Regulations around in-person events are changing rapidly. Below is an archive of past editions of the Events Industry Report, which illustrates how restrictions have changed from week-to-week. Click here to read the most up to date version of the report, which is released every two weeks and aims to help keep event creators informed about the most novel and noteworthy event reopening news (and rollbacks) throughout the country.

These reports are provided for general information only and are not medical, legal, or professional advice. Consult your specific state and local government sources for the most up-to-date guidance to ensure compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and orders before hosting in-person events. 

Dec. 9, 2021:

Noteworthy developments for events industry professionals

Here’s what to know about recent pandemic-related developments:

  • The Delta variant remains the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the U.S., but the Omicron variant has been detected in nearly two dozen states. There’s still a lot that’s unknown about Omicron, including how quickly it spreads and its severity. Preliminary data is encouraging, Dr. Anthony Fauci says: “Although it’s too early to make any definitive statements about it, thus far it does not look like there’s a great degree of severity to it,” he told CNN. Still, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, told ABC News that cases caused by the Omicron variant will certainly rise. “We are every day hearing about more and more probable cases,” she said over the weekend.
  • The CDC is suggesting people take at-home COVID-19 tests before indoor gatherings with people outside their households, especially those who are at higher risk of contracting the virus. “Even if you don’t have symptoms and have not been exposed to an individual with COVID-19, using a self-test before gathering indoors with others can give you information about the risk of spreading the virus that causes COVID-19,” the new guidance states. “This is especially important before gathering with unvaccinated children, older individuals, those who are immunocompromised or individuals at risk of severe disease.”

Managing COVID-19 event restrictions

Here’s how venues and creators in the events industry are safely operating their businesses.

  • At First Night Alexandria, outside Washington, D.C., patrons will ring in the New Year in masks at least if they’re indoors. “By purchasing a ticket to the event, you agree to comply with the mask wearing requirement,” organizers note. Guests are “strongly encouraged” to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or tested within 72 hours of attending the event. Those participating in the outdoor portion are urged to spread out and practice social distancing, and wear masks when that’s not possible.
  • In Austin, Texas, some organizers are opting to hold their events outdoors until more is known about the Omicron variant. The Peppermint Parkway, for example, is a drive-through experience featuring around 6 million lights. “It’s safe. It’s big and spacious and outdoors,” organizer Courtney Young told CBS Austin. Though there will be attractions like rides and food, “If there’s something you don’t feel safe doing you can still stay in your car and drive down tunnel road.”
  • In New London, New Hampshire, Santa will take socially distanced photos with families at a “New London Under the Stars!” event. That means sitting on gazebo steps near Mr. Claus, rather than on his lap. “We didn’t really do very much Santa-oriented activity last year,” Ashlee Rowley, executive director of the Lake Sunapee Region Chamber of Commerce, told the Valley News. “You don’t want the kids to go without during the season. You can do something, but you can be safe about it.”
  • At an event by White Out in Portland, Oregon, patrons are required to show proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results from within the previous 72 hours. “We do NOT accept at-home tests,” the organizers write, opting instead to only accept “rapid or PCR test results.”

Regional events industry regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across America:

New York

  • Some recent cases of COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant originated at an anime convention at the Javits Center. While there, a Minnesota man who contracted the virus met up with about 35 friends half of whom have since tested positive for the virus, per The Washington Post. The man, who experienced mild symptoms, has since recovered. The convention drew about 53,000 anime fans over three days, and required that attendees have at least one vaccine dose.
  • New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has expanded the city’s indoor coronavirus vaccination mandate to include kids ages 5 to 11. Effective Dec. 14, youth in that age group will have to show proof of one vaccine dose. Starting Dec. 27, those ages 12 and older will be required to show proof of two vaccine doses (aside from recipients of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson shot.)

Hawaii

  • After months of anticipation, event restrictions have loosened in Hawaii. However, specifics vary from county to county. Restaurants, bars, and gyms are now permitted to operate at full capacity. In Honolulu, social gatherings had previously been capped to 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors; there are no longer any limitations. In Maui County, indoor social gatherings will be capped at 10 people, but there will no longer be a limit for outdoor gatherings. In Kaua’i County, event organizers no longer have to register event information with the county, but they must still collect and maintain contact information for all attendees.

Pennsylvania

  • Santa meet-and-greet events will look awfully normal in Pennsylvania this year. “Children will be permitted to sit with Santa, without a mask or plexiglass barrier,” Justin Roth, marketing director with Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, told PennLive. He’s helping organize Santa events at the Capital City Mall. “Reservations are not required, but are encouraged. A reservation will be made for all walk-up visits so we have the guest’s information for contact tracing purposes.”

International events industry insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — worldwide.

Italy

  • Italy is tightening restrictions on unvaccinated residents: Starting this week, those who aren’t fully inoculated against COVID-19 will not be permitted to enter indoor restaurants, theaters, or museums, the Associated Press reports. The restrictions are effective through Jan. 15. Coronavirus cases have been steadily rising in Europe, prompting Michael Ryan, the head of the emergencies program at the World Health Organization, to describe the current situation as a “crisis.”

Belgium

  • In Brussels, the DLD Europe Salon a big in-person event for entrepreneurs was called off due to cancellations from participants. “The situation is currently too dynamic to stage an event where the participants and we feel comfortable,” the organizers wrote in an email to participants

Germany

  • Munich had been scheduled to host the EuroMedLab Congress, a large-scale conference sponsored by medical-device companies. But just days before the event was supposed to kick off, it was rescheduled for April 2022. “The decision was based on health and safety concerns due to the sudden rise of Covid-19 cases in Munich/Bavaria,” one conference planner told the Wall Street Journal.

Events industry inspiration and further reading

RECONVENE Sessions How COVID Made Us Rethink Space

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

 

Nov. 10, 2021:

Noteworthy developments for events industry professionals

Here’s what to know about recent pandemic-related developments:

  • Tremendous progress has recently been made in the fight against COVID-19: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authorized Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11, and many people are now eligible for booster shots. Plus, Pfizer says its antiviral COVID-19 pill cuts the risk of hospitalization and death by 90%. The company will ask the government to authorize it as soon as possible. The US Food and Drug Administration is also set to review a similar pill by Merck, which cuts rates of hospitalization and death by 50%.
  • As of Monday, fully vaccinated international travelers can enter the US again. The loosened restrictions will be a boon for tourism and allow families that had been separated throughout the pandemic to reunite. Some unvaccinated travelers, including young children, will also be allowed in.

Managing COVID-19 event restrictions

Here’s how venues and creators in the events industry are safely operating their businesses.

  • The fifth annual San Francisco Coffee Festival kicks off on Nov. 13, and organizers are implementing numerous safety protocols. For example, the event will be designed to ensure social distancing, and it’s operating at a self-imposed 25% reduction in available capacity. Nearby piers will be closed, which “will enable us to open up all bay doors throughout the facility,” organizers note. “This will promote a lot of cross air flow every 100 feet. We ask for your patience in remembering that fresh air is a good thing, if the wind gets a little annoying.” Attendees are also asked to wear a mask and to stay home if they’re sick.
  • Some organizers are dropping the option for patrons to show negative test results, instead allowing only those who are fully vaccinated to attend. Mirus Gallery in Denver, for example, is hosting an upcoming Open Art Night, and all guests must provide proof of full-vaccination against COVID-19. Well-fitted masks are also required, except when actively drinking.
  • The Poetry Party is hosting a live open mic in Baltimore and making sure it’s safe for all attendees. Masks are required and patrons may be asked to have their temperature checked. Organizers have also emphasized that individual mic covers will be provided for each performer.

Regional events industry regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the U.S.:

Tennessee

  • State legislators recently passed a bill that blocks local governments and school districts from issuing mask mandates and otherwise limits their power. Gov. Bill Lee is now deciding whether to sign it into law. However, the Tennessean reports that it likely would not impact safety measures for much of Nashville’s concert industry: Venues would still be permitted to require patrons to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test in order to attend a show. While the bill states that venues can’t require proof of vaccination, patrons are still allowed to willingly show it. Venues could also still enforce mask mandates if requested by an artist or tour.
  • One Knoxville venue, Bridgestone Arena, announced that ticketholders are no longer required to show proof of vaccination or a negative test to attend Nashville Predators games, effective Nov. 13. “This change comes after significant improvement in Nashville / Davidson County in the metrics that are used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to measure transmission rates,” a statement said.

Hawaii

  • Gov. David Y. Ige said that Hawaii will ease pandemic restrictions this month and begin welcoming international travelers again. Just two months ago, Ige had pleaded with tourists not to come to the state. But according to a new executive order he signed, capacity limits will soon be lifted on bars, restaurants, and gyms in counties that require either proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results.

California

  • Los Angeles is implementing some of the country’s strictest vaccine verification rules this week: Proof of full vaccination will be required to enter spots such as indoor restaurants, shopping centers, museums, and performance venues. However, officials won’t immediately cite or fine those who don’t comply. Enforcement will begin Nov. 29, at which time businesses or venues that fail to comply with the rules will face a series of penalties: a warning, followed by fines that start at $1,000 and scale up to $5,000. “The intention of this isn’t to penalize businesses. Our businesses can’t afford another shutdown,” L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez said. “It’s to limit the transmission of the virus and save lives.”

International events industry insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — worldwide. 

Japan

  • Japan has eased its limits on attendance at large events, which will help its concert scene rebuild. There had been a 10,000-person cap, but venues can now operate at 50% capacity. However, cheering and clapping will continue to be restricted.

The Netherlands

  • Dutch officials have reintroduced mandatory masking rules to help curb mounting case numbers. Plus, proof of vaccination or negative tests will be required to access gyms, museums and similar public places. Cases have risen significantly in The Netherlands over the last month after leaders there dropped many pandemic restrictions in late September.

Events industry inspiration and further reading

RECONVENE Sessions Nonprofits and 501(c)(3) Events for Growth Recap

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

  • Nonprofits do good — for others, and when opportunities arise, for each other. A trio of nonprofit event leaders — from Opening Act, Pioneer Works, and Jewish Food Society — shared how they pivoted and persisted during the pandemic at a RECONVENE Sessions event in New York. 
  • Get a refresh on best practices for planing, promoting, and running a hybrid meeting-style event.
  • Learn how Brooklyn’s UrbanGlass is fostering a new generation of glass artists with an affordable, accessible studio for artists new and old.
  • Check out our newly launched hub, Eventbrite Advocacy. Here, you can see how we’re bringing our community together to champion policies (e.g., economic recovery, online access, equity) supporting event organizers and the live events industry.

 

Oct. 27, 2021:

Noteworthy developments for events industry professionals

Here’s what to know about recent pandemic-related developments:

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new holiday-season guidance urging those who are eligible to get vaccinated. The agency recommended that folks who aren’t yet inoculated should wear well-fitting masks in public indoor settings, and noted that even those who are fully vaccinated should mask up if they’re in an area with a high transmission rate. Other guidance: Gathering outdoors is safer than indoors; it’s best to avoid crowded spaces with poor ventilation. And if you’re sick, you shouldn’t host or attend a gathering. Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci says Americans can feel good about gathering this year as long as everyone in attendance is fully vaccinated. “I believe strongly that … you can enjoy the holidays. You can enjoy Halloween, trick-or-treating and certainly Thanksgiving with your family and Christmas with your family,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”

Managing COVID-19 event restrictions

Here’s how venues and creators in the events industry are safely operating their businesses.

  • Minnesota artists and galleries are figuring out ways to maintain attendance and revenue through the cold months when outdoor gatherings will be difficult. Laura Helle, executive director of Austin Area Arts, told the Post Bulletin that she’s learned it’s better “to plan programming and pull it back” than to quickly produce events during favorable circumstances. “We plan as if there aren’t any restrictions, and then as we go, we decide whether we’re going to require masks or limit attendance,” she said. “The question mark, really, on any given day, is how are the audiences feeling?” Cassandra Buck, who owns the art and vintage shop Clover & Rose, has cut back on events and is instead focusing on commissions and selling art kits. The Rochester Art Center, meanwhile, plans to experiment with an online gallery, including one that will be pay-to-enter — the first time the venue has charged an admission fee for an online exhibit.
  • Supernova Seattle will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test result from within 72 hours to attend its Halloween Disco. Organizers made that decision based on rising cases in King County. While the policies aren’t innovative, the team framed them in a particularly positive way: “Supernova will continue to focus on inclusivity,” they wrote. “This decision is not intended to exclude. It is intended to ensure the safety of guests and staff at Supernova and the greater connected community.”
  • In Asheville, N.C., an upcoming snuggle party — designed to normalize touch and intimacy with clear boundaries — is open only to those who are fully vaccinated. The event will be indoors, no masks required, and patrons may not attend if they or someone close to them is either sick or at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

Regional events industry regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the U.S. as the Delta variant triggers new protocols:

Texas

  • So far, 36 cases of the coronavirus have been tied to the Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL), health officials say. Numerous safety protocols were in place during the event, and patrons were required to show proof of full vaccination or provide a negative COVID-19 test result. On the first day, 86% brought proof of vaccination, while 14% presented proof of a negative test, and less than 1% were turned away. More than 75,000 people attended ACL.

Hawaii

  • Some restrictions are being relaxed in Oahu as COVID-19 cases begin to decline. Indoor seated entertainment events are now permitted, though capacity is limited to 50%, with a max of 500 vaccinated attendees. Only water can be served, and groups that didn’t come together aren’t allowed to mingle. Patrons must wear masks and adhere to social-distancing rules. 

California

  • The Outside Lands music festival kicks off on Oct. 29, and organizers have released safety guidelines and protocols. Attendees will be required to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 or negative test results from within the previous 72 hours. Organizers suggest downloading the free CLEAR app, which is an easy way to store health documentation and complete a daily health survey. Pop-up rapid testing will be available on-site for $49 to $69, with results ready within 15minutes. 

Washington

  • Starting Nov. 15, people in Washington state will have to either show proof of vaccination or a negative test from within the previous 72 hours to attend large-scale events. The restrictions, announced by Gov. Jay Inslee, apply to those ages 12 and older, and will affect indoor events with 1,000 or more attendees, as well as outdoor events that have more than 10,000 attendees. Inslee said that he hopes the new measures “incentivize” people to get vaccinated, especially given that the Delta variant continues to spread.

International events industry insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — worldwide. 

China

  • Athletes competing in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, which open on Feb. 4, will undergo daily COVID-19 testing and will remain in a “closed loop” of venues, organizers said on Monday. International spectators will not be permitted to enter China for the Games. Vaccination isn’t mandatory, though some nations, including the U.S. and Canada, are requiring Olympic team members to be inoculated.

Russia

Events industry inspiration and further reading

Jewish Food Society Creator Spotlight

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

Oct. 13, 2021:

Noteworthy developments for events industry professionals

Here’s what to know about recent pandemic-related developments:

  • Some Halloween events have been canceled again this year: In New York, for example, the Tarrytown Halloween Parade was canceled out of concern for “our most precious attendees, our children,” who aren’t yet eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19. But Dr. Anthony S. Fauci encouraged Americans to “go out there and enjoy Halloween.” Outdoor trick-or-treating while masked is a fairly safe activity, he said on CNN on Sunday.
  • Coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths are dropping the US, instilling hope in some experts that the Delta wave is ebbing. Last week, for example, daily cases have dipped below 100,000 for the first time since early August. That’s likely thanks to an increase in vaccinations and mask-wearing.

Managing COVID-19 event restrictions

Here’s how venues and creators in the events industry are safely operating their businesses.

  • New York Comic Con opened last week at the Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, though the number of available tickets dropped from 250,000 in previous years to about 150,000. Masks and proof of COVID-19 vaccination are required for all staffers, artists, exhibitors, and attendees. (Kids under 12 could show negative test results.) Some patrons said they tried to incorporate their medical masks into their cosplay. One couple, for example, dressed up at 1950s sci-fi astronauts and wore cloth masks under their space helmets. “We made them to work with COVID restrictions,” Sara Morabito told the New York Times. “We designed the masks to match the costumes.”
  • The 2021 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival would have opened last weekend, but it was canceled due to the Delta variant. To make up for it, local venues planned 251 concerts in 10 days starting Oct. 8. The line-up is part of the “NOLAxNOLA” initiative, a club-based “festival” that was promoted by New Orleans & Co., a marketing agency. The goal was to help venues and musicians recover some of the money they would have made during Jazz Fest. New Orleans & Company raised $100,000 to be distributed to participating venues as $3,000 grants.
  • In Austin, Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott has refused to implement statewide COVID-19 precautions, the onus is on organizers to ensure events are safe. At the Paella Lovers United 18th Annual Fall 2021 event, attendance will be capped, and the outdoor event will operate at a smaller scale. Per Texas requirements, organizers will not be checking vaccine cards or requesting test results. “We only ask that you follow safe and conscientious health practices,” they write. “And if you are sick, please stay at home. If you have purchased a ticket and have the illness, we will gladly refund your ticket (or better, give it to a friend).”
  • There will be lots of safety precautions in place at Bravo Maine’s upcoming special Halloween baking class. Only 10 guests can attend each class, and social-distancing measures will be in place; one person can sit at each workshop table unless they’re from the same household or friends. The Bravo Maine team will provide gloves, masks, a hair net, and hand sanitizer, and masks will be required for everyone. “Your workshop table has a personal sanitizer bucket and sponge to sanitize your utensils and table after each cooking step,” organizers note.
  • Krewe of Krampus’ haunted swamp tour in New Orleans is a drive-through event, making it “a safe and fun alternative for Halloween.” “Viewers will drive through a designated route in the safety of their car and with their family or pods of friends,” organizers note. “The performers will entertain all while maintaining social distance in the outside space after completing stringent COVID-19 check-in procedures.”

Regional events industry regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US as the Delta variant triggers new protocols:

Texas

  • Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order earlier this week that essentially prohibits vaccine mandates in the state. The order allows individuals to refuse vaccines “for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19.” The governor also formally submitted the issue to the state legislature, seeking to have the order codified as legislation.

Hawaii

  • In Hawaii, event organizers protested outside the state Capitol building last week, pressuring the government to relax restrictions that prevent such gatherings as concerts and conventions. “I don’t typically protest, but it’s gone too far,” Kalani Rodrigues, vice president of Hawaii Stage and Lighting Rentals, told Hawaii News Now. “Enough is enough. Structured events can happen safely. There’s no reason that this can’t happen.” Rodrigues noted that his business has lost millions of dollars in revenue due to canceled events. Gov. David Ige has said that officials are considering “systemic” ways to relax regulations that impact the events industry.

California

  • Los Angeles approved a new ordinance that requires proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to enter indoor venues such as restaurants, malls, bowling alleys, movie theaters, and hair and nail salons. “These new rules will encourage more people to get the shot, and make businesses safer for workers and customers — so that we can save more lives, better protect the vulnerable, and make our communities even safer as we fight this pandemic,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement.

International events industry insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — worldwide. 

Scotland

  • The Scottish government has boosted the Scottish Events Recovery Fund, which was created to help secure the future of events across Scotland, to about $4.3 million USD. It will benefit 275 in-person, hybrid, and online events by the end of this year. That includes comedy, film, book, poetry and dance events, as well as agricultural events and fashion shows. “We have provided a further financial boost to Scotland’s Events Recovery Fund to enable more events to take place,” Scottish culture minister Jenny Gilruth told The Scotsman. “This will help build a stronger and more sustainable sector and demonstrate the Scottish Government’s continued commitment to Scotland as the perfect stage for events.”

Events industry inspiration and further reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

 

Sept. 29, 2021:

Noteworthy developments for events industry professionals

Here’s what to know about recent pandemic-related developments:

  • On Sunday, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla predicted that there’s light at the end of the pandemic tunnel: “Within a year I think we will be able to come back to normal life,” Bourla said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week.” He added: “I don’t think that this means that the variants will not continue coming, and I don’t think that this means that we should be able to live our lives without having vaccinations. But that, again, remains to be seen.” Bourla said that it’s likely we’ll need to get annual coronavirus vaccines, just like the flu shot.
  • The U.S. Small Business Administration has begun supplemental award notifications to eligible applicants via the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program. These supplemental grants are additional funds for venues and others that received initial grants and continued to experience losses. Applicants can apply for up to 50% of their original SVOG amount, with a $10 million cap of the total initial and supplemental awards.

Introducing RECONVENE Sessions: A Series of Fortunate Events

We’re thrilled to announce RECONVENE Sessions, a free, ongoing event series covering what’s new, what’s next, and what matters for independent event creators. We’re kicking it off live on YouTube on October 5 with A Series of Fortunate Events, where event experts MoMA PS1 and Hoop Blast will teach you why an event series is crucial to growing a business and give you practical, actionable strategies for managing and promoting them yourself. 

You’re already creating exciting experiences for your fans — but are you missing out on untapped revenue? Don’t miss the chance to network and skillshare with other successful event organizers to uncover a new key to growth: bridging events into a series that fosters repeat attendance and expands your audience. 

Can’t make it to RECONVENE Sessions live? You can still register here and we’ll send you a recording after the event.

Managing COVID-19 event restrictions

Here’s how venues and creators in the events industry are safely operating their businesses.

  • Some event organizers are building extra flexibility into their return policies. “We are keeping a close eye on the state of the coronavirus pandemic and will amend the event accordingly should that be required by the City of Phoenix or state health officials,” wrote the folks behind the Phoenix Pizza Festival 2021. “Although we have a no-refund policy, refunds will be available if there is a cancellation due to Covid-19. Basically, don’t worry. Get your tickets now and have confidence that if things get weird again, we got you.”
  • In places like Florida, where event creators can face restrictions on safety protocols, organizers stress that they are encouraging best practices such as mask-wearing. “Please be aware of your surroundings and others,” the people behind the Sunny Side Up Market in Fort Lauderdale wrote. “If you DO NOT feel safe, please stay home.”
  • At I-105 Fallfest 2021 in Mohnton, Pennsylvania, patrons who purchase tickets must agree to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “recommended hygiene guidelines, including, without limitation, wearing a face mask, social distancing, not touching hands to face, washing hands and covering mouth when sneezing or coughing.” Those who don’t follow the guidelines can be declined admission or removed from the event.
  • A Pumpkin Patch Trolley event in Maine has designed lots of “pandemic-conscious activities.” Those who paint pumpkins, for example, will be given disposable brushes, and a volunteer will squirt paint colors onto a paper plate for each person so that there’s no need to touch the bottle. Patrons can also participate in a photo scavenger hunt, which involves taking photos of items and posting them on social media.

