As countries start to reopen their economy, the events industry seems to have drawn the short straw. Business events such as conferences and trade shows are very often bundled up with mass gatherings, which have been proved to facilitate Covid-19 infections.
Therefore, events are usually part of the final phase of reopening, and for some countries, that means waiting for a vaccine or a cure. There is also a general lack of clarity in many areas regarding which types of events will reopen and when.
With trade associations mostly missing in action when it comes to delivering clear local guidelines and pressuring governments to give planners a plan for going back to work, we decided to give some clarity.
This confusion is costing jobs and causing companies to shut down.
Here is a recap of the plans the countries most impacted by Covid-19 have to restart events.
Please note: As countries update their policies constantly, check back for more updates. Help us make this guide better by submitting inaccuracies to meetings@skift.com
USA 
CALIFORNIA
No announcement yet – mass gatherings belong to stage 4 of the resilience roadmap
CONNECTICUT
Event types: Outdoor events
Attendees: Under 50
Timing: Reopening in June 2020
Notes: Before they can reopen, businesses must self-certify that they are compliant with the reopening rules for their sector. Rules include detailed information and requirements about physical distancing, facility capacity, hygiene, sanitizing, signage, personal protective equipment (PPE), scheduling, etc. and can be found here.
FLORIDA
Event types: Not specified, taking place in large venues
Attendees: Under 50
Timing: Reopening in June 2020
Notes: Rules for phase 2 can be found here (excluding Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, which are still in phase 1).
GEORGIA
Event types: Indoor events using banquet facilities, private event facilities, and private reception venues
Attendees: Under 25 people if 6 feet of social distance can’t be maintained
Timing: Reopening in June 2020
Notes: Venues must meet 39 mandatory measures (in the same category as restaurants).
LOUISIANA
Event types: Any type held in reception halls and event centers, aside from live entertainment unless it’s outdoor
Attendees: Under 10 if social-distancing rules can’t be followed
Timing: Reopening in June 2020
Notes: Venues should operate at 50% occupancy maximum, face masks required for employees in contact with the public, social distancing rules apply for all businesses.
MASSACHUSETTS
Large venues won’t reopen until phase 4 (new normal)
Notes: Phase 2 started June 8th 2020
MICHIGAN
Event types: Indoor and outdoor organized events
Attendees: Under 50 people indoors and under 250 people outdoors
Timing: Reopening in June 2020 for Upper Peninsula and Traverse City Region – Reopening in July 2020 for the other regions
Notes: Social distancing of 6 feet must be maintained.
NEVADA
Event types: Public and private gatherings
Attendees: Under 50
Timing: Reopening in May 2020
Notes: Social distancing and mask wearing encouraged in public
NEW JERSEY
Event types: Indoor and outdoor gatherings
Attendees: Under 50 people for indoor gatherings, under 100 for outdoor
Timing: Reopening in June 2020
Notes: Limits could increase to 250 people for outdoor gatherings on June 22, and 500 on July 3rd.
NEW YORK
Governor Cuomo has banned “all nonessential gatherings of individuals of size for any reason.”, although outdoor graduations of up to 150 people, practicing social distancing, will be allowed beginning June 26th.
OHIO
Event types: Events in restaurants and banquet halls
Attendees: Under 300
Timing: Reopening in June 2020
Notes: Social distance of 6 feet, ban on congregating among other rules listed here.
PENNSYLVANIA
Event types: Any type of social gatherings
Attendees: Under 250
Timing: Reopening in June 2020
Notes: Masks required. Safety measures that businesses with in-person operations must follow can be found here.
TEXAS
Event types: Outdoor events
Attendees: No limitations.
Timing: Reopening in June 2020
Notes: Rules can be found here.
UTAH
Event types: Indoor and outdoor
Attendees: 3,000 people indoor and 6,000 outdoor
Timing: June 2020
VIRGINIA
Event types: Private events (not open to the general public)
Attendees: Under 50 people or 50% occupancy of the event space, whichever is less
Timing: Reopening in June 2020
Notes: Guidelines and best practices can be found here.
EMEA
AUSTRIA 
Event types: Trade shows and congresses
Attendees: In July, up to 250 people indoors and 500 people outdoors, in August up to 500 indoors and 750 outdoors.
Timing: Reopened in June 2020
Notes: Social distancing one meter, masks compulsory in public.
BELGIUM 
Event types: All except big events such as festivals
Attendees: Under 200 people indoors and 400 people outdoors in July, under 400 indoors and 800 outdoors in August.
Timing: Reopened in July 2020
Notes: Masks compulsory.
England
Event types: Conferences and other business events
Attendees: Not specified
Timing: Reopening in October 2020
Notes: Must be held in a Covid-secure way, subject to the successful outcome of pilots.
