Return to activity with safety and prevention
Fira de Barcelona, like all international trade fair organisations, had to reschedule its calendar of events after the cessation of activities and the forced confinement due to the exceptional circumstances arising from covid-19.
However, during this time we have not been inactive, as in addition to solidarity actions aimed at helping to alleviate the effects of the pandemic as part of our social commitment, we have been planning and assessing the situation both from a business point of view and above all in terms of security, in order to gradually enter a new stage that will allow us, accompanied by our stakeholders, to become one of the axes of the much-needed economic recovery.
It is in this context that we are working to resume trade fair activity in the last four months of the year, safe in the knowledge that it will have a positive impact for the country and its commercial and industrial fabric. We want to be a driving force in the production sectors, to support the companies, professionals and entrepreneurs who are currently experiencing so many difficulties, and to cooperate with public and private initiatives.
However, in order to resume activity with all the guarantees, our priority at this time is to have a detailed protocol of action with safety and prevention measures, considering both the guidelines set by the authorities themselves and, of course, our workers and the exhibitors, visitors, suppliers and attendees of both our events and those organised by other operators, with whom we will collaborate to implement the actions they deem appropriate.
International context
To this end, we maintain close contact with organisations that play a major role in the trade fair sector, and of which Fira de Barcelona is a member, such as EMECA (European Major Exhibition Centres Association) and UFI, the international association of the trade fair industry. This organisation has indicated several general lines of action to guarantee the health and safety of those attending trade fairs and exhibitions that Fira de Barcelona has also helped to define.
Our institution also actively collaborates with the Spanish Trade Fair Association (AFE), of which it is a member, to establish a protocol of action with the Ministry of Industry and Trade within the general framework led by the Ministry of Health.
This document shall take into account the implementation of the necessary measures for the protection of all employees and participants in the trade fair events. Other actions will include the conditioning of spaces, health controls, hygiene, physical distancing, disinfection and cleaning of common areas and stands, health information and support, specific accreditation systems, regulation of flows of visitors and seating, as well as the organisation of catering services.
But beyond our participation and leading role in the definition of these measures together with other bodies, Fira de Barcelona is drawing up, with the advice of accredited consultants and medical experts, an ambitious protocol of its own to identify and implement criteria and measures of prevention and safety for participants in events held at its venues, especially those of a professional nature (B2B), with very specific characteristics that will be differentiated from other types of mass activities.
All necessary actions will be clearly established to detect and mitigate risks and to establish control and audit mechanisms, always with the aim of making people’s safety compatible with the development of trade fair activity, which is so necessary in the current situation as a source of business, knowledge and innovation.
In this way, Fira de Barcelona is preparing to reactivate its trade fair calendar from September onwards in an environment of prevention and safety and with the aim of once again becoming an economic driving force and providing support to companies at a time of great complexity for everyone.