Regional events industry regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US as the Delta variant triggers new protocols:

Tennessee

  • The Americana Music Festival and Conference, a nearly weeklong Nashville music festival, wrapped on Sunday. Some artists withdrew ahead of time in response to the Delta variant. As U.K. singer-songwriter Emma Swift, for example, told Rolling Stone: “I have been wrestling with this decision for weeks. In the end, I decided to withdraw from the festival because the outrageous Covid numbers in Tennessee this past weekend were too distressing for me to go ahead and play the show and feel okay about it. … I play music because I love it, but I don’t love it enough to risk my health or the health of others.” (Masks were required at indoor panels, but not at the concerts.)

California

  • California has new rules for mega-events, which mean those with 1,000 or more people indoors or 10,000 and up outdoors. Going forward, people attending indoor mega-events must provide proof of vaccination or negative test results from within the previous 72 hours. They had previously been permitted to self-attest to their status or results. At outdoor mega-events, the state is recommending that venues follow the same guidance, but it is not required.

Hawaii

  • In Honolulu, social gatherings are limited to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors, and those restrictions were just extended to Oct. 19. Leaders from the wedding and events industries are angry. “It really is unfortunate that we’re not able to make that distinction between a social gathering and a professionally managed event,” Joseph Esser, president of the Oʻahu Wedding Association, told Hawaii Public Radio. “We can take all the known protocols in COVID safety in order to have an event, and have that event run safely.” Esser and others are pushing for new rules that would make exceptions for professionally organized weddings and commercial events.

Texas

  • The Austin City Limits Music Festival’s COVID-19 safety protocols have been approved by the city, which means the event is one step closer to getting the greenlight to proceed. “ACL Festival organizers submitted a COVID-19 Health & Safety Plan that is sensitive to the current strain on our healthcare system and includes strategies to reduce the need to transport patients to local hospitals,” Austin Public Health Department’s director Adrienne Sturrup, told CBS Austin. “Additionally, their plan requires masking indoors and in established mask zones, social distancing where possible, and indicates an ability to ensure attendees have a negative COVID test and/or are fully vaccinated.”

New Mexico

  • Attendance at the New Mexico State Fair in Albuquerque was down this year, but spending was up. “People were spending money. That was the thing that caught us a little off guard,” Expo New Mexico Director Dan Mourning said. “People were spending more money than they have in the past years.”

International events industry insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — worldwide. 

Norway

  • Some good news: After 561 days, Norway has lifted all pandemic restrictions, including social-distancing rules and capacity limits. There were rowdy celebrations on the streets and at bars, restaurants, and nightclubs — and lots of long lines — as people celebrated the milestone. 

Events industry inspiration and further reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

 

Sept. 15, 2021:

Noteworthy developments for events industry professionals

Here’s what to know about recent pandemic-related developments:

  • Last week, President Joe Biden announced a six-part plan to help combat the coronavirus — his most aggressive push against it yet. His sweeping actions require millions of Americans to get vaccinated; all businesses with 100 or more employees must either mandate vaccination or implement weekly testing. The Biden administration is also urging stadiums, concert halls, and other venues that host large events to require patrons to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.
  • This week, the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) announced a partnership with Bindle, an app that securely stores COVID-19 test and vaccination records and aims to help simplify admission into venues with COVID-related entry requirements. “It’s clear that vaccinations are the ticket out of this pandemic, and the way to gather again safely,” NIVA Executive Director Rev. Moose said in a statement. “We’ve made arrangements to ensure our members will get access to this health verification technology at a fraction of the cost, thanks to our once again coming together as an industry.”
  • The National Independent Talent Organization is sharing its focus going forward, after spending much of the pandemic fighting for economic relief for talent agencies and management. “Rather than being satisfied that we implemented a grant program that helped save a large swath of independents, it’s time we double-down and refocus our collective attention on other looming issues that are threats to the way we do business and—indeed—our very existence,” executive board president Frank Riley posted on Instagram, alluding to the need for more widespread vaccination. 

Managing COVID-19 event restrictions

Here’s how venues and creators in the events industry are safely operating their businesses.

  • At Treefort Music Fest in Boise, Idaho, which is scheduled for Sept. 22-26, attendees must agree to a Treefort Health Pledge. It requires, for example, that patrons not attend if they tested positive for the coronavirus (or were exposed to someone who did) within the previous 14 days, or if they experienced any symptoms within 48 hours. 
  • Springfest 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky, will feature lots of vendors, food trucks, live music, and artists. The event is free, but organizers note that free tickets are required. That will help make it easy to reach out to attendees “in the event contact tracing is required,” the organizers note.
  • Outdoor yoga at The Wharf in Washington, DC, is being held with COVID-19 safety protocols in place. Patrons must bring their own mat and own water, and social distancing and masks will be required based on the District’s guidelines. “To help us prevent the spread of infection, please cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze,” organizers note.
  • In Dallas — where Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has banned vaccine mandates — Stereo Live is using strong language to encourage safety protocols. “Pursuant to CDC guidance, unvaccinated people who choose to attend a show despite the risks of doing so are strongly advised to wear proper masks and avoid crowded areas of the venue,” the venue notes. “We strongly recommend being fully vaccinated at least two weeks before attending a show.”

Regional events industry regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US as the Delta variant triggers new protocols:

New York

  • The Metropolitan Opera is racing to reopen, according to The New York Times. The opera house closed on March 12, 2020, and is now resuming performances, which leaves staffers with little time to prepare. “I would love about six months,” Tera Willis, who oversees the company’s wig and makeup department, said. “We have six weeks.” The Met is enforcing a strict vaccination mandate for its staff, and in order to ensure proper distancing between performers and audience members, the first two rows of seats in the auditorium will be blocked off through the end of the year.
  • On Monday, the Metropolitan Museum of Art hosted its biggest red carpet event, the annual Met Gala. Ahead of the event, president and chief executive Daniel Weiss talked to TIME about how officials would ensure it was safe for attendees. For one thing, only about 400 people were invited; usually, the event is 30% to 40% larger. Proof of vaccination was required from all attendees. “It is not an honor system,” Weiss said. “You need both a vaccination and a negative test, and you need to wear a mask most of the time. … And that’s true for everybody.”

California

  • West Hollywood will require proof of vaccination for most indoor facilities, including theaters and other entertainment venues. The mandate does not apply to people under 18. The new rules “should reduce the risk of spread and transmission … while allowing businesses to remain open without having to limit capacity or close,” according to the order.

Illinois

  • One of Chicago’s biggest food events, Vegandale, refused to require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test, Eater reports. The event, which took place Sept. 11, was expected to draw 18,000 people. Three food vendors pulled out of the festival due to the policy: Liberation Donuts; Pie, Pie, Pie My Darling; and Vagabond Vegan Club. The vendors told Eater that Vegandale organizers “weren’t asking for vaccine proof because they claimed the vaccine is not vegan.” Marc Bannes of the Vagabond Vegan Club said he was frustrated with the event’s policy. “I’m only interested in working with people who I think are doing the right thing,” he said.

Texas

  • The Austin Arts and Music Festival announced that the event has been canceled this year due to COVID-19, but organizers promised ticketholders access to future events. The festival had been planned for Sept. 25-26. Several other Austin festivals were also recently canceled, including the Pecan Street Festival, Bat Fest, and Austin Pride. Meanwhile, the City of Austin updated their protocol for special event permits and now requires organizers to complete an enhanced version of a health and safety form.
  • The Austin City Limits Festival, which is scheduled for October, has not yet been granted permits from the city. However, spokesperson Bryce Bencivengo said that’s not unusual, noting that ACL’s 2019 permit wasn’t approved until Sept. 26, which was eight days before the festival opened. “We’re going to work to give people some certainty in the coming weeks, but right now, we’re still evaluating all events that are happening in the community that require a permit and understanding the impact both on the community and public health and the health care system,” he said.

International events industry insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — worldwide. 

Britain

  • Following massive public outcry, Britain has canceled plans to require vaccine passports for entry into public spots such as concert venues, nightclubs, and stores. The passports have drawn criticism about opening the door to digital surveillance and compromising people’s privacy. Health officials did not rule out the possibility of using passports in the future.

Denmark

  • Denmark, where more than 80% of people are vaccinated, has lifted all COVID-19 restrictions making it one of the first European Union nations to do so. As of late last week, people entering nightclubs no longer have to show proof of vaccination, which had been one of the last safeguards in place. The Danish government no longer considers the coronavirus “a socially critical disease,” though officials have said they will reinstate restrictions if necessary.

Events industry inspiration and further reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

  • Eventbrite lets you integrate your event with the best event listing sites to make it easier for you to reach new audiences easily and seamlessly. Here’s how.
  • How can virtual video events be better? Just ask mmhmm. Learn how you can get a free premium three-month trial to the virtual events platform.
  • Consult this guide to event marketing for new strategies, ideas, and examples to up-level your marketing efforts. 

Sept. 1, 2021:

Noteworthy developments for events industry professionals

Here’s what to know about recent pandemic-related developments:

  • As the Delta variant continues to whip around the globe, health officials are warning that the US is projected to see nearly 100,000 more COVID-19 deaths by Dec. 1. That could be cut in half, they say, if everyone wore a mask in public. “Behavior is really going to determine if, when, and how sustainably the current wave subsides,” Lauren Ancel Meyers, director of the University of Texas COVID-19 Modeling Consortium, told the Associated Press. “We cannot stop Delta in its tracks, but we can change our behavior overnight.”
  • Dr. Anthony Fauci believes the US could get COVID-19 under control by spring 2022 if vaccination rates increase. “There’s no guarantee because it’s up to us,” he said on CNN last week. “If we keep lingering without getting those people vaccinated that should be vaccinated, this thing could linger on, leading to the development of another variant which could complicate things. So it’s within our power to get this under control.” Slightly more than 50% of all Americans are currently fully vaccinated.
  • Some big-name artists have canceled their tours due to the Delta variant. Florida Georgia Line and Nine Inch Nails scrapped their plans, as did Stevie Nicks, Limp Bizkit, and Garth Brooks. The Eagles, on the other hand, have added tour dates but will only allow vaccinated fans to attend. “The risks of COVID are reducing for vaccinated people, and we have to live our lives. People need to make a living,” music manager Irving Azoff (whose clients include the Eagles, Harry Styles, and Maroon 5) told the Wall Street Journal. “We’re trying to learn to live with it.” He added that ticket sales are doing well, and that merchandise sales are up 40% to 50% compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Managing COVID-19 event restrictions

Here’s how venues and creators in the events industry are safely operating their businesses.

  • At the Los Angeles Beer Festival on Sept. 18, all attendees must be vaccinated. Those who are not but show up anyway will not be refunded for their tickets, organizers warn.
  • On Sept. 10, Lewis Del Mar is performing at Doug Fir Lounge in Portland. Proof of vaccination is required, 14 days past the final dose; or, attendees can show negative COVID-19 test results that were taken within 48 hours of the event. All Doug Fir staff will be fully vaccinated and masked at all times, and “enhanced cleaning procedures” will take place prior to and during the show. Refunds are available for those who aren’t willing to comply with the vaccine or testing requirements.
  • The 2021 Nashville Pride Festival kicks off on Sept. 18. Attendees are required to show either proof of full COVID-19 vaccination, or of a negative test taken within the previous 72 hours. Attendees are encouraged to wear masks and to download the Nashville Pride app, which facilitates cashless payments in order to reduce contact.
  • Those who want to attend the Sept. 6 Lunar Faire in Sparta, New Jersey, are asked to stay home if they’re feeling sick. “Mask mandates are rapidly changing and we are a compassionate crowd,” organizers note. “Please bring one, and wear one when appropriate or asked.” 

Regional events industry regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US as the Delta variant triggers new protocols:

New York

  • Thousands of people are expected to attend the U.S. Open, which kicked off this week. Shortly before the event began, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio convinced the United States Tennis Association to tighten its coronavirus protocols. Proof of at least one vaccine shot is now required for those 12 and older, though masks are not required. New York officials had been concerned that the tournament could turn into a superspreader event. “I feel enormous relief,” City Council member Mark Levine told the New York Times. He pointed out that unvaccinated ticket holders still had time to get their first shot. “No fan is excluded unless they want to be. This is not a draconian measure.”
  • New York art fairs are returning: One of the biggest such events, the Armory Show, opens on Sept. 9 at the Javits Convention Center. “We have to be ready for anything,” the fair’s executive director, Nicole Berry, told the New York Times. “We are putting on this event and have a Plan A, B, C, D, and E.” About a quarter of the fair’s 200-plus exhibitors are opting not to participate in-person, though they will join online. Safety protocols at the Armory Show include a mask mandate, timed entrance for ticket holders, and proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours.

California

  • The California Department of Public Health is implementing new requirements for large events. Starting Sept. 20, those who attend an indoor event with at least 1,000 people will need to present proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results from within the previous 72 hours. “The Delta variant has proven to be highly transmissible, making it easier to spread in large crowds where people are near each other for long periods of time,” Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, CDPH’s director, said in a statement.

Hawaii

 

  • Hawaii Gov. David Ige is imploring tourists to stay home. Though travelers are not prohibited from visiting the islands, Ige has requested they not visit through at least the end of October. He’s collaborating with airlines, hotels, and other tourism businesses to, for example, curb access to rental cars. Ige’s plea comes as Hawaii’s hospitals are at capacity due to the Delta variant. “Now is not the time to visit the islands,” he said at a news conference. “It’s a risky time to be traveling right now.”

Oregon

  • Oregon is experiencing a tenfold increase in coronavirus hospitalizations since July 9, so officials there are tightening restrictions. The National Guard has been deployed to hospitals to help provide clinical and nonclinical support. Educators have been ordered to get vaccinated. And both vaccinated and unvaccinated people have to wear masks when gathering closely, even outdoors.

South Dakota

  • More than 100 cases of COVID-19 have been linked to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which was held from Aug. 6 to Aug. 15. That number is likely an uncercount, officials said, because contact tracing has been difficult given that attendees came from across the country. Nearly 526,000 vehicles passed through Sturgis during the rally — a 14% increase compared to 2020 and 5% over 2019’s attendance.

International events industry insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — worldwide. 

Italy

  • The Italian government is enforcing new rules on the island of Sicily, following an uptick in coronavirus infections and hospitalizations. “It is confirmation the virus has not been defeated yet and that the priority is to keep investing in the vaccination campaign,” Roberto Speranza, Italy’s health minister, said in a statement. The new restrictions include an outdoor mask mandate, and a four-person max at restaurant tables.

United Kingdom

  • In the UK, some health experts are worried about a general shoulder-shrug attitude toward pandemic precautions. “We don’t seem to care that we have these really high infection rates,” Tim Spector, a professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, told the New York Times. “It looks like we’re just accepting it now — that this is the price of freedom.” Last month, nearly all restrictions were lifted. Big events have become the norm again: Around 60,000 soccer fans recently crowded into London’s Emirates Stadium, for example, and West End plays have resumed.

Australia

  • Australia is ending its zero-COVID policy, marking a major shift in how the country is handling the pandemic. “This is not a sustainable way to live in this country,” said Scott Morrison, Australia’s prime minister. Health officials say the Delta variant has made the goal of having zero COVID-19 cases unrealistic. “Learning to live with the virus is our only hope,” Australia Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said. “To delay and deny that fact is not only wrong but incredibly unrealistic.”

Greece

  • Those who visit Greek entertainment venues, restaurants, and bars will be required to show proof that they’re vaccinated or that they recovered from COVID-19 within the previous six months. The new protocols will be in place from Sept. 13 to March 31. There’s also a mandatory mask mandate indoors and in crowded outdoor spaces.

Events industry inspiration and further reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

 

Aug. 18, 2021:

Noteworthy developments for events industry professionals

Here’s what to know about recent pandemic-related developments:

  • The Delta variant has caused upticks in coronavirus cases in all 50 states, according to the New York Times. Some experts say that this is to be expected: “We can’t expect [the virus] to go away where we never have to think about it anymore,” Emily Martin, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan, told the Times. “We’ve seen that it ebbs and flows. Sometimes we need to be more vigilant than others.”
  • Five states just set new records for COVID-19 cases: Florida, Louisiana, Hawaii, Oregon, and Mississippi. “We’re in the middle of the summer, people are gathering again with people, they’re in large groups, the vaccine has given a false sense of security in some ways to people, and they forget,” Dr. Perry Halkitis, dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health, told CNBC. Louisiana has the fifth-lowest vaccination rate in the country, CNBC points out.
  • Some states — Oregon, Nevada, Hawaii, and Louisiana — have reinstated indoor mask mandates for everyone. Many other states are simply urging people to mask up, rather than issuing a mandate. In areas where there’s not a statewide mandate, lots of cities have implemented mandates. Washington, DC, and San Francisco are among the cities that once again require folks to mask up indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
  • Vaccine mandates are increasingly becoming the norm — at workplaces, among government and health-care employees, and at entertainment venues. Some artists are also demanding proof of vaccination. Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell, for example, announced that everyone who attends his current tour must show proof of vaccination or a recent negative test result. “I need to take certain steps to try to ensure the safety of people attending, if at all possible,” Isbell told The New York Times. During three shows in Austin, Isbell said that “everybody felt safer.” But he canceled a performance at a venue outside Houston, because the venue, he said, would not “comply” with his rule. Other bands have followed suit, including touring juggernauts Dead & Company and Phish, both of which will require fans to be vaccinated or show negative test results for the group’s current tours. 
  • Two music and event promoters, Live Nation and AEG Presents, will implement similar policies across the board (where allowed) in the fall for their events and venues. Live Nation will require proof of vaccination or a negative test result beginning Oct. for all artists, staff, and patrons. AEG, meanwhile, will require proof of vaccination for performers, staff, and attendees on Oct. 1. Until then, proof of vaccination or a negative test will be permissible for admission. 

Managing COVID-19 event restrictions

Here’s how venues and creators in the events industry are safely operating their businesses.

  • At an upcoming CASH CASH performance in Portland, guests are required to show proof of vaccination, in addition to their full name and date of birth. Acceptable forms of proof include: A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-issued vaccination card; a printed photo of a CDC vaccination card; a digital photo of the vaccination card; or a digital vaccination record from your doctor.
  • An August event in Nashville, organized by the 2021 InterNASHional Food Series, will feature limited capacity indoors. All attendees will be required to wear a mask, and signs in multiple languages will be posted throughout the venue, outlining health and safety guidelines. (This is important because the event is celebrating Nashville’s immigrants and refugees, so not all guests will speak the same language.) Tables will be spaced an adequate distance apart, and hand sanitizer will be available. 
  • Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago is getting ready to host an “Adults Night Out” summer block party. Face masks are required inside zoo buildings, organizers said; guests who forget to bring one can purchase one from the gift shop. “The impact of COVID-19 on many animal species remains to be determined,” they note.

<h2Regional events industry regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US as the Delta variant triggers new protocols:

New York

  • Everyone who visits New York City museums and other cultural spots will need to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. “Defeating the Delta variant is the best way to support cultural institutions, because it brings us all back,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday. “We believe, if we take these aggressive measures, this is going to encourage a lot of people — audience members and staff alike — to get vaccinated.” The city’s “Key to NYC” program, which began Aug. 17, also requires vaccination in settings such as bars, gyms, movie and stage theaters, and indoor venues. 
  • Conventions scheduled for September are being canceled, including the Fancy Food Show and the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair. (The latter has been rescheduled for April.) “We, like you, are disappointed that the fair cannot go on, but for everyone’s safety — our exhibitors, staff and public — we have made the difficult decision to cancel,” Sanford Smith, who produces the book fair, said in a statement. He added that the surge in cases “made it difficult, if not impossible, for over half of the exhibitors” to travel to New York to participate in the fair. “This decision was not made lightly.”

California

  • San Francisco will require proof of full vaccination for a number of indoor activities, including entering bars, restaurants, gyms, and performing arts spaces for all patrons beginning over age 12 Aug. 20. This includes indoor events with more than 1,000 people. Employees of these businesses will be required to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 13. It’s “about making sure people feel a little safer,” Mayor London Breed said. “It’s important because kids under the age of 12 cannot be vaccinated, so we have to make sure we’re protecting them.” Large outdoor events with more than 5,000 people are strongly encouraged to require vaccination for entry. 
  • The Los Angeles City Council voted to have the city attorney prepare an ordinance outlining an order that would require proof of at least partial vaccination to enter indoor restaurants, bars, gyms, shops, movie theaters, and other venues. “If we ever want to get back to normal, to what Los Angeles was like pre-COVID, we need to stop the spread in places [with the] most high risk,” said Council President Nury Martinez.

Illinois

  • The July music festival Lollapalooza was not a superspreader event, health officials in Chicago say. About 385,000 people attended the event, and 203 have been diagnosed with COVID-19, Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Allison Arwady said during a news conference. “The bottom line is we’ve not seen anything that has surprised us related to the Lollapalooza outbreak,” Arwady said. “We obviously will continue to do further investigation if necessary. … Any person diagnosed with COVID-19 on or after attending Lollapalooza is included in the analysis. … Anybody who is potentially associated, we want to investigate.” On Aug. 20, Chicago will reinstate an indoor mask mandate for everyone, regardless of vaccination status. 

Washington

  • More than 200 cases of the coronavirus are now linked to a music festival in Grant County at the Gorge Amphitheater. The three-day Watershed Musical Festival, which took place July 30 to Aug. 1, attracted around 28,000 people. Organizers urged attendees to get tested. “Cases have been identified among Washington State residents of King, Grant, Pierce, Skagit, Kitsap, Whatcom, Kittitas, Okanogan, San Juan, Lincoln, and Stevens counties.” according to a statement.

Louisiana

  • New Orleans visitors and residents will have to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination, or recent negative test results, to enter restaurants, bars, and other indoor venues, including the Caesars Superdome. “I’m glad it’s required to do this,” Cecile Dalton, who owns the bar Seal’s Class Act, told WWNO 89.9. She had been worried that being in favor of vaccinations would hurt business, but now that everyone is required to ask for vaccination status, it’s a moot point. 
  • The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which had been planned for October, has been canceled due to high infection rates in Louisiana. “We now look forward to next spring, when we will present the Festival during its traditional timeframe,” organizers said in a news release, referring to next year’s festival dates: April 29 to May 8.

