As you aware, COVID-19 is having a direct impact on the events industry and numerous events have been canceled or postponed to reduce the risk of exposure and/or spreading of the virus.
Everyone in the industry is being affected – from event producers to marketing agencies to staffing companies to event staff. However, an important thing to remember is that we are all in this together. Over the past week, we have had countless discussions with our clients and staff and it’s very apparent that everyone is working together to keep the momentum of our industry moving forward while aiming to keep everyone safe. Events and activations are still happening, we are still receiving staffing requests, and there will still be opportunities for you to work.
When dealing with something of this magnitude, it’s understandable to be scared, angry and frustrated. However, we all need to be kind and empathetic to one another when it comes to cancelations and postponements – we will get through this together.
Safety Tips
Your health and safety in your working environment are of the utmost importance to us during this heightened time of awareness regarding COVID-19. As with any respiratory virus, common sense and good hygiene play a large role in reducing the risk and spread of infection.
1. Practice Good Hygiene and Stay Healthy
Here are a few recommendations from the CDC that you can take to reduce your risk:
- If someone appears sick, avoid close contact with them.
- No handshakes and avoid skin-to-skin contact.
- Avoid touching your face.
- To the extent possible, avoid touching commonly used surfaces in public places like elevator buttons, door handles, and handrails, ETC. Use a tissue or your sleeve to cover your hand or finger if you must touch something.
- Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds – especially after touching objects or surfaces in public places, after using the restroom, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, please use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
- Always wash your hands as soon as you arrive at your home if you have been in contact with other people.
- Practice other good health habits. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious food.
2. On-Site Safety Precautions
- We are working with our clients to ensure that you have a safe working environment that includes frequent hand-washing breaks, and other sanitary initiatives to keep events clean.
3. If You Are Sick or Feel Like You Are Getting Sick, Stay Home
- If you feel sick or feel like you are coming down with something, do not go to work. We will not penalize you for canceling your shift if you are sick.
4. Evaluate Your Individual Risk
- Our number one priority is your health. If you fall into a high-risk group or are in close daily contact with someone that is considered high-risk, working in a public environment may not be in your best interest at this time. If you need to cancel on an event that you are booked/scheduled for, please let us know as soon as possible – we understand that this is a scary time in our world and we will not penalize you if you are not comfortable working during this time.
Additional Tips for Brand Ambassadors
1. Continue to Apply For and Book Jobs
- Activations are still happening and we need you!
- Apply for roles that you may not have considered in the past such as costume characters, street teams, flyering, product demonstrations, ETC.
2. Pay Attention to ALL Communication From Your Event Staffing Agency and Follow Instructions
- Carefully read through all communication from your staffing agencies. During this time there will be special instructions for jobs that you are scheduled for and other important information that may be atypical. Follow all instructions as there are extra safety measures to be taken during this time period.
- Note that event organizers are placing signage and distributing information to staff and attendees to follow suggested safety precautions when interacting with the public.
3. Network and Connect with Fellow Brand Ambassadors
- Stay in contact and network with brand ambassadors and event managers that you have worked with on past events.
- Stay active in the industry Facebook groups and chat with other brand ambassadors in your area and around the country.
- Additionally, these groups may give you valuable information, inspiration, and ideas to get through this uncertain time, especially listen to the advice of seasoned pros who have experienced slower times in the past.
4. Update Your Credentials
- Having some extra time to invest in your self-branding will prepare you for future work.
- Rework and update your resume, take new headshots, and update your agency profiles.
5. Rest, Recharge, and Practice Self-Care
- Forced downtime provides an opportunity to regroup, rest, reflect, take care of yourself, and participate in things that you enjoy.
6. Unplug Regularly
- Take a break from news outlets, the internet, and social media daily.
7. Set a Limit on How Much Time Per Day You Spend Hustling
- Spending more than a few hours working on your job search can be counterproductive. Try to batch your time and set a schedule so that you have a routine to follow.
- If your concerned that you might miss an event notification, set your phone to receive an alert when you receive email notifications from agency email addresses.
8. Know that Brands and Clients Will Redirect
- Large-scale events may cancel and many are rescheduling for later in the year. With that said, the activations that were scheduled at those large events may take on new forms and there will be work available, just in a different format.
9. Stay Calm
- Easier said than done, right? We’re all feeling uneasy, but being stressed out and anxious over something that is out of our control makes things worse.
- Do what you can, stay informed, and put yourself out there.
- It’s understandable to feel frustrated and angry, but try not to dwell on it and be mindful of others who are also being affected.
- Know that the industry will rebound and persevere.
We understand your concerns during these uncertain times and we are here for you. If you are scheduled for an event with ATN and have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your ATN account manager.
To stay on top of the latest industry updates concerning COVID-19, check out the daily updates from AdAge and Event Marketer.
