The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably shaken the event industry. Amidst restrictions, postponements and cancellations, our industry is facing uncertainty at every turn. As a result, we’ve been forced to get creative and think outside of the box – luckily, that’s something we’re great at.
Canada Day celebrations across the country looked quite different this year. We came up with a way for families to keep traditions alive and celebrate together in a way that is safe and respectful of social distancing regulations. Here’s what we did!
Protecting our Staff
We issued health declaration forms to be filled out by our cast, crew and staff. This included travel history, contact tracing and symptom declaration. COVID-19 briefing sessions were held on-site prior to work commencing, and supervisors were trained on monitoring performers, workers and the workplace to ensure policies and procedures are being followed.
We identified areas of potential hazard (i.e. areas with a higher risk of exposure or difficulty enforcing social distancing) for staff, and issued appropriate controls to mitigate the risks. For example, we saw that dressing rooms could be a potential risk for our performers due to the high amount of foot traffic. So, in addition to screening protocols, we also staggered arrival times and breaks, issued hourly disinfecting, displayed prominent signage, provided sanitization and cleaning supplies and clearly marked all entrances and exit points.
Protecting our Guests
The concept of a reverse parade ensures that guests are protected from exposure – they’re staying in their vehicles at all times! Guests are able to be physically present at an event, while remaining protected against exposure.
We also issued tickets which included an entry time window in order to stagger arrival times and limit the amount of traffic.
Our Canada Day drive-thru event was an innovative new approach to public celebrations. We welcomed over 1500 cars throughout the day, providing non-stop entertainment and delicious fair food. Many guests decorated their cars and dressed in festive colours.
The Future of Drive-Through Events
We’re looking forward to ironing out the flaws and expanding on the concept of drive-through events. We’ll be returning to the PNE at the end of summer for A Taste of the PNE: Drive-Through Experience!
