Ricoh Arena has been selected to take part in a Government pilot event to test the safe
return of exhibitors and delegates.

The venue is one of only six across the UK chosen to attend a test bed event for how the ex-hibition industry can safely open in October, after seven months of lockdown for the
sector.

Four senior members of Ricoh Arena staff will be among 300 invited personnel to attend the test event for the nationwide exhibition sector on Wednesday (September 2) at the Business Design Centre in London.

The decision to select the Ricoh comes hot-on-the-heels of news that it will host around 1,000 visitors within the first two days of its official re-opening for conferences and exhibi-tions in October.

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After the events industry was given the green light by the Government to re-open, the multi-purpose Coventry-based venue has confirmed that national logistics exhibition,
IntralogisteX, will be taking place inside its 6,000 square metre exhibition hall on Thursday, October 1 and Friday, October 2, where around 500 visitors are expected.

The Midlands Business Network is also taking place on Friday, October 2 in the Arena’s 1,300 square metre Premier Lounge, where 70 exhibitors are expected to welcome up to 500 delegates across the day.

Stephen Vaughan, CEO of Wasps Group, said: “There are going to be three pilots for exhibi-tions, conferences and banqueting at different locations and as a member of the Association of Event Venues, we have been asked to attend the exhibitions test event.

“It is a planning exercise and will focus on every element that we will be doing differently for organisers and visitors.

“For example, stand builds will be different because leaflets and brochures won’t be able to be handed out so exhibition organisers will have to use QR codes for delegates to download information about their company or product.

“The pilot will look at how visitors arrive and leave, how they register, and how the venue will be ventilated so it is a really important pilot event.

“It is a make-or-break time for the Government to decide what they will allow venues like ourselves to do when we re-open.”

Vaughan said the events industry needed an injection of confidence among event organis-ers, exhibitors and visitors alike to give it a kick start.

He added: “It’s crucial that larger venues such as ourselves work with show organisers who will be wanting to maximise their visitor and exhibitor numbers at a time when capacities are likely to be reduced for safety reasons.

“That’s why as a venue we have implemented a five-point commitment that protects all of our visitors from Coronavirus – including additional staff training on new health procedures, to one-way systems and regular deep cleaning.

“This approach has enabled us to receive the necessary ‘We’re Good To Go’ accreditation to re-open from VisitEngland, and it has already been well-received by the event organisers we have spoken to, as Covid mitigation is now understandably a high priority for event or-ganisers.

“The Ricoh Arena’s exhibition hall is currently at around 90 per cent occupancy for some weeks in the first quarter of next year, and we believe this commitment we have set out will drive further demand in the future.

“We have been working closely with a range of industry bodies – including AEV, AEO, ESSA, Visit England and MIA – to get to this stage, and this collaborative approach is going to be key as the industry continues to recover over the coming months.”

The resumption of conferences and exhibitions at the Ricoh comes as preparations gather pace for a £5.3 million investment in enhancing the venue’s conference and exhibition facil-ities ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

This will see a new pavilion installed – complete with digital signage – at the south entrance to provide a link between the Commonwealth Convention Centre, which will be created as a result of major refurbishment works of the venue’s lower halls, and the exhibition hall which will be undergoing state-of-the-art cosmetic refurbishments in preparations for hosting judo and wrestling at the Commonwealth Games.

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