FRANCE 
Event types: Big sporting and cultural events, like festivals, and professional salons
Attendees: Over 5,000
Timing: Reopening in September 2020
Notes: In the meantime, gatherings over 1,500 people need authorization, masks compulsory in public, and social distancing.
GERMANY 
Event types: Trade shows, exhibitions
Attendees: Limits different for each state or city (in Berlin, under 300 in July, under 500 in August, under 750 in September, under 1000 in October)
Timing: Reopened in June 2020 for certain states (each state determines the timing – in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Lower Saxony reopening in September 2020).
Notes: Hygiene and safety protocols will have to be followed (mask requirement, 1.5 m distance, access control, one person per 10 sqm).
GREECE 
Event types: Concerts, congresses, exhibitions
Attendees: No limitations
Timing: Reopening in July 2020
Notes: Obligation to follow health and safety protocols (no details yet).
IRELAND 
Event types: Festivals, events and other social mass gatherings
Attendees: Under 50 people indoors and 200 people outdoors (gatherings of up to 100 people indoors and 500 outdoors will be allowed starting August, 10th)
Timing: Reopened in July 2020
Notes: Social distancing rules maintained (2 meters between people), mask requirement.
ITALY 
Event types: Conferences, congresses, major trade fairs, company conventions
Attendees: No limitation
Timing: Reopened in June 2020
Notes: People must keep a safe distance of one meter apart, and masks indoors (except speakers and moderators).
NETHERLANDS 
Event types: Exhibitions and business events
Attendees: No limitations
Timing: Reopened in July 2020
Notes: Social distancing rules of 1.5 meters, people need to have their own seat, make reservations and have undergone a pre-entry health check
NORWAY 
Event types: Public events
Attendees: Up to 200 participants
Timing: Reopened June 2020
Notes: Everyone present must be able to keep at least 1-meter distance from others who are not part of the same household, the Directorate of Health writes in a press release. Previously, only a maximum of 50 participants were allowed to attend public events.
SPAIN 
Event types: Business meetings and conferences
Attendees: Under 50
Timing: Reopened June 22nd, 2020
Notes: Social distancing rules apply (2 meters), masks mandatory.
SWEDEN 
Event types: Public and private events
Attendees: Under 50
Timing: Never stopped
Notes: Social distancing rules apply (no specifics as to the distance).
SWITZERLAND 
Event types: Public and private events
Attendees: Under 1,000
Timing: Reopened in June 2020 (September 2020 for large events with more than 1,000 people)
Notes: Venues and events must have appropriate sets of precautionary measures in place, including hygiene, social distancing, and contact tracing. Decision on June 24th whether to allow events with up to 1,000 people.
QATAR 
Event types: Trade shows, exhibitions, conferences
Attendees: No limitations
Timing: Reopening in September 2020
Notes: Obligation to follow precautionary measures found here.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 
Event types: Business events
Attendees: Not specified
Timing: Reopened mid-July 2020 in Dubai
Notes: Hygiene and safety protocols to be enforced.
Asia-Pacific
AUSTRALIA 
Event Types: Indoor and Outdoor
Attendees: no limit – four sqm distance minimum
Timing: July 1st
Notes: The 100-person limit on non-essential indoor gatherings will be replaced with a one-person per four square meters rule from 1st July and outdoor venues with up to 40,000 spectator capacity will be able to reopen at no more than 25 per cent capacity for ticketed and seated events.
CHINA 
Event types: Conferences, exhibitions
Attendees: No limitation
Timing: Reopened in May 2020
Notes: With strict prevention measures in place, such as face masks, good ventilation, disinfection, etc.
JAPAN 
Event types: All events
Attendees: Under 1,000
Timing: Reopened in June 2020
Notes: Social distancing (2 meters) encouraged.
NEW ZEALAND 
Event Types: all
Attendees: No limitations
Timing: June 2020
Notes: New Zealand is Covid-19 free
THAILAND 
Event types: Exhibitions, conventions
Attendees: No information
Timing: Reopening in June 2020
Notes: Venues limited to 20,000 square meters for activity space.
IN CONCLUSION
A lot of uncertainty remains for the events industry, even for areas where gatherings are allowed again. Some governments will probably not hesitate to enforce another lockdown if Covid-19 infections spike again and large events will be among the first to be canceled.
Cautious optimism should nevertheless be cultivated as a lot of progress is being made in the search for a vaccine. Johnson and Johnson, for example, just announced that they would start a clinical trial for their Covid-19 vaccine in July. Accurate testing for the infection is also a field of interest as evidenced by a new laser technology developed in the UAE.
Hopefully, the summer months will provide answers regarding countries’ success in stopping the spread of the virus, thus giving event professionals a clearer view of when they can start planning live events again.