Wales event pilot shows Covid restrictions are unviable

MICE News
Tuesday, 25 May 2021
Event industry professionals have called for a roadmap towards the safe return of the business events sector in Wales, after a pilot event held at the Celtic Manor Resort exposed the unviability of present restrictions.
Under the guidance of the Welsh government, the pilot event on 20th May tested the risk mitigation measures proposed for the industry with a range of stringent health and safety measures in place.
Attendees were asked to carry out a Covid-19 lateral flow test on arrival, having already secured a negative PCR test in the days prior, while three separate colour groups were assigned to manage delegate flow, and mask-wearing was required when not seated for sessions.
Delegates were happy to comply with all protocols but the additional requirement to observe two metre physical distancing throughout the event demonstrated that meaningful business events would be impossible to sustain with these constraints on capacity.
Celtic Manor’s Caernarfon Suite can normally hold more than 1,000 people theatre-style in the two-thirds division of the room being utilised for the trial event. The restricted distancing configuration meant it was more or less full with the capped audience of 100 people.
While the roadmap set out in February for England already allows for events up to 1,000 people indoors, the reopening of the events sector in Wales has been much more cautious, with reluctance to outline any schedule undermining client confidence and preventing advance bookings.
Both Celtic Manor Resort and ICC Wales have seen prestigious meetings scheduled for later in the year cancelled in recent days, or switched to venues elsewhere in the UK where confidence in reopening is much greater.

Wales event pilot shows Covid restrictions are unviable

MICE News
Tuesday, 25 May 2021
Event industry professionals have called for a roadmap towards the safe return of the business events sector in Wales, after a pilot event held at the Celtic Manor Resort exposed the unviability of present restrictions.
Under the guidance of the Welsh government, the pilot event on 20th May tested the risk mitigation measures proposed for the industry with a range of stringent health and safety measures in place.
Attendees were asked to carry out a Covid-19 lateral flow test on arrival, having already secured a negative PCR test in the days prior, while three separate colour groups were assigned to manage delegate flow, and mask-wearing was required when not seated for sessions.
Delegates were happy to comply with all protocols but the additional requirement to observe two metre physical distancing throughout the event demonstrated that meaningful business events would be impossible to sustain with these constraints on capacity.
Celtic Manor’s Caernarfon Suite can normally hold more than 1,000 people theatre-style in the two-thirds division of the room being utilised for the trial event. The restricted distancing configuration meant it was more or less full with the capped audience of 100 people.
While the roadmap set out in February for England already allows for events up to 1,000 people indoors, the reopening of the events sector in Wales has been much more cautious, with reluctance to outline any schedule undermining client confidence and preventing advance bookings.
Both Celtic Manor Resort and ICC Wales have seen prestigious meetings scheduled for later in the year cancelled in recent days, or switched to venues elsewhere in the UK where confidence in reopening is much greater.