Washington, DC

  • Some of DC’s most high-profile venues are now requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for entry. “If you want to enjoy a performance with us and thousands of others, you will demonstrate you’ve protected yourself, the people around you, and the community by taking the vaccine, or if you’re ineligible or choose not to be vaccinated, prove that you do not have Covid when you join us,” I.M.P. said in a news release. The company operates venues such as the 9:30 Club and the Anthem in DC, along with Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland. 
  • An alliance of DC theaters is banding together to announce that audience members must provide proof of vaccination for all indoor performances. The venues include Arena Stage, GALA Hispanic Theatre, Signature Theatre, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre.

International events industry insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — worldwide. 

Canada

  • Canada will require all passengers and workers on commercial air flights to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. The rule also applies to travelers and staffers in the federally regulated rail and cruise ship sectors. “Canadians deserve to feel confident when traveling that the environment around them is safe,” Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said. “We need to regain public confidence in travel.” The policy will go into effect “as soon as possible in the fall and no later than the end of October.”

Germany

  • In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said that, as of Oct. 11, people who have not been vaccinated will have to pay for their coronavirus tests. Previously, the government had subsidized these tests for everyone. Proof of vaccination or a negative test result is required for indoor activities such as going to a restaurant, so the hope is that charging unvaccinated people for tests will encourage them to get inoculated. 

Japan

  • Most spectators will be banned at the Paralympic Games, which kick off in Japan on Aug. 24. “I very much regret this situation has impacted the Paralympic Games following the Olympic Games,” Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo organizing committee, said at a briefing on Monday. However, some children from local schools will be permitted to attend, in hopes that the experience will teach them about fostering a more inclusive society. 

Events industry inspiration and further reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:


July 21, 2021:

Noteworthy developments

Here’s what to know about recent pandemic-related developments and the status of aid from the government:

  • As of July 16, coronavirus cases in the US are up by nearly 70% in one week, fueled by the contagious Delta variant. The seven-day average is at about 26,300 new cases a day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “There is a clear message that is coming through: This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” CDC director Rochelle Walensky said while sharing the stats. “We are seeing outbreaks of cases in parts of the country that have low vaccination coverage because unvaccinated people are at risk, and communities that are fully vaccinated are generally faring well.” Florida, for example, has become a hotspot, recently accounting for 1 in 5 of the nation’s new cases. As Jeff Zients, the White House coronavirus coordinator, put it: “Unvaccinated Americans account for virtually all recent COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths. Each COVID-19 death is tragic, and those happening now are even more tragic because they are preventable.”
  • As of this month, the Small Business Administration has approved 43% of Shuttered Venue Grant applications. So far, the agency has notified 6,610 out of 15,026 applicants that their grants are approved, while declining another 440, according to Billboard. But the slow rollout continues to irk many venues. Rev. Moose, the executive director and co-founder of the National Independent Venue Association, noted on July 13 that “the vast majority of qualified recipients have yet to see a dollar. Many still don’t know if their applications have even been reviewed. The economic and psychological stress is harrowing, especially as our world simultaneously plans to reopen. It’s like we’re being told that the life rafts have been deployed, but still have to swim to shore by ourselves.”

RECONVENE Recaps

drunk black history, brandon collins, global audience

Eventbrite hosted the RECONVENE summit in May 2021, bringing together thousands of event producers. We’re sharing key takeaways from popular sessions — on topics like safely returning to in-person events, building a global audience, and best practices for attracting more attendees — on our blog and our RECONVENE Recaps hub.

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Managing COVID-19 event restrictions

Here’s how venues and creators in the events industry are safely reopening their business as pandemic restrictions loosen.

  • At the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, safety precautions are in place at upcoming events. Patrons must reserve free timed-entry tickets and are “strongly” encouraged to wear masks while inside. Visitors and staff must maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from each other, and using hand sanitizer and washing hands regularly is recommended. Restrooms have reduced capacity, and drinking fountains are closed. The museum is not using any interactive materials in order to minimize surface contact. Plus, Plexiglass screens have been implemented.
  • In Los Angeles, DayTripper Tours offers outings to places like the Autry Museum and Olvera Street. All tour guides will be fully vaccinated, and travelers should be too, the company notes. Masks will be required on the coach, outside of when someone is eating or drinking. Snack and beverage service on the vehicle has been suspended for now. Hand sanitizer will be available at the doorway steps and upon request, DayTripper Tours says.
  • At Factory 3 Makerspace in Portland, Maine, upcoming classes include an intro to sewing course. There are lots of guidelines in place: Face masks must be worn at all times inside (with the mouth and nose covered). Social distancing rules are in place, and handshakes and elbow touching are not permitted. Only 20 people are permitted inside the building at a time, and anyone visiting Maine from another state needs to quarantine for two weeks before entering Factory 3. Patrons must sanitize their hands or wash them for 30 seconds upon entry, as well as clean any common tools after using them.

Regional events industry regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US, where restrictions are easing at a rapid clip:

New York

  • New positives for COVID-19 topped 1,000 in New York for the first time since May. Dr. David Battinelli, chief medical officer at Northwell Health, told Newsday that the spike was “disappointing, but not surprising.” “There is complete, blatant disregard for the need to mask if you’re not vaccinated, and this is what’s going to happen,” he said. “When the numbers get low, the belief is the virus is gone. It’s exactly the opposite. All it means is the virus is not able to propagate among its hosts, which are humans, because of vaccinations and masks. Let up on either, and this will happen not just this time but time again, time again and time again.”
  • Still, Broadway is enjoying a successful reopening. More than 40 shows now have plans to reopen in the 2021-22 season, according to The Washington Post. “We’re doing TV, radio and print ads with lots of color, lots of joy, to remind you that we’re here again,” said Thomas Schumacher, president of Disney Theatrical Productions. Joshua Henry, a Broadway singer-actor, added: “Last March, I thought, ‘When am I going to have a New York night again?’ And here we are!”

California

  • Masks are once again required indoors in Los Angeles County. The mandate applies to all indoor public settings, including theaters, gyms, workplaces, and restaurants. Children under 2 are exempt. Though indoor dining is still permitted, patrons must wear masks when they’re not eating or drinking. “I’m not pleased that we have to go back to using the masks in this manner,” Hilda Solis, chairwoman of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, said on ABC News’ ”This Week.” “But nonetheless, it’s going to save lives. And right now, that to me is what’s most important, and really getting more people to understand that they have to get vaccinated.”
  • One month into the state’s reopening, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are increasing in California. On June 15, the test positivity rate jumped from 0.08% to 3% (which is still a fraction of how high it was at the peak of the pandemic). “Just like there will be two Americas, there will be two Californias: the California of the vaccinated and the California of the unvaccinated,” Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a University of California, San Francisco infectious disease specialist, told CalMatters. “If (non-elderly) people didn’t get a flu shot, they’ll probably do fine — but with COVID, you’re going to have a very different trajectory.”

Texas

  • Austin has returned to Stage 3 risk-based guidelines, making it the first major Texas city to reverse direction as the nation reopens. “We cannot pretend that we are done with a virus that is not done with us,” Austin Mayor Steve Adler said during a news conference. The guidelines mean that unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people should avoid gatherings, travel, shopping, and dining out, unless the activities are essential, and should wear masks. However, Austin’s protocols cannot be enforced by law, because Gov. Greg Abbott banned pandemic mandates in May.

Missouri

  • The popular Birthplace of Route 66 Festival in Springfield, Missouri, has been called off due to rising coronavirus cases. The two-day event typically features musical performances, car shows, and other exhibitions. It had been scheduled for Aug. 13-14, and was expected to draw more than 75,000 people. “Obviously, we are very disappointed,” Cora Scott, Springfield’s director of public information and civic engagement, said in a statement. “With our region’s low vaccination rate against COVID-19, the resulting surge of infections are overwhelming our hospitals and making our community sick. We feel it is just not safe to bring tens of thousands of people from all over the world to this community for any reason.”

International events industry insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — worldwide. 

England

  • Coronavirus restrictions have eased in England: There are now no limits on how many people can gather at events, and nightclubs can reopen. Though masks will still be encouraged, they’ll no longer be mandatory. But Prime Minister Boris Johnson is urging caution: “We’ve got to remember that this virus is sadly still out there. Cases are rising; we can see the extreme contagiousness of the Delta variant,” he said.
  • Nightclubs and large event organizers in England have been advised by health officials to ask to see patrons’ vaccine passports, which are available through a National Health Service app. But doing so won’t be mandatory. “As a matter of social responsibility we’re urging nightclubs and other venues with large crowds to make use of the NHS Covid pass, which shows proof of vaccination, a recent negative test or natural immunity as a means of entry,” Johnson said during a press briefing.

Netherlands

  • Coronavirus cases are spiking in the Netherlands, and the surge comes just weeks after bars and restaurants reopened. New cases jumped by more than 500% in one week, leading the country’s prime minister, Mark Rutte, to publicly apologize for lifting restrictions too quickly. “We thought it was possible, but it wasn’t,” he said.
  • A music festival in the Netherlands has been linked to more than 1,000 coronavirus cases. The Verknipt outdoor festival, which took place in early July, logged about 20,000 attendees over two days. Patrons were required to show a QR code that indicated they were vaccinated, had recently been infected with COVID-19 and recovered, or had negative test results. “We cannot say that all these people were infected at the festival itself; it could also be possible that they’ve been infected while travelling to the festival or in the evening before going to the festival or having an after-party. So they’re (the cases) all linked to the festival but we can’t 100% say they were infected at the festival,” Lennart van Trigt, a spokesman for the Utrecht health board, said. He theorized that one problem was that attendees could take their COVID-19 test as many as 40 hours before the event, which allowed a decent amount of time to get infected beforehand. “We’ve found out now that this period is too long,” van Trigt said. “We should have had a 24 hour [period] … because in 40 hours people can do a lot of things like visiting friends and going to bars and clubs. So in a period of 24 hours people can do less things and it’s safer.”

France

  • The Eiffel Tower reopened to tourists after a nine-month closure. There are new safety protocols in place: Masks are required, and visitors over 18 must prove that they’ve been fully vaccinated, had a recent negative test, or have recovered from the virus. The number of daily visitors will be restricted to about half of the pre-pandemic norm, which was 25,000. “We worked, we worked, we worked (for this day). And when I saw my first visitor, I was very, very happy. Emotion and happiness,” Eiffel Tower director Patrick Branco Ruivo said during a briefing.

Greece

  • Greece will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination at indoor restaurants, bars, and cafes, the country’s government says. Patrons at nightclubs and other theaters will also have to be vaccinated, and remain seated during events. “It is crucial not to give the impression that we are losing control of the pandemic so that our tourism industry can go on and operate normally,” Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis said during a news conference. “The course of Greece’s economy will hinge on how well we comply with the measures and control the pandemic.”

Japan

  • The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed inside Olympic Village six days before the Opening Ceremony. Officials did not identify the person who tested positive but said he or she had traveled to Japan from overseas and was quarantining in a hotel room. More than 11,000 athletes, plus nearly 80,000 journalists and various support staff, will be gathering at the Olympics, which kick off on July 23. There’s a 70-page playbook that describes safety measures for all participants, including wearing masks, regular screening for the coronavirus, and not engaging in hugs or high-fives. Medal ceremonies will be contactless, too: Athletes will retrieve their medals from a tray and put them on their own neck.
  • A top Japanese doctor is urging Olympics fans to watch the events at home. “Cheer at home with your family or with people you meet on a regular basis,” Dr. Shigeru Omi said. “Please refrain from cheering in large groups in public plazas, on the streets, or in restaurants.”

Events industry inspiration and further reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

 

July 7, 2021:

Noteworthy events industry developments

Here’s what to know about recent pandemic-related developments and the status of aid from the government:

  • On the Fourth of July, President Joe Biden declared “independence” from the coronavirus. “It no longer controls our lives, it no longer paralyzes our nation and it’s within our power to make sure it never does so again,” he said. He encouraged Americans who haven’t done so yet to get vaccinated, and referred to the vaccine campaign as “heroic.”
  • Twenty states and the District of Columbia met Biden’s goal to vaccinate 70% or more of adults by the Fourth of July. Puerto Rico and Guam also met the goal. Among the states that hit the 70% or higher rate: California, Illinois, and New York. Mississippi had the lowest vaccination rate in the country: 46% of adults received at least one shot.
  • A great deal of concern about the coronavirus is centered on the contagious Delta variant, which is spreading globally. The World Health Organization warned that even vaccinated people should wear masks indoors, but the Centers for Disease Control and Recommendation has not updated its guidance. Some experts say it’s a good idea to continue masking, given that Delta is at least 20% more contagious than Alpha, which was the dominant strain in the US beginning last March. “Masking in public enclosed spaces needs to continue even after vaccination, until we can get everyone vaccinated or a new vaccine that is more effective against Delta transmission,” Dr. Ravindra Gupta, a virologist at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, told The New York Times. (Roughly half of Americans still aren’t vaccinated, the NYT notes.)
  • According to the latest report from the Small Business Administration, which was released June 28, only a fraction of the $16 billion designated for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program has been dispensed. Some venue owners are continuing to speak out about the long delay in actually receiving funds. “We expected it to come a little sooner,” Dave Machinist, a partner at Heard Presents, Empire Control Room & Garage and The Parish in Austin, told KVUE. “It’s been drawn out and we’re waiting patiently. But it’s burning a hole in our pocket for sure.”

RECONVENE Recaps

fay orlove, junior high, scaled

At May’s first-ever RECONVENE summit, our expert lineup of speakers shared exclusive tips on safely returning to in-person events, the future of virtual, and best practices for growing your audience. We’re sharing the key takeaways from popular sessions on our just-launched RECONVENE Recaps hub. Check out the latest additions below, and visit the hub for more.

    • Learn how to make your events more inclusive by being authentic, meeting people where they are, and making sure everyone feels welcome. Click here for more tips from diversity and inclusion strategist and speaker Randi Bryant.
    • Let general manager Joe Lurgio explain how The Caverns safely kept live music alive during the pandemic. 
    • Dayna Frank, CEO of First Avenue Productions, spearheaded the founding of the National Independent Venue Association, and rallied her community to fight for aid. Here’s how she did it.
    • Artist Faye Orlove shared tips for how Junior High, her not-for-profit community space and arts venue, scaled up during the pandemic by opening up to their community.

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Managing COVID-19 event restrictions

Here’s how venues and creators in the events industry are safely reopening their business as pandemic restrictions loosen.

  • In Austin, an event called JAWS on the Water invites patrons to watch the movie “Jaws” on a big screen — from an innertube in the lake. The event series is returning for the first time since 2019. It will look different this time around, organizers note: Attendance is capped “at a fraction of the size of previous events,” which means tickets will likely sell out faster than in the past. Patrons must BYOT: bring their own tubes. “In an effort to minimize contact, we will not have custom tubes available for rental or sale,” organizers say.
  • In Portland, Heartbeat Silent Disco allows “people who like different types of music to still dance together in the same space.” Attendees wear headphones, through which they can listen to bass music, house music, or whatever they prefer. Tickets will be limited at upcoming events to ensure social distancing. Organizers request all patrons maintain a 6-foot distance between themselves, other guests, staff, and DJs. Another guideline: to wash and sanitize hands often. “It’s important we follow these guidelines and respect other people’s space as we all continue to do our part,” the event’s creators note.
  • At a hands-on cooking class in Seattle, organized by CocuSocial, attendees will make Asian dumplings. All patrons must arrive 15 minutes early to check in, and must have masks on at the entrance. They’ll be seated with — and cook with — their group, at a spot that is socially distant from other attendees.

Regional events industry regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US, where restrictions are easing at a rapid clip:

New York

  • New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio revealed the lineup for this summer’s Central Park comeback concert. Paul Simon, Jennifer Hudson, and Bruce Springsteen will all perform at the event, with additional artists to be announced. (The exact date of the “homecoming” concert has yet to be determined.) “This is going to be one of the greatest Central Park concerts in history,” de Blasio said during a briefing. “This is something for the ages.”
  • The Delta variant of the coronavirus is tied to nearly one-fourth of New York City’s new cases. “My primary concern with the variant is people who are unvaccinated,” the city’s Health Commissioner, Dr. Dave Chokshi, said during a press briefing. “And, in some ways, based on what we are seeing with the Delta variant around the world and in New York City, now may be the most dangerous time to remain unvaccinated because of the threat this variant poses.”
  • At Abilene Bar and Lounge in Rochester, masks and social-distancing are no longer required, but patrons must provide proof of vaccination. Owner Danny Deutsch plans to keep that in place, even though it’s not mandated by the state. “The response has been tremendously positive, and I think for the time being, we’re going to keep it in place,” he told the Democrat & Chronicle.

California

  • Los Angeles County is recommending all residents, even those who are vaccinated, continue wearing masks indoors because of the Delta variant. LA’s Public Health department “strongly recommends people wear masks indoors in settings such as grocery or retail stores; theaters and family entertainment centers, and workplaces when you don’t know everyone’s vaccination status,” according to a press release. “Until we better understand how and to whom the Delta variant is spreading, everyone should focus on maximum protection with minimum interruption to routine as all businesses operate without other restrictions, like physical distancing and capacity limits.”


Washington

  • Washington state has officially reopened. Residents who are unvaccinated must continue wearing masks indoors in public places, washing their hands frequently, and social distancing. They’re encouraged to enable WA Notify, a mobile app that can alert you if you’ve been near another user who tested positive for the coronavirus. “People who are vaccinated can return to their regular lives for the most part, with a few exceptions like limits on large-scale events and mask requirements in some high-risk settings,” the Washington State Department of Health notes. (There are no capacity restrictions on outdoor venues, but large indoor events — which means more than 10,000 attendees — are restricted to 75% capacity, unless vaccine verification is in place. If the venue requires all patrons to be vaccinated, there are no capacity limits.)

New Jersey

  • New Jersey arts and entertainment venues are largely reopening. For example: MetLife Stadium’s first scheduled event is a Monster Jam truck show on July 17, followed by an Aug. 5 Guns N’ Roses concert. The Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie has reopened, but patrons must use timed entry passes. The New Brunswick Heart Festival, a cultural event scheduled for Aug. 14, will feature a mix of virtual and in-person programming.

International events industry insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — worldwide.

Australia

  • Four big cities in Australia — Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, and Darwin — have gone into strict lockdowns over concerns about the contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus. In Sydney, for example, residents are in a two-week lockdown after recording more than 100 cases in late June, which is the worst outbreak the city has seen since 2020.
  • Victorian health officials called off the dance music event Paradigm Festival at the last minute over the weekend, leaving thousands of would-be attendees with nowhere to go. “When you’ve got interstate outbreaks happening around the place to have a major musical activity with, as I understand it, a good number of people in a confined space for many hours, I think that is appropriate [to stop it] for this particular time given the wider restrictions that we’re still operating on,” Victorian COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar said in a briefing. The festival was expected to draw 4,000 people. Event organizers pointed out that a Super Netball event with 5,000 patrons was permitted to continue. Paradigm Festival director Lev Shani said the event had gone “above and beyond” to ensure safety compliance: “We had triple the number of COVID-19 marshals that we needed. If they can put 5,000 people indoors at the netball, why can’t I have 4,000 people outside in a tightly controlled environment?” he said, according to The Age. “The government should consider the arts and hospitality as they do sport. The arts have been on the edge for the last 18 months.”

Asia

  • Some Asian countries are reinstituting stay-at-home orders due to the Delta variant. A restaurant owner in Malaysia expressed dismay about the new rules: “My restaurant is known for its hospitality and shared dishes, the antithesis of social distancing,” Marcus Low told The New York Times. The lockdown “might be the last straw” for his business and others, he said.
  • South Korea reversed a decision to relax mask rules in Seoul and other areas. That’s due to a spike in COVID-19 cases; the country most recently reported 711 new infections.
  • Indonesia closed malls and tightened restrictions as part of an “emergency community” response to rising cases. Police set up roadblocks and more than 400 checkpoints across Java, an Indonesian island, with more than 21,000 officers working to ensure people stayed home. The Delta variant is spreading around the country, pushing hospitals across Java “to the brink,” Reuters reports.

Israel

  • Israel has reinstated mask requirements in public indoor spaces and at large public gatherings. Hundreds of new cases of COVID-19 were logged recently, including among people who were fully vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. “I call on the public to consider whether traveling abroad is essential. It is highly advisable to avoid non-essential travel abroad,” Coronavirus czar Nachman Ash said. “This is not the right time to fly with children who are not vaccinated.” The Delta variant is suspected to be responsible for 70% of the new cases.

European Union

  • Digital vaccination cards have officially gone into effect in the E.U. The goal: to allow people to move freely from country to country. Those who have a digital certificate can use it to prove they’ve been vaccinated through a Q.R. code issued by their home country. One controversial element is that to qualify for a card, E.U. citizens must have had the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca. That eliminates Covishield, which was popular in, for example, Africa. 
  • The French Health Minister, Olivier Veran, is warning his country that it may soon see an uptick in cases due to the Delta variant. “For five days, (the infection rate) hasn’t come down — it’s rising again. Because of the Delta variant, which is very contagious. The British example shows that a fourth wave is possible from the end of July,” he said on Twitter. “We must move even faster (on vaccination). Our country is in a race against time.”
  • At the Cannes Film Festival in France, patrons are undergoing saliva COVID-19 tests that require spitting in a tube. Under French law, those who gather indoors must be vaccinated or show proof of a PCR test, which allows scientists to take a small sample of DNA and amplify it. But because of limitations with the digital vaccine certificate France uses, those coming to Cannes from outside the E.U. “won’t have a transferable bar code to show they’ve been vaccinated,” as Variety put it. That means they’ll be treated as though they have not been vaccinated, and will have to be tested for COVID-19 every 48 hours. 

