Fira de Barcelona is developing a protocol to guarantee the highest degree of safety and risk prevention in its venues, as the institution prepares to resume activities in the coming months.
The fairground says it is working towards resuming its tradefair activities after the summer, and sees its role as being a main driving force of economic recovery, given the wide variety of industries present at its events. With this in mind, it is defining a specific health and safety protocol for its workers, exhibitors, visitors, organisers and event participants.
The Fira management says it is now concentrating on the dates in the last four months of this year, which now includes events such as Valmont Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week (VBBFW), BizBarcelona, Liber, Barcelona Boat Show, FoodTech or Alimentaria. All of those have been added in to the list of events that were already scheduled for these dates from the outset, such as Smart City Expo World Congress and Expoquimia, Eurosurfas and Equiplast, among others. Already, 20-24 May, the Fira Campus Virtual digital platform is hosting the Ensenyament and Futura events originally scheduled for March.
The new autumn programme and objective will, in some cases, entail a new tradefair concept with hybrid models, which will combine virtual participation and physical presence. The VBBFW show will be one to offer both a new experience for visitors and new opportunities for exhibitors to reach a greater number of people.
Constanti Serrallonga, Director of Fira de Barcelona, says: “The institution is working towards resuming tradeshow activities in September, adopting new formats and the preventive measures necessary to become a driving force for the economy once again, while offering support to the companies during this greatly complex moment for everyone.”
Serrallonga adds that the priority is to resume activities in a safe and productive environment for all participants, “so that their attendance at an event can contribute to relaunching their business and networking.”
In order to adapt its facilities to the new context, the institution is developing, with the advice of certified consultants and medical experts, an action protocol with safety and prevention measures, taking into account both the guidelines established by the authorities and the safety of workers, exhibitors, visitors, organisers, suppliers and attendees, especially for the events of a professional nature (B2B), highly specialised and unique compared with other types of large-scale activities.
Key points are, among others, the preparation of spaces, health controls, hygiene, physical distancing, disinfection and cleaning of common areas and stands, health information and support, specific registration systems, regulating visitor flows and seating, and organisation of catering services.
Likewise, the Fira is working on its protocol and definitions with organisations that play an important role in the sector, and of which Fira de Barcelona is a member, such as EMECA (European Major Exhibition Centres Association) and UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry; as well as with the Spanish Trade Fair Association, AFE, with which it is working to establish a general action protocol for the country with the relevant authorities.
