting the virus in hospitals and long-term care centers. Phase 2, which has just begun, is the gradual reopening of non-essential sectors such as retail, restaurants, hair salons, etc. but, while parts of the world are starting to relax restrictions, social distancing and masks are more and more appearing to be the norm and are, in some areas, mandatory. The re-opening of society must proceed slowly and there will be increased vigilance to identify and counter increased instances of COVID-19. There may be performing arts venues and festivals which can re-open while respecting social distancing and all of the other measures required for safety, but many will not be able to and will have to survive until Phase 4. Phase 3 will be facing the reality of society re-aligning itself to the new norms and there will be many organizations and entities that will simply not survive. We will reach the end of Phase 3 when there is a viable vaccine not only in production, but available on a worldwide basis. The final Phase 4 will be a return (sort of) to the world as we knew it before the pandemic but with many missing pieces and a need to accommodate ourselves to a new world where much of what we knew and loved will be quite different. The performing arts will only be able to function fully in this final phase.

The Event Safety Alliance has published a best practices guide to help with Phase 2. “The Event Safety Alliance Reopening Guide is a collective work by event industry professionals to help our peers who are planning to reopen during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. This document contains no “best practices” that apply everywhere – coronavirus creates different challenges depending on countless factors, including the size of the event, its geographic location, the physical space, and the anticipated attendees, to name just a few. Instead, in the order one would plan an event, we have identified reasonably foreseeable health risks and suggested options to mitigate them. Because this is intended to be used by event professionals, we have tried to strike a balance between a simple checklist and an exhaustive consideration of all options. Our goal is to provide enough information so each user can make reasonable choices under their own circumstances.

Some of this guidance is scalable, meaning it can be applied equally to events of any size. Where we had to choose, we focused on the circumstances of smaller, local events that we anticipate will reopen first. Consequently, this Reopening Guide emphasizes things people can do rather than things they can buy, since money is likely to be especially tight for smaller events and venues that have been closed and may only partially reopen. Our intention is to follow this initial release with guidance more applicable to tours and larger events, which face additional challenges that will keep them closed longer.

In the text, people are referred to as either “patrons” or “workers.” A patron is anyone who pays or presents a credential to attend an event – they can be required to follow health and safety procedures as a condition of entry and attendance. A worker is a paid professional or volunteer providing services – they can be required by their supervisor to follow health and safety procedures as a condition of work.

There is no guarantee of an illness-free event even if you follow everything in this Reopening Guide. It is indisputable, however, that planning, training, and implementing reasonable health and safety measures are the best ways to protect live events and the people who create them, while also inspiring patrons to return to the places where we make magic happen.”

Steven A. Adelman, Vice President, Event Safety Alliance Download the Guide at: https://www.eventsafetyalliance.org/esa-reopening-guide

Robert Baird is President of BAM! Baird Artists Management Consulting in Toronto, Canada and an acknowledged expert in international touring including visas, withholding and taxation. He offers free advice to artists, agents, managers and venues and has an international clientele. He served for many years on the Executive Board of Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO) and is a former Vice-President of that organization. He can be reached at: P: 1-800-867-3281 E: robert@bairdartists.com or for more information go to: www.bairdartists.com

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