Events industry inspiration and further reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

  • Bookmark this! A round-up of COVID-19 guidelines to safely navigate the return to live events.
  • One way to help rebuild your local events scene? Leaning on community-minded events
  • We’re curating a series spotlighting creators who have skillfully organized safe and fun events that are great examples for any festival planner. The Hops & Blues Festival is a beer festival that celebrates blues music hosted by The Glass Jug Beer Lab. See how they pulled it off.
  • These 8 event marketing tips will help you get the most out of Eventbrite Boost.

June 23, 2021:

Noteworthy developments

Here’s what to know about recent pandemic-related developments and the status of aid from the government:

  • The coronavirus is fading in the U.S., but health experts say we’ll likely continue to live with it. “I think our experience historically is we will find a new normal living with this disease,” John Brooks, chief medical officer of the COVID-19 response at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Wall Street Journal. “The question is, what is that new normal going to look like?” According to the WSJ, about 44 percent of the country is now fully vaccinated, and new cases and virus-related deaths are reaching their lowest points yet. Still, given that not everyone plans to get vaccinated, the odds of eradicating the virus are slim. As Dr. Anthony Fauci put it: “As long as people decide that they don’t want to be vaccinated, the answer is yes, it will chronically be here, and it’s likely that we will be dealing with the chronicity of a smoldering amount of infection.”
  • Senators Amy Klobuchar and John Cornyn are not pleased at how slowly federal relief money is reaching independent venues, and have demanded “immediate action” by the Small Business Administration. “With each passing day, more independent businesses are forced to shutter permanently or file for bankruptcy,” they wrote in a letter dated June 15. “Landlords and banks are no longer permitting deferrals and are pressing for immediate payment of past due accounts; businesses are receiving eviction notices; mom-and-pop businesses are being forced to sell. … Further delays are unacceptable and would have irreversible consequences for these industries.” As of June 9, fewer than 100 of nearly 5,000 struggling venues had been approved for relief money, and according to Variety, just “a few” have received any money.

craft jam, Nora Abousteit, hybrid events

RECONVENE Recaps

Eventbrite hosted the first-ever RECONVENE summit in May 2021, bringing thousands of event producers together to learn, listen, and connect. Now you can watch our expert lineup of speakers share tips on safely returning to in-person events, the future of virtual, and best practices for growing your audience. Click the links below to learn more about the key takeaways from four event organizers. 

Managing COVID-19 event restrictions

Here’s how venues and creators in the events industry are safely reopening their business as pandemic restrictions loosen.

  • In Portland, OR, Our House — a community house music dance party — is requiring attendees to present proof of vaccination (at least the first shot) or a negative COVID-19 test within three days of an event. Patrons who have been vaccinated can show their physical vaccination card or a photo of it, and it must match the name on their state-issued ID. Event organizers are also abiding by a midnight curfew, per state guidelines.
  • Also in Portland: The Portland Night Market is adhering to strict capacity limits to ensure social distancing, so organizers are offering a paid “fast pass” option on Eventbrite. Patrons can purchase the pass for $10, and it allows them to skip the line and have guaranteed entry to the market.
  • In Nashville, a series of workouts on the Capitol steps promises to be “safe and exciting.” All attendees must register beforehand, and check-in will be touchless, organizer James Crumlin says. Participants will have their temperature checked upon arrival, and will sign a waiver indicating that they accept any potential risks relating to the coronavirus. Patrons must wear a face covering before the workout gets started, and there will be physically-distant lanes with staggered start times.
  • In Seattle, The DJ Sessions Event Services is hosting a PRIDE 2021 “silent concert” with numerous safety precautions in place. For example, all attendees will utilize headsets (the only way to hear the music) that are sterilized during and at the end of every event. Organizers will provide sanitizing wipes and hand gel, and social distancing will be required. “Our headsets have a 1,000 foot range so you can go wherever you like within the range of our stage and still hear the live DJ sets being played while meeting local, state, federal, and CDC guidelines,” organizers note.

Regional events industry regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US, where restrictions are easing at a rapid clip:

New York

  • New York has lifted its remaining COVID-19 restrictions, a milestone that resulted from hitting vaccine goals: More than 70% of adults in the state have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. “We’re no longer just surviving,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “We can get back to living.”
  • “Spingsteen on Broadway,” Bruce Springsteen’s upcoming revival of his New York Broadway production, has reversed its policies and will allow people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine to attend shows. Previously, the show had stipulated that ticket-buyers would need to be inoculated with a vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which means the shots by Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, or Johnson & Johnson. That’s since been amended to vaccines authorized by either the FDA or the World Health Organization, the latter of which has approved the AstraZeneca vaccine.

California

  • California reopened on June 15, an occasion met with widespread celebration. “This is the lifeline. This is what we’ve been waiting for,” Brett Winfield, operations director for Pouring with Heart, a company that runs nearly 20 bars in Los Angeles, told The Guardian. The state has lifted most of its restrictions on social distancing, as well as capacity limits, and people who are vaccinated don’t have to wear a mask (except in certain situations, like on public transit and in childcare facilities). Bar owner Gillian Fitzgerald is expecting big crowds: “I just know that a normal person that would never go out on a Tuesday will be going out on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for a few weeks,” she said.
  • Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new vaccine verification system. The tool is called the Digital COVID-19 Vaccine Record, and Californians can register for it through the California Department of Public Health. It’s essentially an online version of the paper vaccine card received upon being vaccinated against the coronavirus. By registering online, California residents will receive a QR code that proves their vaccine record is authentic. The state says the system is private, and that “only you can decide how and if you want to share your record with others.”

New Mexico

  • On July 1, New Mexico will officially reopen, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced. Businesses will be permitted to operate at full capacity, and there will be no limits on mass gatherings. Locals responded with excitement. “We’ve only been at 50 or 75 [percent capacity], so it’s going to be a wonderful feeling and we’ll see how it goes,” Chris Frigon, who owns Gravity Bound Brewing Co., told KRQE.

Vermont

  • Vermont has reached its vaccination goal: 80 percent of the state’s eligible residents have been vaccinated, which means the state can completely reopen. “Vermonters have done their part to keep the virus from spreading,” Gov. Phil Scott said. “No state in the nation is in a better position to do this than we are.” Going forward, there are no capacity limits on event venues or other businesses in Vermont. (Previously, gatherings had been capped at 300 unvaccinated people, plus any number of vaccinated patrons.)

International events industry insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — worldwide.

Africa

  • A third wave of the coronavirus has hit Africa, and officials say the surge of cases is “very concerning.” “The sobering trajectory of surging cases should rouse everyone into urgent action,” the World Health Organization’s Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, said on Thursday. “We’ve seen in India and elsewhere just how quickly COVID-19 can rebound and overwhelm health systems. So public health measures must be scaled up fast to find, test, isolate and care for patients and to quickly trace their contacts.” Though Africa has reported only about 5 million cases of the coronavirus, which is less than 3% of the global total, new cases have increased 30% in the past week. Moeti added that five countries — South Africa, Tunisia, Zambia, Uganda, and Namibia — account for 76% of those new cases.

Japan

  • Japan is gearing up for the Tokyo Olympics, which kick off in late July. The country announced that it will ease its coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo and six other areas, given that new cases are declining.
  • Local fans will be able to attend the Olympics, but in limited numbers, organizers announced Monday. There’s a 50% capacity limit, up to a maximum of 10,000 people, and all attendees must be Japanese residents. Fans won’t be permitted to cheer, they’re required to wear masks, and they’ll be told to go directly home after the events.
  • Olympic athletes who violate COVID-19 rules will face consequences that range from disqualification to financial sanctions. “We expect you to play by the rules, but if you don’t, there will be sanctions that could be coming your way,” Pierre Ducrey, Olympic Games operations director at the International Olympic Committee, said at a news conference. One of the new rules requires athletes to switch on the GPS function on their phones when entering Japan, which will help facilitate contact tracing. Those residing in the Olympic Village will be tested for COVID-19 every day, while media and other people who come into occasional contact with athletes will be tested every four days. Results will be provided 12 hours after testing.

United Kingdom

  • Over the weekend, about 10,000 people attended Britain’s first full music festival since the start of the pandemic. More than 40 U.K. bands played, including Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Enter Shikari, and Bullet for My Valentine. Fans were required to take COVID-19 tests before the event, and those in attendance (who had tested negative) did not have to wear masks or follow social-distancing rules. There was a “real sense of euphoria,” promoter Andy Copping told NPR.
  • England’s plan to reopen could be delayed by four weeks. Prime Minister Boris Johnson had planned to abolish all COVID-19 restrictions on June 21, but he pushed that date back due to a spike in cases caused by a contagious new variant. That means restaurants and bars will have to abide by social-distancing rules indoors, plus addere to capacity restrictions. Nightclubs and theaters will remain shuttered. Johnson will reevaluate the decision in two weeks.

Events industry inspiration and further reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

For more resources on staging in-person events during the pandemic, consult Eventbrite’s COVID-19 Safety Playbook for Events.

For previous versions of this report, read the archives here

June 9, 2021:

Noteworthy developments

There’s finally light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. Here’s what to know about recent developments, and the status of aid from the government:

  • U.S. COVID-19 deaths have fallen to the lowest point since March 2020 — a sign that vaccinations are working. The seven-day average for newly reported deaths dropped to 432 on June 3, according to the Wall Street Journal. “This milestone reinforces that the U.S. is in the homestretch of the epidemic, thanks to vaccinations,” Andrew Brouwer, an assistant research scientist in epidemiology at the University of Michigan, told the outlet. Nearly 65% of adults in the U.S. have had at least one COVID-19 vaccination, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.
  • As of June 1, several members of the National Independent Venue Association have received approval notices from the Small Business Administration. The SBA’s Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program allocated $16 billion in federal relief to independent venues and promoters. “We’re grateful that the first award notices have been issued and appreciate that SBA Administrator Guzman said there will be a ramp up of notifications,” the NIVA statement said.

Priya Parker, Julia Hartz, Reconvene

RECONVENE Recaps

Eventbrite hosted the first-ever RECONVENE summit in May, bringing thousands of event organizers together to learn, listen, and connect. The virtual event featured an expert lineup of more than 20 event producers and guest speakers who shared tips on safely returning to in-person events, the future of virtual, and best practices for growing your audience. We’re recapping the two-day event’s key takeaways, and you can read the first two below. Watch videos of the full sessions here

  • Acclaimed author and podcast host Priya Parker joined Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz for a fireside chat exploring how and why we gather — and they shared four tips on how to make events more meaningful and impactful.
  • One of RECONVENE’s keynotes featured Dr. Bob Wachter, chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, in conversation with Hrishikesh Hirway, creator of Netflix’s “Song Exploder.” The two discussed health and safety and why outdoor settings and increasing vaccine rates are key to operating safe events.

Managing COVID-19 event restrictions

Here’s how venues and creators in the events industry are safely reopening their business as pandemic restrictions loosen.

  • On weekends, the Lane Field Park Street Food Market in San Diego tempts patrons with drinks, coffee, desserts, and live music. The event organizers say that, due to COVID-19 safety guidelines, picnic rugs and lawn games aren’t available, and a reduced number of vendors are participating. Patrons are asked to stay home if they’re sick, wear a mask, wash their hands or use sanitizer, and maintain at least 6 feet of distance from others.
  • Concerts and other shows are happening again at Herman’s Hideaway in Denver. Masks are no longer required, and the venue is operating at full capacity, which is 500 patrons. Its website says: “Although we are more or less ‘back to normal,’ we will still continue to respect individual wishes of the amazing people we’re working with on a show-by-show basis.”
  • Earlier this week, Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog performed at Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, New York. In order to gain admittance, the venue is requiring one of the following: Personal ID alongside a valid vaccination card proving vaccination was completed more than 14 days prior; a negative result after taking a rapid test outside the theater for $15; or use of New York’s Excelsior app, a digital passport that verifies vaccination. According to the venue, there are more than 20 hand-sanitizing stations located around the theater, and temperature checks are conducted at the entrance.
  • On June 12, the Kansas City Summer Beer Fest will take place at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, featuring more than 60 breweries, 150 beers, and food trucks. Social-distancing is required, and face coverings must be worn when not eating or drinking, event organizers say.
  • Booze cruises are back on Lake Michigan. The organizers who oversee events on the Chicago Party Boat say they take “your comfort and safety very seriously.” The boat is operating at reduced capacity, which allows plenty of space for patrons, and employees self-screen to ensure they have no symptoms of COVID-19. Restrooms are sanitized regularly, and there are plastic barriers between employees and customers at the bar. Masks are required except when eating or drinking, even for those who are vaccinated.
  • “Seated apart … and laughing together.” That’s what Unexpected Productions Improv says about its “Seattle Theatresports Improv LIVE!” shows in Seattle. The venue in Pike Place Market is operating at 35% capacity, and masks are required. Patrons are asked to wait outside until 15 minutes before the show, and to not drink until seated. Then, they dispose of or recycle their own trash in the proper receptacles, which eliminates the need for other people to touch their cups or bottles.

Regional events industry regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US, where restrictions are easing at a rapid clip:

New York

  • As New Yorkers enjoyed Memorial Day weekend, the city’s museums broke attendance records, movie theaters sold out, and jazz clubs were packed, the New York Times reports. The Metropolitan Museum of Art attracted more than 10,000 visitors on both Saturday and Sunday of the holiday weekend. And the Comedy Cellar, which requires patrons to be vaccinated or to test negative for the coronavirus within 24 hours of an event, had to add an extra show due to high demand.

California

  • The Walt Disney Concert Hall has a concert on the calendar for the first time since closing more than a year ago. On June 26, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra will play a free show for invited guests and 200 winners of a giveaway open to those who are fully vaccinated. Attendance will be capped at 50% of the venue’s capacity, and there will be at least one open seat between parties. There will be no food or drink available on-site, and no intermission to discourage gathering. The performing musicians will be seated 6 feet apart and wear masks (with the exception of the wind players). “One of the concerns we have is we don’t know how audiences will react to in-person performances,” LACO Executive Director Ben Cadwallader told the Los Angeles Times. “Outdoors is one thing, but sitting in an enclosed space, even an expansive one like Disney Hall, are people going to feel comfortable? One of the great things about this concert for us is it enables us to test the waters.”
  • Coachella is back: The festival will be held April 15-17 and April 22-24, 2022. “We are optimistic and planning for the festival based on nationwide trends of declining COVID-19 cases and increased vaccinations as well as input from local health officials,” organizers say on Coachella’s website. “It’s too early to tell exactly what precautions will be in place at the festival. However, your health and safety remain our top priority, and we continue to monitor the evolving health regulations and are working closely with state and health officials to develop COVID-19 protocols for the festival.”

Pennsylvania

  • Philadelphia is entering a new phase of the reopening process. Restrictions were lifted on June 2, which is nine days earlier than expected, but an indoor mask mandate remains in place. There are no longer limits on capacity or social distancing requirements at any businesses or events. That means stadiums, restaurants, and other venues can operate much like they did pre-pandemic. The news is “an important moment for our entire city,” Valerie Camillo, president of Business Operations for Wells Fargo Center, told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “At the beginning of the pandemic, the Wells Fargo Center was one of the first and most significant buildings in Philadelphia to close its doors, so our full reopening sends a clear message that our city is back.”
  • Philly area concert promoters are speaking out about the news that they’re back in business. Things are completely insane,” said Jesse Lundy of Point Entertainment, which books venues such as The Locks in Manayunk. “Every band that ever existed wants to tour. And they’re starting to reach back into summer. ‘Hey, have you got July 29 available?’”

Washington

  • As Seattle reopens, city officials are encouraging — and making physical room for — activity in the streets. A new Block Party program will allow “residents and community-based organizations [to] close a residential street to make more room for fun and play up to three days a week, for a maximum of 12 hours per week during daylight hours,” according to a press release. There will also be free permits for outdoor cafes, merchandise displays, vending locations, and other outdoor activities. The city is encouraging weddings or parties in the streets, as well as neighborhood events and art walks.
  • Starting June 14, the Seattle Mariners are allowing up to 30,945 fans to watch games at T-Mobile Park. That includes 26,265 tickets reserved for fully vaccinated fans, who will sit in non-socially distanced areas, and 4,680 seats in socially distanced sections. Those who provide proof of vaccination are not required to wear a mask. Musical events will begin at the park on Sept. 6.

International events industry insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — worldwide.

India

  • Parts of India are easing coronavirus restrictions, as new cases and deaths decline. Markets and shopping malls in New Delhi reopened this week, for example. Offices can also reopen at 50% capacity, though working from home is still encouraged.

Spain

  • Spain has announced a plan to ease COVID-19 restrictions on clubs and bars. Regions with a 14-day infection rate below 50 cases per 100,000 people can keep nightclubs open until 3 a.m., with some rules still in place, including a mask mandate. Venues in medium-risk regions will need to close at some time earlier than 3 a.m. and will remain under capacity restrictions. Not everyone approved of the plan. “The only good news is that they let us open, but obviously it is not worth opening until 2 a.m.,” Ramon Mas, head of the Spain nightlife association Espana de Noche, told state broadcaster TVE.

Japan

  • Japan’s Creativeman Productions announced that it will be moving forward with its Supersonic music festival, which had been postponed last year due to the pandemic. It will take place on Sept. 18 and 19. The lineup will include foreign artists — making it the first Japanese festival since the pandemic to do so. Specific performers have not yet been announced.

Events industry inspiration and further reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

  • You don’t have to be a math whiz to keep your event planning budget on track. Here’s your ultimate guide to creating and managing an event budget.
  • If you’re planning an outdoor extravaganza, you will want to have a backup plan in case the weather decides not to cooperate. We’ve got some tips on key considerations.
  • Planning an online event? Here’s our readiness checklist to make sure you’re prepared for the expected and the unexpected during your next virtual gathering.
  • The pandemic put concerts on hold. Now that they’re returning, are pod concerts set to become the next big trend in live music?
  • How will vaccines and changing case counts affect event planning this summer and beyond? We’re keeping our pulse on the latest updates. You’ll find insights and regular updates here.
  • Take your events to the next level with Eventbrite Boost — the all-in-one event marketing platform built to save you time and handle all your marketing challenges. Learn more here
  • Eventbrite’s experts and fellow creators can help you navigate every aspect of the event-making process with this curated collection of events.

For more resources on staging in-person events during the pandemic, consult Eventbrite’s COVID-19 Safety Playbook for Events.

For previous versions of this report, read the archives here

May 26, 2021:

Noteworthy developments

There’s finally light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. Here’s what to know about recent developments, and the status of aid from the government:

  • The seven-day coronavirus case average has dropped below 30,000 for the first time since last June. Cases have been steadily falling as vaccination rates begin to gain momentum again, after stalling out over the past month, according to The Wall Street Journal. The White House announced that 50% of adults in the US were fully vaccinated as of May 25. This follows on the heels of the CDC relaxing masking guidance for fully vaccinated people on May 13, which led to most states dropping masking mandates for the fully vaccinated. 
  • The Small Business Administration said it expects to begin distributing grants from the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program this week. The announcement follows numerous delays in distributing the money to applicants. As Audrey Fix Shaefer of the National Independent Venue Association told Variety: “This emergency relief can’t come soon enough for those on the precipice of going under. We’ll be very grateful when the money is distributed as Congress intended. It’s been very hard to hold on, but even tougher to plan for reopening without the money to hire back staff, rent venues, and secure acts with deposits. It will be incredible when the $16 billion Congress earmarked to save our stages becomes a reality.”

Managing COVID-19 event restrictions

Here’s how venues and creators in the events industry are safely reopening their business as pandemic restrictions loosen.

  • Brunch is back at Good Vibes Lounge in Detroit. On Sundays, attendees are treated to a DJ and a Detroit-themed brunch menu that includes a mimosa bar. To ensure the dining experience is safe, brunch is by reservation only, and there’s limited seating. Patrons are only allowed to dine during their allotted time, and late arrivals aren’t guaranteed after 15 minutes. Organizers caution that patrons can only register for one time slot, or their reservation is subject to cancellation.
  • Outdoor yoga is happening in Austin. It’s scheduled for every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. on the rooftop of The Riley Building, in partnership with Black Swan Yoga and Austin Private Yoga. It’s open air, which helps make group exercise safe, and there are lots of guidelines in place: While masks are optional, capacity is limited, and attendees must pre-register with contactless payment. Yogis are required to bring their own mat. It’s “physically distanced, socially connected,” as organizers put it.
  • On June 4 and 5, the OUTLOUD Music Festival — a celebration of LGBTQI+ musicians and artists — will be held in Nashville. Event organizers created a comprehensive FAQ page to answer patrons’ questions about safety information. Among the highlights: Tickets are available for specific tiers, which are separated by bike racks to prevent crowds, and attendees are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets to set up with “other attendees that you are comfortable being close to.” All members of the same party were instructed to buy tickets in the same tier. To cut down on interaction, food vendors will offer online ordering through their apps, and attendees can pre-order and then collect their food when they get a notification that it’s ready. Links to the specific apps will be included in ticket emails sent 48 hours before the event.
  • Rocky Mountain Goat Yoga in Denver offers indoor and outdoor sessions. The group has taken numerous steps to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. Indoor classes are limited to 10 people who are kept at least 6 feet apart, and masks are required. Staff members escort guests to their practice area and open and close all gates to cut down on interactions with high-touch areas. There’s a half-hour rest period between sessions to allow for sanitization, and patrons are provided with sanitized mats. Patrons are required to exit immediately after the goat yoga lesson is over.
  • Patrons attending a concert at Vinoski Winery in Pennsylvania’s Rostraver Township will have their temperature checked upon arrival and can then find a socially-distant table on the patio or lawn. Security will monitor social distancing and enforce it in areas that could attract a crowd, like lines at the restroom. Restrooms will be cleaned regularly, and staff will frequently sanitize shared surfaces. “Announcements will be made regularly over the PA announcing the rules that patrons need to follow,” organizers say.
  • At Mucho Más Art Studio in Phoenix, those who attend a “paint your own pottery” event on Saturdays sign up in advance to reserve their own 6-foot table. It seats two to four people. In addition to the social-distancing that ensures, masks are required.
  • Unexpected Productions, which hosts comedy events in Seattle, created a path to reopening to give patrons a sense of what to expect during the reopening. It’s currently operating at 25% capacity with masks required, and guests wait outside until 15 minutes before the show. The venue increased air circulation and updated filters for its HVAC system, and is sanitizing seats and bathrooms before each performance. There are hand-sanitizing stations at the entrance.

Regional events industry regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US, where restrictions are easing at a rapid clip:

New York

  • New York City has lifted most of its coronavirus restrictions: Businesses such as restaurants, stores, salons, and gyms can operate at 100% capacity, but social distancing is still required. Julie Ross, 63, who visited the Museum of Modern Art, told The New York Times that the return to normalcy was “fabulous.” “The streets feel more alive, a little bit,” she said.
  • Radio City Music Hall will host its first event in more than a year on June 19. The occasion: The Tribeca Film Festival’s Closing Night film. The venue will operate at 100% capacity, and only patrons who have been fully vaccinated will be admitted. 

California

  • California is on track for a June 15 statewide reopening. At that time, businesses will no longer have capacity limits or have to enforce social-distancing guidelines. Exceptions will be made for “mega events,” which have crowds of more than 5,000 indoors and 10,000 outdoors, since those are higher risk. For large indoor events, attendees will have to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. The same will be recommended for outdoor events, and masks for those who are not vaccinated will be encouraged.

Texas

  • Austin will relax safety measures like mask-wearing and social-distancing to help pave the way for the return of music festivals such as Austin City Limits. Organizers who apply for an event permit will not have to prove fans have been vaccinated, KCUE reported. “Special events are one way we connect to art, live music, and some of the cultural experiences which make Austin unique,” the city’s development services director, Denise Lucas, said in a press release. “Relaxing COVID safety requirements for special events permits is a signal that we are able to return to normal. We are ready for events to come back safely so we can all support our local event organizers, vendors, artists, and musicians.”

Delaware

  • Delaware’s mask mandate has expired, and Gov. John Carney said the state has no plans to check for a “vaccine passport” that would prove someone has been vaccinated against COVID-19. “We’re not going to be in the business of asking people for a so-called vaccine passport,” he said, adding that he’ll continue to wear a mask even though he’s fully vaccinated. He asked his state’s residents “not to stigmatize those folks who are not vaccinated,” but set a goal for achieving a 70% vaccination rate by the Fourth of July.

Boston

  • As restrictions lift in Massachusetts, the 2021 Fenway Concert Series will kick off in Boston on July 16. The lineup includes performances by Guns N’ Roses, Billy Joel, Lady Gaga, and New Kids on the Block. The park will have health and safety guidelines in place, including a required health survey that patrons must complete before attending an event. There will be digital tickets, and cashless payment is encouraged throughout the stadium.

International events industry insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — worldwide.

England

  • As audiences returned to Sondheim Theatre in London’s West End last week, producer Cameron Mackintosh said the entertainment district felt “alive” again. “I am very encouraged in the public interest, which I think will only get stronger,” he told Reuters. “This is the first week London’s reopened with the restaurants. You can see, you can feel it in the street, London is coming alive again. And it’s pleasantly busy and buzzy now.” While about a third of London’s theatres reopened, they’re currently only permitted to operate at 50% capacity. 

United Arab Emirates

  • Dubai is testing out whether it can safely resume entertainment and sporting events for those who have been fully vaccinated. For a trial period of one month, indoor events can have up to 1,500 people, and outdoor events can host 2,500 people. All staff and patrons must be vaccinated in order to attend, which they’ll prove via an electronic vaccination card or an app.

Hong Kong

  • Big events are returning to Hong Kong. In May, after a two-year absence, Art Basel took place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, featuring more than 100 galleries from 23 countries and territories. (About half participated virtually.) Lots of guidelines were in place for the in-person attendees: mask-wearing, temperature checks, timed entry, capacity limits, and wider aisles, plus frequent cleaning. 

Events industry inspiration and further reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

  • Eventbrite’s first-ever RECONVENE summit was held last week and featured more than 20 panels and workshops where creators like you discussed event safety, event marketing, and community-building. Keep an eye on this space for recaps of RECONVENE full of key takeaways, or relive the two-day event with full recordings here
  • How will vaccines and changing case counts affect event planning this summer and beyond? We’re keeping our pulse on the latest updates. You’ll find insights and regular updates here.
  • Take your events to the next level with Eventbrite Boost — the all-in-one event marketing platform built to save you time and handle all your marketing challenges. Learn more here
  • Eventbrite’s Sales Curve is your event marketing secret weapon. It’s the quickest way to learn when your tickets sell — and how to apply those insights to your event marketing.
  • Need some Independence Day inspiration? These party ideas can help you draw a crowd on the 4th of July.
  • Eventbrite’s experts and fellow creators can help you navigate every aspect of the event-making process with this curated collection of events.

May 12, 2021:

Good news on vaccinations and case counts

Though in-person events remain in flux, the vaccine rollout is intensifying in the US.

  • As of May 10, more than 1.31 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered worldwide, according to Bloomberg. That includes 262 million shots in the US, averaging about 2.12 million a day.
  • On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for use in 12- to 15-year-olds. “This is great news,” Dr. Kristin Oliver, a pediatrician and vaccine expert at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, told The New York Times. “It feels like we’ve been waiting a long time to start protecting children in this age group.” Expect even wider availability soon: Pfizer will likely request approval to vaccinate kids ages 2 to 11 in September.
  • The Biden administration is eyeing relaxed restrictions as the nation sees light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. “I would say we are turning the corner,” Jeff Zients, Biden’s COVID-19 coordinator, told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. And Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, told CBS News that: “I think we’re at the point in time when we can start lifting these ordinances in a wholesale fashion, and people have to take precautions based on their individual risk.” Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci told ABC’s “The Week” that the US does “need to start being more liberal as we get more people vaccinated.” That could mean, as Fauci has hinted, mask use based on seasonal factors.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that computer modeling indicates “a sharp decline” in new COVID-19 cases is possible by July. “Data from six models indicate that with high vaccination coverage and moderate NPI adherence, hospitalizations and deaths will likely remain low nationally, with a sharp decline in cases projected by July 2021,” the agency wrote in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (NPI stands for nonpharmaceutical interventions, such as mask wearing and social distancing.)

reconvene

Introducing RECONVENE: The event for event creators

As the world reopens and people start to gather again, Eventbrite wants to celebrate, amplify, and support you, the resilient makers and doers of the event community. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce RECONVENE, a free virtual skillsharing summit about the future of events made for independent event creators of all kinds. 

This two-day, interactive event on May 20 and 21 features some of the most forward-thinking entrepreneurs, artists, and producers in the industry, as well as some of the biggest leaders in health, equity, and wellness. By attending the summit, you’ll gain access to the latest insights and guidelines for safely reopening from top public health experts, leaving you confident about COVID-era best practices.

We’re also thrilled to announce that iconic journalist and author Katie Couric is joining the RECONVENE lineup to host a fireside chat with Stanford professor and behavioral scientist Dr. Jennifer Aaker on the importance of bringing people together and how creators can leverage the power of humor in their work.  To learn more about our lineup of speakers and each day’s packed agenda, head here, and join us by registering for a free ticket

Managing COVID-19 event restrictions 

Venues and creators in the events industry are finding ways to safely reopen their business as restrictions begin to loosen.

  • Austin’s music venues are celebrating increased vaccination rates in the city, which will help propel a safe reopening. The Mohawk, for example, announced that its first concert since March 12, 2020 will be held on May 27. “It’s been something that’s affected the entire industry, not just one market,” Austen Bailey, the venue’s talent buyer, told KXAN. “It’s been incredibly humbling and also inspiring in a lot of ways, just to see the way that we were able to get Save Our Stages passed — that was a big deal.” Unlike other local venues, The Mohawk remained closed throughout the pandemic, and didn’t reopen with pod concerts or other new formats. When patrons are welcomed back this month, they’ll undergo temperature checks and health screenings, and will be required to wear masks when they’re not eating or drinking. “We didn’t want to be the first out of the gate to reopen, just to observe and learn from the others and see what they were doing,” Bailey said. “Nobody has a crystal ball with this thing, but it’s just trying to follow the science and let that inform when we can come back. We’re cultural institutions, but we’re also economic hubs.”
  • The Neighborhood Theatre, a venue in Charlotte, has changed the text on its marquee: “We are back,” it says. “For the first time in a long time I’m feeling optimistic,” Gregg McCraw, owner of MaxxMusic, which operates the Neighborhood Theatre, told The Charlotte Observer. While his venue could reopen now, at 50% capacity, he’s waiting until social distancing guidelines are further relaxed — likely next month. “That is if everyone will help us by getting out and vaccinated,” he said. “Not getting vaccinated has an impact on every small business in the city.” He anticipates that once he reopens, it’ll be with local and regional acts until September, when national travel may become more common.
  • Birders recently enjoyed a mix of in-person and virtual events at the 28th annual Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival in Alaska. Festival coordinator Melanie Dafour told the Homer News that she was eager to see birders with their “feet on the ground and coats on their backs.” Those who attended in person could participate in events such as bird-sighting kayak and boat tours, guided and self-guided shorebird viewing, and conservation lessons. Social-distancing and masks were encouraged. Interested folks who stayed at home could tune into virtual events, such as classes and Q&A sessions, via an app.
  • In Pennsylvania, event organizers are embracing the return of festivals, fairs, and other large gatherings. As of now, 100% capacity will be allowed at most indoor and outdoor venues starting Memorial Day. Plans are in the works to resume such fan-favorites as the Bacon Fest and Garlic Fest. For the most part, these events will look like they used to, with one exception. “Right now, you’re going to have to wear a mask. That may change sometime during the year, but right now, you’re still going to need to wear a mask,” Easton Mayor Sal Panto told WFMZ.
  • Ohio flea markets are back and continuing to expand. Jay Frick III, who owns Trader’s World — which has 850 indoor vendor spaces and 400 outdoor spaces — shut his venue down for two months at the beginning of the pandemic. Then Trader’s World reopened, with precautions. “We complied with everything the government wanted,” Frick told Dayton.com. “We asked people to wear masks. We offer masks. I walk around with a mask pack. We have blue arrows on the floor directing people, stickers for six feet, there’s 25 hand sanitizing stations, so if people touch something, there’s a handy place to clean up.” He added that he paid his employees while the flea market was closed. “We paid them as if nothing happened during those nine weeks,” he said. “We didn’t want them to go through the process of unemployment, so we just mailed them a check every week. We wanted them back here with us (when the lockdown was over), and not going somewhere else. We couldn’t reimburse the vendors, of course.” Still, most vendors have now returned, with the exception of some who are, for example, caring for elderly parents. Frick said that while he was closed, he learned how much shoppers cared about the market. “I was getting 300 calls a day.”

Regional events industry regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US:

New York

  • Broadway and baseball are making a comeback in New York. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced theater patrons could start purchasing tickets for Broadway shows in early May, ahead of a reopening at 100% capacity on Sept. 14. “We remain cautiously optimistic about Broadway’s ability to resume performances this fall and are happy that fans can start buying tickets again,” Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin said in a statement. Cuomo said it’s still unclear whether theatergoers will need to present proof of vaccination or a negative test to attend a show. But he pointed out that some patrons will want to know whether the person next to them has been vaccinated. “Are you willing to go into an indoor theater and sit there for two hours next to a person who you don’t know if they’re vaccinated or unvaccinated? I don’t know that New Yorkers are going to do that,” Cuomo said.
  • As of May 19, large outdoor venues such as amphitheaters, racetracks, and sports stadiums will be reopening, with special seating areas based on vaccination. At Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, for example, those who have been vaccinated will be seated in designated sections at full capacity (kids under 16 who have not been vaccinated will be allowed to accompany their family in those areas). “We ask them to wear masks,” Cuomo said. “But you attend a ballgame like you attended a ballgame two years ago.” Unvaccinated sports fans will be required to wear masks and sit in socially-distant seats in areas that are capped at 33% capacity.

Florida

  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is lifting COVID-19 restrictions: He announced that he’s suspending all local COVID-19 emergency orders effective immediately, and will outlaw those mandates effective July 1. DeSantis wants people to “enjoy themselves” and “live freely in the state of Florida,” according to CBS News. This means, for example, that the state no longer has mask mandates in public areas. Privately-owned companies can continue to enforce their own safety rules, however.
  • Walt Disney World and Universal Studios are relaxing some of their safety measures, including eliminating temperature checks by mid-May. In addition, Universal Studios is cutting its social-distancing gap from 6 feet to 3 feet.

Washington, DC

  • Life in DC is about to look a lot more normal: Mayor Muriel Bowser is removing capacity restrictions on venues such as restaurants, places of worship, offices, and schools on May 21. At that time, bars and nightclubs will be permitted to operate at 50% capacity. Then, on June 11, restrictions on bars and nightclubs, large entertainment venues, and sports arenas will be lifted. “We are fast approaching what appears to be containment of the virus in the District,” D.C. health director LaQuandra Nesbitt said during a news briefing. “A lot of people have been waiting on this day.” 

Pennsylvania 

  • All COVID-19 restrictions — except mask-wearing — will end after midnight on Memorial Day. Restaurants and other businesses in the state will no longer have capacity limits, opening the door for many events to resume. Face masks will be required until 70% of adults have been fully inoculated. However, Philadelphia’s City Health Commissioner said he’s worried about relaxing restrictions too early, so Philly’s restrictions will remain in place while the city observes what happens elsewhere in the state.

Minnesota

  • Gov. Tim Walz announced Minnesota’s reopening plan: On May 7, an 11pm curfew on restaurants and bars was lifted, and the outdoor mask mandate ended. (However, masks are still required at gatherings of more than 500 people.) On May 28, all capacity limits will be removed, and the mask mandate for indoor use could end by July 1. (Sooner if 70% of the state’s residents get at least one vaccine dose.) “We’re gonna have a summer where, it’s just the simple pleasures will be back again,” Walz said, according to KTTC. “We took care of our own, and now we’re on this final mile of this marathon. Let’s win this thing. Let’s end this strong, let’s recognize that there’s still much more work to do.”

California

  • California recently relaxed its mask rules to be in sync with the CDC’s guidance. Those who are vaccinated are no longer required to wear a face mask at small gatherings indoors or outdoors, but everyone should wear one at a large gathering, like a concert, officials said.
  • On Tuesday, the Hollywood Bowl announced its 2021 line-up. On the schedule: Yo-Yo Ma, Christina Aguilera, H.E.R., Viola Davis, and more artists. It kicks off July 3 with Kool & the Gang and a fireworks show. Those who are vaccinated will have the best odds of scoring a ticket: 85% of seats will be reserved for patrons who are fully inoculated. The rest will go to those who show proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the show. Masks will be required for all attendees.

International events industry insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — worldwide.

India

  • India’s coronavirus crisis isn’t improving. On Saturday, the country reported its highest daily death toll: 4,187 people. That means nearly 240,000 people in India have died from the virus so far, though as NPR points out, those numbers are likely an undercount. “It’s nearly impossible to walk sometimes in the [emergency room],” Dr. Sumit Ray, critical care chief at Holy Family Hospital in New Delhi, told NPR’s Morning Edition. “Individual hospitals are standing up and doing the best they could. But as a system in different parts of the country, we have collapsed.”

Nepal

  • This Asian country is battling a surge in new coronavirus cases. Nepal is so short on oxygen canisters that it has asked those climbing Mount Everest to bring their empty ones back, instead of abandoning them on the slopes, which is the typical practice. “We appeal to climbers and sherpas to bring back their empty bottles wherever possible as they can be refilled and used for the treatment of the coronavirus patients who are in dire needs,” Kul Bahadur Gurung, a senior official with the Nepal Mountaineering Association, told Reuters.  Added Samir Kumar Adhikari, a health ministry official: “We need about 25,000 oxygen cylinders immediately to save people from dying. This is our urgent need.”

Hong Kong

  • Hong Kong — which has had one of the world’s strictest quarantine policies — is easing up: Effective May 12, fully vaccinated travelers coming from low-risk countries such as Australia and Singapore will only have to quarantine for seven days, down from 14, according to Bloomberg. They’ll also be required to self-monitor for one week. Vaccinated people coming from high- and medium-risk countries will quarantine for two weeks instead of 21 days, plus spend an additional week self-monitoring. Relaxing the restrictions is “an important step for us to reopen our economy,” Food and Health Secretary Sophia Chan said.

The Seychelles

  • The Seychelles is the most vaccinated nation in the world, with more than 60% of its population having been inoculated. But it’s experiencing an alarming spike in new cases, which has led officials to reinstate some restrictions. And the rest of the world is watching closely: “It is providing a critical case to consider the effectiveness of some vaccines and what range we have to reach to meet herd immunity,” Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, told the Washington Post. During the week of May 7, active cases of COVID-19 more than doubled, and 37% of those were in people who were fully vaccinated.

Events industry inspiration and further reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

  • Take your events to the next level with Eventbrite Boost — the all-in-one event marketing platform built to save you time and handle all your marketing challenges. Learn more here
  • Setting up appointments and timed entry helps control traffic flow at an event and streamline entry, which can reduce attendees’ wait times. Learn how Eventbrite can help you manage crowds with timed entry here.
  • As we return to live events, it’s important to determine if your venues can still meet safety requirements for your area. Taking the time to do your own event risk assessment can help you choose a venue and mitigate risk before your tickets even go on sale. We’ve pulled together a list of factors to consider as you plan your next event so you can keep attendees safe and entertained.
  • Need some Independence Day inspiration? These party ideas can help you draw a crowd on the 4th of July.
  • Eventbrite’s experts and your fellow creators can help you navigate every aspect of the event-making process with this curated collection of events.

April 28, 2021:

Good news on vaccinations and case counts

Though in-person events remain in flux, the vaccine rollout is intensifying in the US.

  • As of April 28, more than 1 billion doses of the coronavirus vaccines have been administered across 172 countries, according to Bloomberg. That includes 232 million doses in the US.
  • Coronavirus cases and positivity rates are declining in many areas, including New York and Iowa. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former head of the Food and Drug Administration, described the drop in new coronavirus infections nationwide as a “hopeful trend.” “I think that these declines we’re seeing are really locked in at this point,” he said on “Face the Nation.” “So I don’t think we need to be as worried that as we take our foot off the brake, things are going to surge again.”

reconvene

Introducing RECONVENE: The event for event creators

As the world reopens and people start to gather again, Eventbrite wants to celebrate, amplify, and support you, the resilient makers and doers of the event community. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce RECONVENE, a free virtual skillsharing summit about the future of events made for independent event creators of all kinds. 

This two-day, interactive event on May 20 and 21 features some of the most forward-thinking entrepreneurs, artists, and producers in the industry, as well as some of the biggest leaders in health, equity, and wellness. By attending the summit, you’ll gain access to the latest insights and guidelines for safely reopening from top public health experts, leaving you confident about COVID-era best practices. To learn more about our lineup of speakers and each day’s packed agenda, head here, and join us by registering for a free ticket

Managing COVID-19 event restrictions 

Venues and creators in the events industry are finding ways to safely reopen their business as restrictions begin to loosen.

  • Colorado’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre welcomed its first large crowd back last week. Among the regulations in place: Capacity was limited to 2,500 people (compared to 9,500 in normal times), and seats were divided into four sections. Each section had its own assigned parking lot and entrance. Patrons were encouraged to wear masks while they were seated, and masks were mandatory at indoor spots such as restrooms.
  • The Ocean Mist, a seaside bar and nightclub in Rhode Island, is planning to ease back into normal operations. “[We plan to] open up slowly, stay a step behind the regulations,” owner Kevin Finnegan told WPRI. “Just see how it all goes.” Face masks will be required, and patrons will be asked to stay at least 3 feet apart. That means the dance floor will remain closed, at least for now. “I think it’d be more of a sit-down dinner club,” Finnegan predicted about the first couple months back in business. He’s planning to book bigger acts for the summer, hoping that restrictions will be even more relaxed by then.
  • New York Comic Con will be an in-person event in 2021, but the annual extravaganza will look different than it did in past years. The event is scheduled for Oct. 7 to 10 at the Javits Center, with still-to-be-determined capacity restrictions. There will be increased sanitization and cleaning, and a policy that discourages high fives and hugs. “You’re probably wondering what the heck a photo op may look like and how panel seating will work,” Kristina Rogers, the US Comic Portfolio Director of ReedPop — which produces the event — said in a statement. “We’ll be sharing more information in the months leading up to our shows, and we are committed to being as transparent as possible.”
  • Some European venues are getting creative to accommodate outdoor events. Popular hotel The Dorchester, for example, opened its rooftop as a bar and restaurant for the first time in its 90-year history. It’s using the space to host pop-up events, as well as live music, DJs, and guest chefs. A restaurant in Germany is giving diners large hats adorned with foam swimming noodles, which helps ensure proper distancing. Cafes in Paris are using giant teddy bears for the same purpose — they’re squeezed into chairs to make sure people don’t get too close.
  • The Down Home, a Tennessee venue, hopes to reopen in mid-June for its 45th anniversary. “We’re projecting to open up … at less than minimum capacity, and (we’re) recreating how we do shows,” owner Ed Snodderly told the Johnson City Press. The venue plans to have bands perform two shows in one night, with 45 people at each show — which would be equivalent to a full house for one show. “We’re trying to reinvent how we can be open, how we can stay safe and move forward,” Snodderly said. “I’ve booked a few shows for the summer and we’ll have the guidelines to keep people safe. The sign out front says ‘Music returning mid-June. Stay diligent,’” he said.
  • Stephen O’Brien, a musician in Burlington, Vermont, told VTDigger that, prior to the pandemic, the city’s basement shows “packed people in like sardines.” That makes reopening difficult: “We’re going to have to rebuild a lot of the foundation that we’ve lost.” So O’Brien decided to start hosting live DIY shows in his backyard, which he’s calling “The Weston Cove.” Twenty people can attend, and masks and social distancing are mandatory. O’Brien reports that the shows have booked quickly, and he has performances scheduled every week through July. “We’re just so ready to come back and make this real again,” he said.

Regional events industry regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US:

New York

  • New York’s museums and zoos began operating at 50% capacity on April 26. (Capacity had been at 25% since August.) Movie theaters are also now permitted to open at 33% capacity, and large indoor arenas such as Madison Square Garden and the Barclays Center can open at 25% on May 19. “We think this is a very overdue and positive step for New York’s movie theaters,” Dylan Skolnick, co-director of Huntington’s Cinema Arts Centre, told Newsday. “It’s been a long journey through this crisis for cinemas, and this is a yet another sign that we’re moving forward toward recovery.”

Washington, DC

  • Eight Smithsonian museums will reopen in May, after being closed to the public since November. On the list: the National Zoo, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Free, timed passes (which can be reserved online or via phone) will be required, and capacity will vary. It will start around 25%, a Smithsonian spokeswoman told the New York Times. Masks will be mandatory, some spots will have reduced hours, and museum cafes will remain closed.

California

  • Disneyland is officially reopening on April 30, but the theme park will be a new version of its old self. Capacity will be limited to 25%, and parades, fireworks, and hugs will be prohibited. Patrons will have to wear masks and abide by social-distancing rules. Even as the park reopens, many of its restaurants, bars, and food stands will remain shuttered for now.

Tennessee

  • Nashville venues are unhappy with the city’s lack of reopening plans — and said they’re shouldering the burden to figure out how to proceed. There’s no longer an outdoor mask mandate in the city, and the governor recently invited spring breakers to town, which has led to what some consider unsafe (crowded) reopening circumstances. Luke Ehrmann, co-owner of the venue East Room, said he’s struggling to figure out when to reopen. “There’s no government law that could say, ‘Oh, you guys should open up this day,’” he told NPR. Daniel Walker, who co-owns Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge, added that he “would like to see some more help coming from the government in the observation that, ‘Hey, we are Music City, so let’s go ahead and protect our musicians, our artists, and the venues that support those musicians more.’” 

International events industry insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — worldwide.

India

  • India is battling a record surge in coronavirus cases. The country’s health ministry reported 349,691 new cases on Sunday, which brings the total to 16.96 million. Hospitals are warning that they could run out of medical oxygen quickly. As the crisis worsens, the Indian government asked Twitter to remove dozens of tweets that were critical of the country’s handling of the outbreak.

Australia & New Zealand

  • More than 50,000 people attended a rock concert in New Zealand — which is being heralded as the largest in the world since the pandemic began. On April 24, the band Six60 closed its tour at Eden Park stadium. “It was amazing to see how fanatical people were, and excited about being out and seeing live music, and seeing something to drag them out of a long, brutal year,” guitarist Ji Fraser said. “It was very special.” People rarely wear face masks in New Zealand, where the virus has been virtually eliminated, and there are no longer any social-distancing requirements in place. On an aerial photo of the crowd posted on Instagram, the band wrote: “Next time they tell you it’s impossible, show them this.”
  • Meanwhile, 78,113 fans filled an Australian stadium for a football match on Sunday. It was the highest attendance at a sports stadium globally since the start of the pandemic, according to Reuters. 

European Union

  • On Sunday, The New York Times broke the news that American tourists who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus will be allowed to visit the European Union this summer, following more than a year of restrictions on nonessential travel. TUrsula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, did not offer specifics on timeline or other logistical details.
  • The European Commission said that it’s “confident” it will achieve herd immunity by this summer. “We are confident that we will be able to produce a sufficient number of vaccines to achieve the goal of collective immunity, which means that 70% of the adult population would have been vaccinated by mid-July,” European Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said during an interview with To Vima.

Thailand

  • The dangerous B.1.1.7 variant of the coronavirus is sweeping through Thailand, prompting new safety measures. The government is putting restrictions on travelers trying to enter the country and extending quarantine from 10 to 14 days for all arrivals. In Bangkok, venues such as parks, gyms, cinemas, and day-care centers will be closed through May 9. Those who fail to wear masks in public can be fined up to $635.

Events industry inspiration and further reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

  • Set yourself up for success with Eventbrite Academy, which teaches you how to use Eventbrite, how to sell tickets on Eventbrite, and how to plan events that participants love.
  • We’ve put together a glossary to help you navigate event planning in such a tumultuous environment. It provides the key terms that you’ll need to know when considering event safety, as well as each concept’s implications for your event.
  • This checklist can guide you as you decide how to organize a grand re-opening event that captivates your audience, works in the new normal, and keeps everything organized along the way.
  • As live events slowly come back, music event creators will have to continue to adapt in order to put on quality events in this new normal. We spoke with the creators of the AFROPUNK festival and Beanstalk to find out what they learned from a year of virtual and social distancing concerts.
  • Eventbrite’s experts and your fellow creators can help you navigate every aspect of the event-making process with this curated collection of events.

April 14, 2021:

Good news on vaccinations

Though in-person events remain in flux, the vaccine rollout is intensifying in the US.

  • On April 10, the number of vaccinations in the US hit a daily record: 4.6 million. As of April 14, Bloomberg reports that 814 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines have been administered worldwide, including 192 million in the US.
  • Dr. Scott Gotlieb, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said the country’s vaccine supply will soon exceed demand. “I think a lot of states are going to see themselves with excess supply and excess appointments,” Gotlieb, who’s on Pfizer’s board, told CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” Going forward, he predicted, “We’re not going to see a confluent epidemic, but we’ll see those hotspots, so we need to get in the habit of trying to surge resources into those hotspots to put out those fires of spread.”

Managing COVID-19 event restrictions 

Venues and creators in the events industry are getting creative and finding ways to safely operate their business as restrictions begin to loosen.

  • Theaters in Washington, DC, are continuing to innovate as they await their return to live, on-stage performances. Woolly Mammoth Theatre’s virtual production of “Rich Kids,” for example, includes both a live stream and a hashtag patrons follow on Instagram. Studio Theatre’s “Cock” adapts a play for film, relying on many different camera angles and split screens. “Finally getting to work on making a play again felt like I was having a very strange, very vivid dream,” Assistant Director and Studio Theatre Artistic Apprentice Annabel Heacock wrote on the theatre’s website. “Adapting the rehearsal process to prioritize health and safety was one set of challenges, but figuring out how to create Studio’s first film/theatre hybrid was another. I watched the actors learn this play over Zoom, explore their characters while rehearsing with masks, and learn how to translate the whole piece to film.”
  • The New York Philharmonic returned to concerts at the Lincoln Center last week with a 90-minute lunchtime performance for healthcare workers. It was the first of a schedule that includes more than 100 open-air events. The concert was part of the Lincoln Center’s “Restart Stages” initiative, in which the venue is creating 10 outdoor performance and rehearsal spaces. “It’s so beautiful to have culture back in New York City,” Mayor Bill de Blasio told the crowd. “Arts and culture help us to make sense of the times we’re living in. If we ever needed that at any points in our lives, it’s now. So the music you’re going to hear is also part of our healing. It’s also part of our hope that we’re going to find a way forward.”

Regional events industry regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US:

New York

  • New York is expanding its rapid testing capabilities to help promote the state’s economic reopening. The New York Forward Rapid Test Program is opening testing sites statewide where people can get tested for no more than $30 and receive their results within 30 minutes. State officials say the initiative is key to resuming events. “We really want to help those who [test negative] feel that sense of normal life,” Meghan Ziobro, the general manager of consumer diagnostics for BioReference Laboratories, which has opened some sites, told News10. In upstate New York, a negative result to a rapid test means you can attend an event at the Times Union Center. “As long as the rapid test is taken on the day of the event, within six hours of the event’s start time, a negative test result from a rapid test is allowable,” said Bob Belber, the venue’s general manager. “I just think the more that you’ve got a convenience factor for people to be able to get it as close to the venue as you can be, the better it would be for them.”

Florida 

  • Florida followed through on an earlier threat and sued the federal government over the continued shutdown of the cruise industry. Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention demanding that cruises be allowed to resume in the US immediately. “We don’t believe the federal government has the right to mothball a major industry for over a year based on very little evidence and very little data,” DeSantis said in a news conference. During a news briefing the same day, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said she didn’t have a direct response to the filing. “But I will just reiterate that the CDC guidance is based on data and health and medical guidelines,” she said.

Washington, DC

  • DC Mayor Muriel Bowser is relaxing some pandemic restrictions. As of May 1, live entertainment venues (indoor and outdoor) will be permitted to operate at 25% capacity (up to 500 people total), while movie theaters, weddings, and conventions can operate at 25% of capacity (with limitations). Rec centers, outdoor pools, libraries, and museums can open at 50% of capacity. Live music is also now allowed near outdoor restaurant seating.

California

  • California is targeting June 15 as the date it will relax most restrictions on businesses and workplaces. “Events like weddings, or corporate events are kind of holding their breath for the opportunity to come back,” Jon Larner, general manager of The Pearl — a venue in San Francisco — told KGO. “So, this definitive line in the sand gives us the opportunity to reach out to them definitively and say ‘we can have your event.'” Larner added that he’s optimistic about the future. “I think that we are going to bounce back in the hospitality industry,” he said. “We are going to bounce back quickly. I think the demand is massive.”
  • Convention center operators in California spoke to the Los Angeles Times about when they might be able to host large-scale events again. “We anticipate that shows will be smaller starting off and getting back up to speed hopefully next year,” said Ellen Schwartz, general manager of the Los Angeles Convention Center. “As we get into the last quarter of this calendar year and start the new year, we’re hopeful that the business will come back to closer to where it was before the pandemic.” Added Barbara Newton, president and chief executive of the California Travel Association: “There will definitely be a ramp-up period after being closed for a year. We are convinced we will get there eventually.”
  • Nearly half of California adults have been vaccinated against the coronavirus — an encouraging metric from America’s most populous state. As of April 11, 46.8% of Californians ages 18 and over have received at least one shot.

Georgia

  • People can gather in Georgia again. Gov. Brian Kemp announced he was eliminating the state’s gatherings ban, shelter-in-place requirements, and social distancing in businesses. During day one of lifted restrictions in Augusta, people on the street had mixed feelings about their new freedom. “I’m gonna have to protect myself. And if I think I’m gonna need to put on a mask, then I’m gonna put it on,” one person told WRDW. “But if it’s crowded and a place I want to be, if there’s a group of people in there I want to be with, I’ll assess the situation, I’ll carry my mask, and I’ll use it or not use it based on that.”

Oregon

  • More than 40 venues in Oregon are petitioning for industry-specific reopening guidelines. “Venues patrons do not remove their masks for a long duration,” reads the letter. “Venue visitors are monitored by highly trained staff — in fact, it is the primary purpose of these employees. Venues are highly regulated spaces where the health and safety of our patrons, staff and artists always have and always will be the highest priority.” The letter was sent to Gov. Kate Brown’s office, and its signees include people affiliated with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Pendleton Roundup, and the Oregon Symphony, among others. As of April 5, the petition creators say their concerns have gone unaddressed.

International events industry insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — worldwide.

Israel

  • Eran Segal, a computational biologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science, said over the weekend that Israel may have achieved some level of herd immunity. That means it would be safe for the country to ease further restrictions, he suggested. “It is possible that Israel has reached a sort of herd immunity and regardless, we have a wide safety net,” Segal said. “I think that makes it possible to remove some of the restrictions immediately.” Israel’s Health Ministry is expected to lift its outdoor mask mandate this month.

Canada

  • A Canadian ski resort has been linked to the largest outbreak of a coronavirus variant outside Brazil, where it originated. The Whistler Blackcomb ski resort, which is among Canada’s most famous, was forced to shut down at the end of March when authorities realized the highly contagious P1 variant was spreading there. “Because rent is so crazy, you have people living in closets and sometimes as many as eight people sharing a place,” a hospitality worker at the resort told The Guardian. “Most of us can’t do our jobs from home. We still have to go to work frontlines all the time to serve people. It’s really hard to isolate when most people have eight other people living with them.”
  • The events industry in Ontario is sending out a call for help. A number of venues and organizers launched a petition demanding greater capacity allowances and grant funding. “We conclude that Ontario’s reopening framework is inadequate as it unjustifiably excludes too many small businesses within the Hospitality Industry,” the organizers wrote. “A prejudice against the Hospitality sector is clearly demonstrated by the government’s lack of support for this industry to date. Moreover, small businesses in these industries are bleeding money every day and are provided no guidance from our government in terms of our reopening timelines.” So far, more than 3,000 people have signed the petition.

France

  • As cases surge in France, schools and non-essential shops are closed, and there’s a strict curfew in place. More than 100 people who were dining at a restaurant in Paris have been fined for violating coronavirus gathering restrictions, according to the BBC. “Guests [were] fined for non-compliance with health measures,” the local police said in a tweet. Penalties for violating restrictions in France can include up to a year in jail, around $17,600 for putting someone’s life at risk, $160 for violating the curfew, and another $160 for not wearing a mask. 

Bhutan

  • In just 16 days, Bhutan vaccinated 93% of adults — an impressive stat that makes the country stand out from others where the vaccine roll-out has trudged more slowly. “Let this small step of mine today help us all prevail through this illness,” one 30-year-old woman said after receiving her injection, according to the AP. Since the pandemic began, Bhutan has recorded 910 COVID-19 infections and one death. Bhutan has a mandatory 21-day quarantine for everyone who arrives from another country.

Events industry inspiration and further reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

For more resources on staging in-person events during the pandemic, consult Eventbrite’s COVID-19 Safety Playbook for Events.

For previous versions of this report, read the archives here

March 31, 2021:

Good news on vaccinations and legislation

Though in-person events remain in flux, there have been some promising recent developments.

  • Relief for the events industry is (finally) within sight: The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program will be open for applications on April 8. The program will provide grants to shuttered venues such as concert halls, theaters, and museums. “The SBA knows these venues are critical to America’s economy and understands how hard they’ve been impacted, as they were among the first to shutter,” the Small Business Administration’s Isabella Casillas Guzman said in a statement. “This vital economic aid will provide a much-needed lifeline for live venues, museums, movie theatres, and many more.”
  • A new real-world study suggests the vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna are effective at preventing COVID-19 infection, not just illness. The data, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, put vaccine effectiveness at 90% following two doses of either vaccine, and 80% effective from one dose. (In clinical trials, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were 95% and 94% effective, respectively.)
  • As of March 30, more than 574 million doses of the coronavirus vaccines had been administered worldwide, according to Bloomberg. That includes 148 million doses in the US. President Joe Biden’s new goal is to administer 200 million COVID-19 vaccination doses within the first 100 days of his presidency.

Managing COVID-19 event restrictions 

Venues and creators in the events industry are getting creative and finding ways to safely operate their business amid ongoing restrictions.

  • The Oscars, which are scheduled for April 25, will be a small live event and unlike other recent awards shows, there will be no Zoom element. “Our plan is to stage an intimate, in-person event at Union Station in Los Angeles, with additional show elements live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood,” the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said in a statement. “Of course, your first thought is can that be done safely? The answer is yes it can. We are treating the event as an active movie set, with specially designed testing cadences to ensure up-to-the-minute results, including an on-site COVID safety team with PCR testing capability. We are going to great lengths to provide a safe and ENJOYABLE evening for all of you in person, as well as for all the millions of film fans around the world, and we feel the virtual thing will diminish those efforts.”
  • SXSW took its annual festival online in mid-March. The event which typically draws large crowds to Austin and thrives on in-person interaction offered hundreds of online sessions that attendees could watch in real time or stream later. Many of the sessions focused on what live events will look like in a post-COVID world. “It was a virtual adventure packed with sessions, film screenings, music showcases, exhibitors, networking, XR, awards, and beyond,” organizers said. The conference announced a return to an in-person event next March. As Austin Public Health’s Interim Authority Dr. Mark Escott said: “I’m very confident that SXSW will look normal, or near-normal next year.”
  • Two restaurateurs in Minneapolis talked to the StarTribune about how they got creative to survive 2020. David Fhima, who owns Fhima’s restaurant, cooked hundreds of meals daily for low-income families, elderly indigent people, and unemployed people. Abdirahman Kahin closed one of his restaurants and put his staff to work at his larger St. Paul restaurant, where they cooked for Twin Cities Metro Meals on Wheels and other charities. “We didn’t pay rent when we didn’t pay rent,” Fhima told the newspaper. “And we had to close down dining twice last year. We stayed in business. Now, more customers are starting to come back. People are talking about events. I think we’ll be 50% to 75% of where we were in 2019 in the fall.”
  • In Austin, an outdoor concert series called Long Live Music is running from March 27 to April 4. Tickets will be sold for pre-marked, socially-distanced squares on the lawn that can fit up to four people each. (Premium seating comes with perks like dedicated food and beverage service, a blanket, and two Adirondack chairs.) “We feel that pent up demand and we really want to deliver, but of course we want to do it safely,” Cory Baker, the Long Center’s CEO, told KXAN. “So we have social distancing on the lawn and we have mask requirements.”

Regional events industry regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US:

New York

  • New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is aiming to resume Broadway performances in September. “It’s time to raise the curtain and bring Broadway back,” de Blasio said during a virtual news conference. “We’re working with the Broadway community now to develop the plans to make the reopening go smoothly.” Over the next month, the city will set up dedicated vaccination sites specifically for the theater community. The city will also assist with testing sites near venues, as well as crowd management plans before and after shows.
  • New York is the first state to offer a digital pass that people can use to prove they’ve been fully vaccinated. The app “works like a mobile airline boarding pass,” the New York Times explained. “Users are assigned a digital pass with a secure QR code, which they can print out or save to their smartphones. Participating businesses then use a companion app to scan the customer’s QR code and verify their Covid status. The state said people’s data would be kept secure and confidential.”

Arizona

  • Gov. Doug Ducey is removing all restrictions on businesses and public gatherings. That includes caps on capacity as well as mask mandates. In the surprise announcement, Ducey also prohibited cities and counties from being able to enforce their own mask mandates, in most cases. Not everyone was happy about the news. Dr. Farshad Fani Marvasti, a physician and associate professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix, told The Arizona Republic that he worried lifting restrictions now could backfire by offering a “false sense of security and safety.”
  • Kip Volpe, president of the nonprofit Rialto Foundation Board of Directors, which runs Tucson’s Rialto Theatre, said lifting the regulations doesn’t guarantee a return to live events. “We’re still at the mercy at the bands themselves, and if they don’t feel comfortable touring or if they don’t feel comfortable until September or October touring, it’s going to be here or there,” he told Tucson.com. “It’s not like we’re going to switch on the lights and have 200 shows this year.”

Virginia

  • Pandemic restrictions are about to loosen in Virginia. On April 1, capacity limits for indoor and outdoor gatherings will increase to 50 and 100 people, respectively. Indoor entertainment venues will be permitted to have up to 500 people or 30% capacity, whichever is less; outdoor venues can welcome up to 30% capacity. “With increased vaccination capacity and our health metrics continuing to trend the right direction, we can safely take these targeted steps to ease certain mitigation measures,” Gov. Ralph Northam said in a statement. “Virginians have come so far over the past year, and now is not the time to simply throw the doors open or let down our guard. While some capacity limits will be increased, we must all remember to stay vigilant and work together to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities.”

California

  • Six counties in Northern California, including San Francisco and Marin, moved from the Red to the Orange tier of the state’s reopening plan. Movie theaters in those counties can now have up to 50% capacity or 200 people, whichever is fewer; restaurants can jump to 50% capacity; and outdoor concerts and live sports can reopen at 20% capacity.
  • San Diego will consider waiving permit fees for the events industry part of a proposal to provide financial relief. “The event industry was dealt a tremendous economic blow by the pandemic,” Nathan Fletcher, chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, told the Times of San Diego. “Unlike other sectors who were able to operate at limited capacity and bring in some revenue, they could not because of the protections around large gatherings.” A vote is scheduled for April 6.

Illinois

  • Chicago health officials are relaxing restrictions on outdoor activities. Restaurants and bars can now seat 10 people per table — but those tables have to be at least 6 feet apart. “It’s a step in the right for City Winery and for all of Chicago’s restaurants, and we need good news,” said Dan Conroe, City Winery’s marketing director. “This gives us a lot more flexibility in the types of events that we can hold, and it’s great for the event clients, people planning weddings in 2020. We really, really feel for them to have to just change their plans or make tough decisions about who’s invited.”

International events industry insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — in Europe.

United Kingdom

  • Pandemic restrictions eased throughout the UK on March 29, a milestone dubbed “Happy Monday.” After a lockdown that lasted nearly three months, groups of six (from no more than two households) were given the greenlight to gather together outdoors, and outdoor sports facilities were permitted to reopen. The AP reported that many people were out swimming and golfing for the first time in months. Still, officials said they wouldn’t tolerate large gatherings or otherwise breaking the current rules. “We will continue to respond quickly to house parties or dangerous raves, taking enforcement action by handing out fines,” said Jane Connors, who leads the coronavirus response for London’s Metropolitan Police. “We make no apology for our tough stance on shutting down those large gatherings which risk public safety.”

France

  • As infection rates rise, France is putting new restrictions on outdoor gatherings. On March 25, the French health minister, Olivier Véran, announced that there had been 45,000 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours. He banned outdoor gatherings of more than six people; the country is also under a nightly curfew. Restaurants, bars, museums, and cinemas are closed.

Spain

  • On March 27, 5,000 people gathered in a Barcelona stadium for an experimental concert. “Don’t take off your masks because the success of live music in Europe and the world depends on this concert tonight,” singer Santi Balmes told the crowd, according to Bloomberg. The show, which featured the band Love of Lesbian, was touted as the largest concert without social distancing during this pandemic era. Patrons were required to use an app to upload their contact information and book a rapid COVID-19 test for the day of the concert. Those who tested negative received a code to enter the venue; anyone who tested positive was given a refund. Masks were mandatory, and the stadium was divided into three areas that each held about 1,600 people. “If we can prove that you can gather 5,000 people using rapid tests, then we’re opening the door to doing many more things,” said organizer Gemma Recoder. “It’s a key step not just for live music but for everything else, from conferences to sports events.” Officials will be monitoring the results closely and, if necessary, will get in touch with those who attended the event to help control any spread.

Germany

  • In southwest Germany, one can step back into normalcy by visiting Tuebingen, a university city. There, an initiative requires people to get a free COVID-19 test, and if it’s negative, they’re granted “a day pass for something akin to pre-pandemic life,” as Bloomberg put it. Test results are displayed on an armband with a QR code that patrons can show to the businesses they visit. They’re free to shop, go to the theatre, and dine at restaurants, for example. Though the program was designed for residents, it has appealed to visitors, leading to a 3,000-person cap on tourists.

Events industry inspiration and further reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

  • Regular readers of the Events Industry Report know how quickly (and frequently) rules and restrictions can change for events. Prepare yourself for change with a pandemic planning checklist.
  • Reflect on one-year in quarantine and learn more about how the pandemic has shifted the way we gather. 
  • If your event doesn’t have strong, clear, and attractive branding, you could miss out on building a loyal and engaged following. Follow these tips to define your brand — and attract more attendees. 
  • Hosting an event that’s going to be on more than once in the year? Let us introduce you to the recurring event feature, which will soon become the go-to tool in your event creator’s tool kit.
  • Eventbrite’s experts and your fellow creators can help you navigate every aspect of the event-making process with this curated collection of events, which serves as your one-stop shop for the virtual webinars event creators need to thrive.

 

March 17, 2021:

Good news on vaccinations and legislation

Though in-person events remain in flux, there have been some promising recent developments a year into the pandemic.

  • President Joe Biden on Thursday promised some freedom from the confines of pandemic life will arrive by the Fourth of July. During his first primetime address since taking office, he said he would direct states, tribes and territories to make all adults eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by May 1. “Let me say that again: All adult Americans will be eligible to get a vaccine no later than May 1,” he said during the address. “That’s much earlier than expected.” Biden added that he wants everyone to get vaccinated when it’s their turn, because the country’s reopening depends on it. “If we do all this, if we do our part, if we do this together, by July the 4th, there’s a good chance you, your families and friends will be able to get together in your backyard or in your neighborhood and have a cookout and a barbeque and celebrate Independence Day,” he said. “That doesn’t mean large events with lots of people together, but it does mean small groups will be able to get together.”
  • On March 11, Biden signed a $1.9 trillion relief bill that will benefit concert venues, among other types of establishments. The bill includes $1.25 billion for the Shuttered Venues Operators Grant Program, which is designed to aid venues that have either closed or had to significantly scale back operations. A highlight: It allows venue owners to apply for additional types of federal aid. Previously, if a venue applied for aid from the SVOGP, they could not also apply for Paycheck Protection Program loans. “We have been threatened with eviction, buried ourselves in debt and are currently running with a very small staff,” Jimmy Nigg, owner of the Denver venue Monkey Barrel, told Rolling Stone. “This change gives us not only a lifeline to our venue by providing immediate access to capital, but also keeps hope alive that someday we can get back to hosting music to a sold out crowd.”
  • The Biden administration announced that it plans to purchase 100 million more doses of the Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccine. “We want to be oversupplied and over-prepared,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said last week.
  • As of March 17, more than 392 million doses of the existing COVID-19 vaccines have been administered worldwide, including 111 million in the US, according to Bloomberg. In the week prior, an average of 2.44 million doses were administered per day in the US.
  • The World Health Organization says that more COVID-19 vaccines are coming — and some won’t even require a needle. Six to eight new immunizations are likely to complete clinical studies and undergo regulatory review by the end of 2021, the agency’s top scientist,  Soumya Swaminathan, told Bloomberg. Some of those options are administered via a nasal spray or through the skin using a patch. 
  • New data indicate that Eli Lilly’s combination antibody therapy can help prevent serious illness and death from COVID-19. In a study of more than 750 high-risk patients with the virus, the treatment cut the risk of hospitalization and death by 87%. Research suggests the therapy is effective even “against a range of variants, particularly those circulating in the U.S.,” Daniel Skovronsky, Eli Lilly’s chief scientific officer and president of Lilly Research Laboratories, said.

Managing COVID-19 event restrictions 

Venues and creators in the events industry are getting creative and finding ways to safely operate their business amid ongoing restrictions.

  • This year’s Grammy Awards show, held on March 14, was unlike any previous iteration. Winners accepted their awards outside, while performances took place indoors in Los Angeles from multiple stages in front of a small group of performers, nominees, and other participants. Artists were only permitted to bring one guest — no entourages — and posed 15 feet away from photographers. Showrunner Ben Winston described it to Rolling Stone as “part-Grammys, part-Abbey Road studio session.”
  • Musicians will soon be able to rock out again at the Caverns in Pelham, TN. The subterranean cave venue is moving the concerts above ground to a socially distanced outdoor amphitheatre. The venue tested the concept last fall with a series of Jason Isbell concerts. “Everybody gets ten square feet of space inside their pod which is plenty of space, you bring your chairs,” general manager Joe Lurgio told WRCBTV. “We actually have concessions and merchandise get delivered right to your pod so it’s a VIP experience for everybody, nobody has a bad seat.” More than a dozen concerts are on the schedule, including performances by bluegrass acts Steep Canyon Rangers and Del McCoury Band, jam bands Goose and the Disco Biscuits, and country rocker Margo Price. 
  • CulturalDC, an arts organization in Washington, DC,, spoke to Washington City Paper about how it reinvented itself during the pandemic. Among its efforts: hosting a virtual happy hour series; blasting video projections onto a building on a popular street; and selling artwork online to support the family of a local artist who died of lung cancer. The video projections, in particular, proved to be an excellent way to bring art to people, without requiring them to step inside a museum or other venue. “Our job always is to try to find artists and platforms, and provide artists with platforms,” executive director Kristi Maiselman told the newspaper.
  • Live music is returning to Northeast Florida. Tom Szaroleta, a reporter with the Florida Times-Union, attended four concerts and reported back on how fans and venues were handling pandemic restrictions. There were small crowds — no more than 50% capacity — and tickets were sold for pods; patrons could purchase two to eight seats. (That left some fans who showed up to the box office looking for a single ticket out of luck.) Temperature checks were in place, and masks were required at most venues, except when eating or drinking. “Fans who violate the policies can expect to be asked to leave, even if it’s in the middle of the show,” Szaroleta wrote. Hardly anyone tailgated outside ahead of a show, he added, and inside, ushers patrolled the floor with signs reminding guests to wear their masks. There was also a new merch opportunity: Some of the bands were selling face masks displaying their logo.
  • March Madness has arrived in Indianapolis, and revelers can celebrate with “Swish,” an arts and culture festival. Around 600 artists and others in creative industries will be participating in the festival, which runs through April 5. The line-up includes outdoor concerts, performances by dancers and spoken-word artists, basketball murals and a public art crawl. “All of us, I think, are just itching to have anything to do outside in places where we can be physically distant and still be able to be with your friends and family,” organizer Kären Haley told the Indy Star.

Regional events industry regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US:

Louisiana

  • Live music can return to New Orleans — but there won’t be any dancing. City officials announced that while indoor concerts can resume, dancing will remain prohibited, and venus will have to adhere to a host of safety measures. Those include social distancing, proper ventilation, rules about when performers need to wear face masks and guidance on how trumpet players should empty their spit valves. The regulations also note that patrons should “refrain from cheering or singing along.” Despite the rules, venue owners were happy to get the greenlight on resuming performances. “How do you not get excited about New Orleans music?” said Howie Kaplan, who owns The Howlin’ Wolf. “People call every day, and not just one or two. We get dozens of calls every day asking when music’s going to happen again.”

New Jersey

  • Gov. Phil Murphy announced that, as of March 19, restaurants, gyms, salons and other businesses in the state can increase capacity to 50%. That’s up from a 35% capacity limit. Indoor gatherings will jump from a limit of 10 people to 25, and outdoor gatherings are increasing from 25 to 50 people. “We believe that when all factors are weighed, we can make this expansion without leading to undue, further stress on our health care system,” Murphy said.

Texas

  • Gov. Greg Abbott has lifted all restrictions in Texas, including mask mandates and restrictions on public gatherings. However, some music venue owners and workers are fighting back and remaining fully or partially closed. Austin venue Mohawk, for example, tweeted: “Thanks bro but we ain’t gonna do it till it’s safe.” “It’s way too premature to lift the mask mandate to open things up 100 percent when there’s still people struggling to get a vaccine in the first place,” Trish Connelly, talent buyer for Austin’s Cheer Up Charlies, told Vice.
  • Thirty of Austin’s venues joined together to create the Safe in Sound initiative. All the businesses that have signed on are pledging to comply with a variety of standards, including proper PPE supply and use; daily sanitation of high-touch areas; and safety training for employees. “After hearing from countless workers about the new level of fear that this new mandate has instilled upon those who work and perform within the district, I refuse to stand by and not stand up for what I, and many others like me, believe to be right,” Red River Cultural District Executive Director Cody Cowan said in a statement. “We hope that these collective actions send a strong message to the public that although we want to reopen, we will only do so in a manner that provides a safe environment for all.”

California

  • California theme parks and sports stadiums can reopen as early as April 1, depending on coronavirus case rates. “With the increased distribution of the vaccine, with the behavior of Californians who have taken this pandemic seriously, who have adapted their behavior accordingly … we feel like this is a good time to begin to provide additional visibility into how we can move forward opening parts of the economy,” Dee Dee Myers, senior advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom and director of the governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, said during a briefing. “This gives some of the bigger employers a chance to ramp up, get ready for April 1, should they be in an appropriate tier, and to begin to move forward based on the data and the science.”
  • Disneyland and Disney California Adventure plan on welcoming visitors back in late April and will recall 10,000 furloughed employees, park officials said. Staffers will need to be trained ahead of the reopening to “operate according to the state of California’s new requirements,” CEO Bob Chapek said.
  • The Tourism Authority in San Diego has joined a push for the state to deliver better guidelines for resuming events and reopening venues. “You’re allowing events to happen, they’re just not called events,” Laurel McFarlane, president of the San Diego Event Coalition, told CBS8. “Give us a hundred people. We’re not asking for festivals we’re not asking for Coachella. We’re not asking for all of those to come back. But we’re going on a year right now, of absolutely zero guidance.” In addition to sending letters to state officials, billboards around San Diego have gone up to inform the public of how devastated the events industry has been. One, for example, features a red “going out of business” stamp over the words “SD Events Industry.” “Give us a pathway back … last call,” it reads.

International events industry insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — around the globe.

Israel

  • Israel is considering lifting its outdoor mask requirement and working on opening its airspace to allow for tourism this spring. “Restaurants are coming back to life,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Reuters. The outlet reported that he and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion then “clinked mugs and tucked into pastries outside at a park cafe.” More than 50% of Israelies have received at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine, and the country has begun reopening its businesses, schools, and airports. The Health Ministry is giving citizens a “green pass,” which is like a passport that proves they’ve been vaccinated.

Europe

  • A third wave of COVID-19 cases is sweeping across Europe, forcing new restrictions. Most of Italy, for example, is under partial lockdown, which means schools, restaurants, shops and museums have been ordered to close. Officials there reported more than 27,000 new cases and 380 deaths on March 12, according to The Guardian
  • In France, curfews and other social restrictions are in place in several regions, prompting protests in Paris. Dozens of people gathered outside the La Colline theater, waving signs that declared “We want to dream again,” among other messages. Most of the protesters were actors, theater workers and students, and they’re pushing the government to restart cultural life. ““We want to bring life back to these venues, not blockade them,” one person told The New York Times. In response, France’s culture minister said that “occupying performance venues is not the answer,” describing the protests as “pointless” and “dangerous.”
  • As cases spike in Poland, tight restrictions have been placed on social gatherings, and most schools have closed. Restaurants can only offer delivery. More restrictions there are expected soon.

Australia

  • In early March, Tame Impala played two sold-out concerts at Perth’s Metro City. The 2,000-person venue was packed, and patrons were maskless — a testament to the sense of normalcy in Australia. (Weekly COVID-19 case averages there have been in the single digits.)
  • Canberra is hosting Australia’s largest post-pandemic event yet: a major multi-day conference, scheduled for March 16 to 18. The Australian Information Security Association’s 2021 Australian Cyber Conference is expected to draw 800 in-person guests; another 400 will attend virtually. 

Events industry inspiration and further reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

  • Eventbrite is seeing the demand for in-person events manifest in our data in the UK and other countries. Here are the resources you need to make a smooth transition back to in-person events when the time is right. 
  • Get some insights on how countries like Australia and New Zealand, which have seen a loosening of COVID-19 restrictions, have started to reopen safely.
  • While you await the return of live events, streaming is still an attractive option. Here are 10 ways live music creators have elevated virtual concerts.
  • Eventbrite’s experts and your fellow creators can help you navigate every aspect of the event-making process with this curated collection of events, which serves as your one-stop shop for the virtual webinars event creators need to thrive.

March 3, 2021:

First, Some Good News

Though in-person events remain in flux, there have been some promising recent developments a year into the pandemic.

  • Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine was authorized for emergency use by the US Food and Drug Administration. That makes it the third currently approved vaccine — and the first to require only one dose. The company has started shipping the vaccine to the government, which will manage distribution, according to The Wall Street Journal. People could start being inoculated with J&J’s vaccine this week. “With today’s authorization, we are adding another vaccine in our medical toolbox to fight this virus,”  said Peter Marks, director of the FDA division that reviews vaccines. 
  • Coronavirus statistics are promising: The US is reporting just under 70,000 new cases a day, according to CNBC. That’s down from a peak of about 250,000 in early January. There’s also been good news about the threat inside nursing homes. From late December to early February, new cases among nursing home residents plummeted by more than 80%.
  • Giant vaccination sites are popping up nationwide as part of President Joe Biden’s efforts to reach herd immunity (the idea that a disease is less likely to spread when enough of the population has become immune to it through previous infection or vaccination). The Federal Emergency Management Agency helped open seven mega-sites in California, Texas and New York, which will play a role in meeting Biden’s goal of administering 100 million vaccines in 100 days. As of March 2, more than 265 million doses had been administered worldwide, according to Bloomberg. That includes 78.6 million in the US.
  • In a piece for The Atlantic, James Hamblin looks ahead to a “summer (that) could feel revelatory” in the US. He also noted that experts’ personal plans can be revealing about where the pandemic is headed. Ashish Jha, the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, for example, hopes to host a July 4 barbeque with 20 people and to go on a family vacation by August. And former assistant secretary of homeland security Juliette Kayyem told Hamblin: “I have plans to travel abroad in August. I feel like the world will start to move well before then.” “The summer of 2021 is shaping up to be historic,” Hamblin writes. 
  • Last week, President Biden announced a new 14-day window (Feb. 24 – March 9) for eligible businesses and nonprofits with 20 or fewer employees to apply for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans ahead of larger entities. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), which established the new exclusive application period: “This will give lenders and community partners more time to work with the smallest businesses to submit their applications, while also ensuring that larger PPP-eligible businesses will still have plenty of time to apply for and receive support before the program expires on March 31, 2021.” The SBA has yet to release details for the long-awaited Save Our Stages-inspired Shuttered Venue Operator Grants.

Managing COVID-19 Restrictions 

Venues and creators in the events industry are getting creative and finding ways to safely operate their business amid ongoing restrictions.

  • On Sunday, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey hosted the Golden Globes — from opposite coasts, some 2,700 miles apart. Fey was at the Rainbow Room in New York’s Rockefeller Center, and Poehler was at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. “Our tech team and our director, Louis J. Horvitz, have come up with a number of creative and innovative ideas that will capture some of the intimacy and spontaneity that audiences love about the Globes,” Barry Adelman, one of the show’s executive producers, told The New York Post ahead of the event. “Since safety protocols don’t allow for large gatherings [at either venue], we’ve sent camera kits to our nominees, so they can broadcast from their homes.” There was a small, socially-distant audience at each venue, and face masks were required.
  • In Salt Lake City, the SLC Concert Cruise — which debuted in the summer — is returning in April. Ticket-holders will receive a $1 daylong bike rental pass to bike around the city while listening to local artists covering the Beatles in outdoor spots. Sartain & Saunders, a company that owns several local concert venues, is behind the event series. 
  • The Bloody Mary Festival in the Twin Cities is returning in 2021 — albeit virtually, at least at first. Event organizers are hoping to recreate the live experience by shipping ticket-holders a kit stuffed with enough ingredients to make 12 cocktails. Patrons can tune into the March 20 event either live on Zoom or any time after. Virtual programming includes talks from Bloody Mary experts, contests and recipe demos. Tickets are $89. Organizers are planning to host an in-person version on Oct. 2.
  • In Fresno, CA, a new event called Barbhop is offering artists a creative outlet. Brandon Knight owns Barb’s Drive-in, a drive-in movie theater in a large parking lot. On March 4, he’ll host the first Barbhop there: an evening full of musical performances and food trucks. It will be drive-in style, with designated space for walk-ins, and masks and social distancing will be required. “We just have local talented people that have just been itching to just get out of the house and perform,” Knight told KFSN.

Regional Regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US:

Colorado

  • Colorado’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre is hoping to reopen sometime this summer. In February, the venue tweeted that staff would “be submitting variance requests for outdoor spaces by the end of the month.” The social media post continued: “In April, we’ll help highlight some exciting announcements about concert and entertainment schedules across the city, including the 80th anniversary of Red Rocks Amphitheatre. We’re excited to see COVID numbers improve and are hopeful that, while it won’t be a completely ‘normal’ summer, our community is getting back to the business of fun. It’s up to all of us to help in the goal of opening our venues, so mask up!” Restrictions throughout the state vary from county to county and are based on stats like new case numbers. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock recently said the city was “very close” to meeting the benchmarks for relaxed restrictions.

Texas

  • Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced on March 2 that he’s ending the statewide mask mandate on March 10 and will allow businesses to operate at full capacity, paving the way for events and concerts to resume. “All businesses of any type are allowed to open 100%,” he said. Abbott added that businesses can still choose to “limit capacity or implement additional safety protocols,” including requiring employees and customers to wear masks.

Ohio

  • Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced that sporting and entertainment venues can resume, with capacity restrictions. Up to 30% of a venue’s capacity will be permitted at outdoor events, and 25% can attend indoor events. “I think this year we’ve really seen what it looks like to not be able to access live music,” Madeline Hart, director of outreach and community engagement for Levitt Pavilion, told Dayton 24/7 Now. “I think we are all excited to be able to bring people back.” 
  • Sarah Robertson, vice president of operations at Dayton Live, added that the capacity limits bring challenges: Her venue will be allowed to fill 525 seats out of 2,300. Still, “We are just so grateful people are still behind us and sticking by our side,” Robertson said. “We can’t wait to have everyone back.”

Hawaii

  • In Oahu — part of the Hawaiian island chain — social gatherings can now have up to 10 people; the previous limit had been five. Restaurants and retailers can now operate without capacity restrictions, and gyms can have to up 50% of capacity (up from 25%). However, bars still can’t reopen, and organized sports are not yet permitted to resume.

Massachusetts

  • Massachusetts is loosening restrictions: As of March 1, restaurants will no longer have to adhere to percentage-based capacity limits and will be permitted to host musical performances. (However, patrons must continue to wear masks when they’re not eating or drinking, and must practice social distancing.) Indoor performance venues and recreational facilities can also reopen, though they can’t exceed 50% capacity or have more than 500 people inside.
  • Effective March 22, big outdoor venues — like Fenway Park and TD Garden — can admit up to 12% of capacity. “These large venues employ a lot of people and many of them have been out of work for a very long time,” Gov. Charlie Baker said. “We’ve been watching how these venues perform in other states, and believe with the right safety measures in place they can operate responsibly and safely here in the Commonwealth as well.”

California

  • Otis College of Art and Design released a report on the economic impact the pandemic has had on California’s creative economy. It found that the pandemic is comparable to the damage caused by the Great Depression: Between February and December 2020, job loss in the creative sector reached 13% statewide and 24% in Los Angeles County. “There’s no economic recovery in our area unless a working creative engine is driving it,” US Rep. Karen Bass said in a prerecorded video. “So to rebuild after the devastating effects of COVID-19, we have to provide creative workers, both nationally and in Los Angeles, with both economic relief and recovery funding.” Julie Baker, the executive director of Californians for the Arts, told The New York Times that a “creativity crisis” looms. She and her team, she said, call it “a cultural depression.”

International Insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — around the globe.

India

  • India, which saw the world’s second-largest outbreak during the pandemic, is resuming what looks a lot like normal life. As Bloomberg put it: “Shopping mall parking lots are full again. Stores are buzzing, and there are long lines for hair salons and restaurants.” Infection and death rates have dropped in India, and the country is reporting steady economic growth. Traffic at airports and on the roads is getting heavier as people begin moving from place to place again, Bloomberg reports.

Canada

  • In late February, Health Canada (the government department that oversees the country’s health policy) approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which officials expect will help many more people get shots in their arms. “I think Canada is hungry for vaccines,” Dr. Supriya Sharma, Health Canada’s chief medical adviser, said in a briefing. “We’re putting more on the buffet table to be used.” AstraZeneca will provide up to 20 million doses to Canada in the second and third quarters of 2021, in addition to 23 million from Pfizer and Moderna.

Iceland

  • Since the beginning of February, Iceland has reported almost no COVID-19 cases. Now, groups of 50 people can gather, and venues like theaters can host up to 200 patrons. Masks will continue to be mandatory in public places. The country credits precautions like free, easy-to-access testing, as well as strict testing at the borders. “We need to keep being cautious. This is a very valuable success, and we know how to guard it,” Health Minister Svandis Svavarsdottir said during a briefing. “We should be happy. We are Europe’s most open society.”

United Kingdom

  • Prime Minister Boris Johnson presented a roadmap for the UK’s return to normalcy. Among its highlights: On March 8, schools and colleges will reopen, and two people from different households can gather together outdoors. On March 29, gathering limits will increase to within six people, and outdoor sport facilities like tennis courts will be allowed to reopen. Beginning April 12, shops can reopen, and restaurants will be permitted to serve customers seated outdoors. Hairdressers can also resume offering their services, and theme parks and drive-in cinemas will reopen. On May 17, groups of up to 30 can begin gathering outside and to celebrate weddings. At that point, indoor group fitness classes can also resume. Finally, on June 21, all limits on social contact will be removed.

Events Industry Inspiration and Further Reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

Feb. 17, 2021: 

First, Some Good News

Though in-person events remain in flux, there have been some promising recent developments for the events industry as the pandemic nears the one-year mark.

  • The coronavirus infection rate in the US is dropping: On Sunday, 91,000 new infections were reported, the lowest number since November. “I don’t think the vaccine is having much of an impact at all on case rates,” Tom Frieden, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS.” “It’s what we’re doing right: staying apart, wearing masks, not traveling, not mixing with others indoors.” Still, the good news comes with a caveat. Officials warn that the decline in case numbers isn’t reason to drop our guard, especially given the new, more contagious variants of the coronavirus that are spreading throughout the country.
  • After a slow start, the vaccination drive is gaining speed nationwide. As of Feb. 13, 52 million doses have been administered, which means more Americans have received at least one shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines than have tested positive for the virus, according to Bloomberg. Around the country, sports stadiums and theme parks are transforming into mass vaccination centers — Pennsylvania’s Dorney Park, for example, is hosting drive-through clinics that can inoculate about 1,000 people a day.
  • An Israeli study reported a 94% decrease in COVID-19 infections among 600,000 people who were inoculated with two doses of Pfizer’s vaccine. The findings are preliminary, but they’re significant because they’re based on real-world data vs. a clinical trial. “It shows unequivocally that Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine is extremely effective in the real world a week after the second dose, just as it was found to be in the clinical study,” Ran Balicer, the chief innovation officer of Clalit — Israel’s largest healthcare provider — told Reuters.

Managing COVID-19 Restrictions 

Venues and creators in the events industry are getting creative and finding ways to safely operate their business amid ongoing restrictions.

  • When the Weeknd headlined the Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 7, about 1,050 people helped make the production happen — only a sliver of the typical workforce. Dave Meyers, chief operating officer at Diversified Production Services, an event production company that worked on the show, told The New York Times that in the past, staff members would pile into vans at the airport upon arriving in town. This year, the company rented more than 300 cars to transport everyone in a socially-distant manner. Staffers were tested for COVID-19 every 48 hours in the weeks leading up the game, and that frequency jumped to every day as the event neared. Workers were given color-coded wristbands to show they had been cleared to work, and they scanned their credentials when moving around the stadium and grounds to assist with potential contact-tracing.
  • Relentless Beats, an events company in Arizona, has been innovative throughout the pandemic — hosting drive-in concerts, for example, and now a “pod concert experience.” “The pod is a space that is 10×10 with a rail with you and a group up to eight people,” founder Thomas Turner told azfamily.com. “You will be socially distanced from other groups of eight people with your own bathrooms, and the ability to stay away from everyone else and catch a concert.”
  • The North Beach Bandshell in Miami, Florida, has resumed hosting concerts. The venue is operating at 30% capacity, and tickets can be purchased for groups of two, four or six. Patrons must remain at socially-distant assigned seats and are required to wear masks, except when they’re eating or drinking. (Concessions are ordered and delivered via touchless services.) At one recent performance, crowd members spent most of the show dancing in their own designated areas, Local 10 News reported.

Regional Regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with events industry reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US:

New York

  • On Feb. 23, large New York venues can reopen at 10% capacity, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced. Under the guidelines, “large” counts as venues with a capacity of at least 10,000 people. That includes the Barclays Center, Madison Square Garden, Nassau Coliseum and Saratoga Race Course. Patrons will be required to show negative PCR test results within 72 hours of an event, and venues will need to submit reopening plans to the State Department of Health for approval. Safety measures such as mask-wearing, temperature checks and assigned seating will be in place. 

California

  • On Feb. 9, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to create a San Francisco Music and Entertainment Venue Recovery Fund that will issue grants to the city’s struggling venues. The funding prioritizes venues that are in imminent danger of closing, are at least 15 years old, are an official Legacy Business, have a capacity of fewer than 1,000 patrons and/or are important to a designated Cultural District. “We do expect many of these venues will also have access to the federal money from the Save Our Stages stimulus,” Supervisor Matt Haney told The San Francisco Chronicle. “But with these venues, because they’re so unique and so important, we don’t want to take any chances. We want to make sure there’s a dedicated fund to make sure that they don’t get left out.”

Tennessee 

  • Some Nashville venues are speaking out about a difficult choice: holding out for relief grants from the Save Our Stages Act, or applying for Paycheck Protection Program relief.  PPP goes up to $2 million, while the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program maxes out at $10 million. Though the Small Business Administration released guidelines for applying for SVOGs, those funds have yet to start rolling out. As Fox 17 in Nashville reported, venues “can’t get both PPP and grant money at the same time, and they can’t apply for PPP and then return it if they’re approved for a grant.” Chris Cobb, who owns the music venue Exit/In and is president of Music Venue Alliance Nashville, told Fox 17 that “there are a lot of entities out there that are faced with that decision of not 100% knowing that they’ll be eligible for, or even if they are eligible for an SVO grant, if they’ll get funded, where they feel more confident that they would get funded through PPP and they’re being forced to make a decision.” 

Washington

  • Washington state is entering Phase 2 of its reopening plans, which means stand-up comedy can return — though for now, other entertainment venues will remain closed. The Spokane Comedy Club, for example, can operate at 25% capacity or 200 people, whichever is less, according to the guidelines. “If you told me a year ago that ‘you’re never gonna have more than 80 people in there,’ I would have started crying,” owner Adam Norwest told KREM-TV. “And now I’m like 80 people, wow!” On Valentine’s Day, comedian Kelsey Cook became the first performer to take the club’s stage. The show sold out within two hours of tickets going on sale. “There is light at the end of the tunnel,” Norwest said. “I don’t know how long the tunnel is, but there’s a light down there somewhere.”

Iowa

  • Gov. Kim Reynolds lifted a statewide mask mandate — but some cities, like Des Moines, are opting to keep it in place. Officials with the CDC say it’s too soon to lift mask mandates, especially given the highly contagious variants circulating in the US. “We still have 100,000 cases a day. We still have somewhere between 1,500 and 3,500 deaths per day,” the agency’s director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, said during an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “And yet we see some communities relaxing some of their mitigation strategies. We are nowhere out of the woods.” (Other states that lifted the mask mandate include Montana and Mississippi.)

Wyoming

  • Beginning Feb. 15, more people can attend indoor and outdoor gatherings in Wyoming. According to Governor Mark Gordon: “Indoor gatherings that incorporate social distancing and face coverings are permitted for up to 25% of capacity or 500 persons, and outdoor gatherings of up to 1,000 persons. In addition, sporting events, artistic performances, restaurants and gyms all will see capacity limits eased.” 

Nevada

  • Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak is loosening restrictions throughout the state. Effective Feb. 15, capacity limits at businesses such as bars, restaurants, gyms and gaming floors jumped from 25% to 35%, and reservations are no longer required at dining establishments. Public events are now capped at 100 people, and plans for larger gatherings can be submitted to the state for approval. In one month, on March 15, all businesses are expected to be allowed to operate at 50% capacity.

International Insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with events industry reopening rules — and pandemic developments — around the globe.

New Zealand

  • On Sunday, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, announced that Auckland — the largest city in the country — would enter a three-day Level 3 lockdown after three new community transmissions of COVID-19 were reported. That means all residents must stay home, outside of essential shopping and essential work. “We have stamped out the virus before and we will do it again,” Ardern said during a news conference. “Three days should give us enough time to gather further information, undertake large-scale testing and establish if there has been wider community transmission. That is what we believe the cautious approach requires, and it’s the right thing to do.”

Iceland

  • Iceland is opening back up: In early February, following weeks of declining case numbers, bars, clubs, arcades and casinos reopened. The businesses have to close by 10 p.m. and can’t admit new guests after 9 p.m., and there are capacity restrictions that vary by type of establishment. “I feel privileged,” a 72-year-old man at a bar told France 24. He was seated in one of the bar’s three zones; patrons in each zone were assigned their own restroom to help maintain health and safety.

Poland

  • Restrictions in Poland recently eased — and over the weekend, many celebrated at ski slopes, which have reopened for a two-week trial period. (Theaters and hotels are also permitted to open at 50% capacity.) Thousands of people gathered in the ski resort of Zakopane, Reuters reported, which led to some brouhahas, including brawls and a burning car. 

Japan

  • Plans are still chugging ahead for the Tokyo Olympics, which are scheduled to kick off on July 23. In February, NBC announced it will air the opening ceremony live, which means 7 a.m. on the East Coast and 4 a.m. on the West Coast. “I think like so many of us, people’s lives have changed. And after we had all been locked down for a few months, the postponed Olympics, and its meaning, I think became very clear that it will be an incredibly moving moment in sports and in the world when the world comes together,” said Molly Solomon, the executive producer and president of NBC Olympics. “Once we started to see the architecture of how this is all going to work, I have to say, it’s very familiar to us because we’ve been producing events since the pandemic began. And while all sports are different, they’re all very similar.”

Events Industry Inspiration and Further Reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

Feb. 3, 2021: 

First, Some Good News

Though in-person events remain in flux, there have been some promising recent developments on the vaccine front.

  • After a year of almost constantly gloomy numbers, the US is experiencing a decline in new coronavirus cases. Nationwide, new cases have dropped 30% over the past two weeks. Hospitalizations are also down. “I like the trends we are seeing, and I am personally hopeful that things are going to get better,” Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University, told The New York Times. (She added: “But there are a number of things that could also go wrong.”)
  • Johnson & Johnson reported promising news about its COVID-19 vaccine: In a late-stage study including 44,000 participants, the single-shot vaccine was 66% effective in preventing moderate and severe infections. The fact that recipients will only need one dose is important: It helps curb logistical issues and means that more people could get vaccinated, faster. (The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are currently being administered, require two doses that are three to four weeks apart.) J&J’s addition to the global vaccination drive is expected to be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration in early February.
  • Another vaccine, made by Novavax, also appears to be highly effective against COVID-19: Data from a trial conducted in the United Kingdom indicate it’s 89% effective against the virus, and 85% effective against a more contagious UK variant. The company doesn’t expect to apply for authorization for two or three months. 

Managing COVID-19 Restrictions 

Venues and creators are getting creative and finding ways to safely operate their business amid ongoing restrictions.

  • The NFL shared plans for safely handling one of the biggest sporting events of the year: the Super Bowl, which is scheduled for Feb. 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Attendance will be capped at about 22,000 fans (the stadium can typically accommodate up to 70,000). That includes 14,500 ticket buyers and 7,500 vaccinated health-care workers who were invited by the league. NFL officials collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Florida Department of Health to develop safety protocols for the game, which will feature the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Patrons will be seated in spaced-out pods of two to four people or, in some instances, six people. Masks will be mandatory, and all attendees and venue staffers will be given KN95 masks. (KN95s are the Chinese-made equivalent of N95 masks — the gold standard in America, thanks to their ability to filter at least 95% of airborne particles.) 
  • In late January, results from a joint NFL-CDC study were released, shining a light on the league’s protocols during the regular season: For example, daily COVID-19 testing, mandatory mask use and rigorous contact tracing. “I think … we were able to show that you can play a team sport while minimizing risk to the participants,” Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, said. “The most impactful interventions are things that can be applied anywhere no matter the resources, things such as universal use of face masks, moving meetings outside or minimizing the amount of in-person meetings, closing dining rooms, offering only to-go food options, strictly enforcing quarantines after exposure. Those things all have broad applicability beyond football.”
  • Mardi Gras, like everything else, looks different this year — but organizers still found a way to keep its spirit alive. Between Feb. 4-14, floats from 26 different Carnival parades will be on display as part of City Parks’ “Floats in the Oaks” stationary parade. It’s a first for New Orleans’ annual celebration. Patrons are encouraged to dress in costume and deck out their cars before driving through the 1.3-mile parade route. There will also be opportunities for bicycle tours. Where in normal times revelers on floats would toss beads at bystanders, guests are instead encouraged to throw beads out at designated targets during their drive-through; they’ll then be collected for recycling.
  • We’ve been talking about bubbles for months — mostly in the context of weathering the pandemic with a small group of friends or family. In January, the Flaming Lips performed in Oklahoma City from inside actual bubbles, in front of fans who were also inside the giant, clear spheres (which contained up to three people each). The concert floor was set up to accommodate 10 rows of 10 bubbles. Each bubble was adorned with a high-frequency speaker so that sound wasn’t muffled, plus a water bottle, fan, towel and a sign to indicate that it was too hot or that the patron(s) inside needed to go to the restroom. After the show, “You roll your bubble to the exit and unzip it at the door,”  Nathan Poppe, the band’s photographer and videographer, told the New York Times. Still, experts warned that it’s unclear how well the bubble method works for live events. “There is no evidence about the efficacy — or lack thereof — of these bubbles from an infectious disease transmission point of view,” Dr. Sandro Galea, dean of the Boston University School of Public Health, told the Times. The Flaming Lips will stage more bubble concerts in Oklahoma City in March
  • The Feminist Flea Market & Craft Fair, an annual event in Philadelphia, runs this week via a virtual marketplace. There’s a suggested $3 “entry fee,” which supports organizations like Project SAFE’s Philadelphia Sex Worker Relief Fund; those who make the donation can enter various raffles. More than 60 local vendors are participating, and all orders include free shipping. “We used to do this in person and it was a space for the community to gather and support local artists, small businesses and also raise money for important mutual aid or social justice causes in the city,” creator Rebecca Aronow told South Philly Review. “Since COVID, we transitioned to doing it virtually. We’re trying to keep the same community feel while being online.” Aronow added that she hopes the virtual event encourages people to shop local and support small businesses: “You can just go scroll through hundreds and hundreds of items. It’s really exciting to have something so accessible to shop from so many local people at once.”

Regional Regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with event reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US:

California

  • California lifted stay-at-home orders as the state makes progress in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic, which had been surging and overwhelming hospitals. Gov. Gavin Newsom also lifted a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew, though it will stay in place in San Francisco. Outdoor dining and some activities can now resume, if individual counties allow it. However, authorities issued a warning: “Don’t go to a Super Bowl party,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said, according to Deadline. “It will be tragic if the Super Bowl becomes a super spreader [event] for sports fans.” To that end, LA restaurants and other establishments are prohibited from offering TV viewing, since screening the big game, for example, could encourage crowds that loiter for hours.
  • Also in California: public health officials canceled the Coachella Valley Music and Arts and Stagecoach Country Music festivals, both of which had been planned for April. Coachella had booked headliners including Frank Ocean and Rage Against the Machine. “If Covid-19 were detected at these festivals, the scope and number of attendees and the nature of the venue would make it infeasible, if not impossible, to track those who may be placed at risk,” the county health order said.

Tennessee 

  • Tennessee Governor. Bill Lee let restrictions on indoor gatherings expire in January, and soon after, lifted restrictions on school sporting events. However, schools will be required to limit attendance at events — ideally to one-third or one-fourth of the normal crowd side, officials suggested.

New York

  • Restrictions on weddings will soon be loosened in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced. Effective March 15, couples can have up to 150 people attend their big day, with mandatory COVID-19 testing and additional health department monitoring in place. Plus, indoor dining in the state can resume at 25% capacity on Valentine’s Day. “So no pressure but just an idea: Get engaged on Valentine’s Day when restaurants reopen, and March 15th you can have the wedding with 150 people,” Cuomo said during a briefing

Nebraska

  • Indoor gatherings are returning in Nebraska: Maximum capacity is jumping from 75% to 100%, Gov. Pete Ricketts said. However, event organizers who plan to have 500 or more people (or 1,000 or more in one county) are required to submit a reopening plan and get approval from their local health department ahead of time.

Alaska

  • Anchorage is relaxing its pandemic restrictions to permit more people into bars, in addition to relaxing limits on public gatherings and organized sports. As of Feb. 1, bars and restaurants can operate at 50% of their standard capacity, up from 25%. Alcohol service can go until 12 a.m. rather than 11 p.m.  At gatherings with food, 10 people can gather indoors and 30 outdoors; if there’s no food, that jumps to 15 people indoors and 50 outside.       

International Insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with event reopening rules — and pandemic developments — around the globe.

United Kingdom

  • The UK vaccinated a record number of people over the last weekend in January: 598,389. Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health, shared an optimistic outlook, predicting “a happy and free Great British summer.” Still, he warned of a “tough few months” before then, according to the BBC. “We have to follow the data, we have to see the impact of the vaccine on the ground. It’s a difficult balance: We’ve got to move as fast as we can but in such a way that keeps people safe.”

Australia

  • On Jan. 29, Australia — which has been lauded for how it clamped down on the pandemic — marked 12 consecutive days with no new locally-transmitted coronavirus cases. “That’s a testament to the work of our medical professionals, our public health teams, but Australians everywhere for the way in which they’ve observed the distancing requirements, the way they have protected each other, the way that they’ve come out for testing,” Health Minister Greg Hunt said during a news conference. ”All of these things have helped keep Australia safe.”

New Zealand

  • In New Zealand, residents are using a COVID Tracer app to help officials conduct contact tracing as quickly as possible. How it works: When someone goes somewhere, he or she scans a QR code to create a private record of where they’ve been; meanwhile, Bluetooth tracing logs an anonymous record of who they’ve been near. Citizens are encouraged to use the app, and businesses can be fined for not displaying their unique QR code. Patrons attending a big January concert by Six60, a popular New Zealand band, for example, were urged to use the app at the venue.

Japan

  • Johnnie Moylett, who works for the Japanese concert promoter Smash Inc., said his company is slowly resuming live shows featuring domestic artists. However, he doesn’t expect acts from overseas to perform in Japan until at least May. “We will definitely hold Fuji Rock Festival next August,” he told The Japan Times, referencing one of the country’s premier music festivals. “What shape it will take, we still don’t know. There may be more domestic artists than usual. All we know is that we will do it.”

Spain

  • Theatre performances, concerts and other cultural events continue to attract patrons in Madrid. Safety measures include capacity limits and spaced-out seating policies, with bars and coat rooms closed. The Royal Theatre, for example, installed an ultraviolet light system to disinfect the venue, dressing rooms and costumes, and dancing at venues is typically banned. “We can and we must” continue to hold events, Spain’s Culture Minister Jose Manuel Rodriguez Uribes told AFP. Hashtags such as #SafeTheatre and #CultureisSafe have become popular throughout the region.

Inspiration and Further Reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

Jan. 20, 2021: 

First, Some Good News

Though in-person events remain in flux and coronavirus cases are rising, there have been some promising recent developments.

  • As of Jan. 18, more than 44 million doses of various COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in 51 countries, according to Bloomberg. Though the rollout has been slower than ideal in the US (14.7 million shots as of Jan. 18), the Biden administration has vowed to administer 100 million vaccinations in the first 100 days he’s in office. “The feasibility of his goal is absolutely clear, there’s no doubt about it that that can be done,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
  • Speaking of Fauci: He had a promising outlook during an early January event with the Association of Performing Arts Professionals. Theaters and other venues could potentially reopen “some time in the fall of 2021,” he said, depending on vaccination rates. Venues with good ventilation and air filters might not even need many other safety protocols, aside from mask wearing. “I think you can then start getting back to almost full capacity of seating,” Fauci said.
  • The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) relaunched last week, allowing small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to apply for relief loans from an overall pool of roughly $284 billion. The new PPP program opened to all eligible applicants, who must apply through participating lenders, on Jan. 19. Read more about what that means for event creators here. Worth noting: This is not the same as the funds earmarked for the Save Our Stages-inspired Shuttered Venue Operator Grant (SVOG) program, which the SBA is still developing guidelines for.
  • In December, hundreds of ticket holders attended a five-hour concert in Barcelona. The catch: They were there for science. All had taken rapid antigen and PCR tests for COVID-19 beforehand, and signed consent forms indicating that they had no comorbidities and hadn’t been diagnosed with the virus in the previous two weeks. Study participants then randomly split up their subjects, and 463 attended the concert, while 496 were part of the control group and did not. Follow-up visits and testing eight days later suggested that none of the concert-goers had been infected with COVID-19, while two people in the control group were infected. “This study demonstrates that a live music concert performed under a series of safety measures that include a SARS-CoV-2 negative antigen test is not associated with an increase in infections due to #COVID19,” the researchers said.
  • At CES — an annual electronics trade show that was held virtually this year — some companies showed off technology that will aid the return to live events. BioIntelliSense’s BioButton, for example, is a wearable that tracks temperature, respiratory rate and heart rate, which can help quickly alert someone if they might be ill. The company’s CEO, Jim Mault, participated in a panel called “Getting Back Together Safely” that examined the role technology will play in gatherings going forward. Meanwhile, Caryn Seidman-Becker, the CEO of Clear, discussed her company’s app, which the Orlando Magic basketball team is using for its current season. It requires patrons to complete a health and safety survey before attending an event. “There’s a new level of health and wellness as a part of someone’s identity,” she said. “There will be global rules, state rules, local rules. Health insights are a part of who you are. What this is really doing is saying this is a digital part of our lives, and we may want to know certain things at certain times. It’s just part of who we are.”
  • New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a program called New York Arts Revival that he hopes will accelerate the return of live events. “New York City is not New York without Broadway,” he said during an address. “We cannot wait until summer to turn the lights back on for the arts. We will not let the curtain fall on their careers or our cities.” There are several components of the program: Outdoor pop-up shows featuring more than 150 artists, including Hugh Jackman and Chris Rock, will kick off Feb. 4, for example, and occur in locations such as parks, public plazas and the backs of trucks. The idea is that the performances will be a big sign to patrons that the arts will be back, while offering a taste of the live entertainment that’s been absent for months. As part of the program, New York will also debut efforts to figure out how to hold safe, socially distant performances at local venues.

Managing COVID-19 Restrictions 

Venues and creators are getting creative and finding ways to safely operate their business amid ongoing restrictions.

  • The Under the Radar festival, hosted by the Public Theater in New York, went virtual for the first time since its 2005 inception. The line-up, which kicked off Jan. 6, featured 12 days of on-demand and real-time shows. Mark Russell, the theater’s founder, said that even as venues remain closed, he wanted to continue showcasing new, innovative artists. “Under the Radar is always driven by this question of ‘why do theatre now?’ Everyone has a phone, everyone can make a movie,” Russell told Financial Times. “So all the artists who come to Under the Radar each year make a case for their version of live theatre. This year is no different. It made them boil things down and ask, ‘What is really important for me about my work? Is it the music? Is it having people come up on stage with me?’ And each of them is trying to find ways through Zoom to make that happen.” 
  • New York’s Exponential Festival, which typically takes place at Brooklyn venues like The Brick in Williamsburg, is happening on YouTube this year. Thirty shows will debut, and be available for free, through Jan. 31. One show, “And Then I Wake Up,” “is a horror audio work accompanied by a visual meditation that explores the role of dreaming and nightmares in our lives. Through storytelling, sound, and dreamscape paintings, the project provides a contemplative space to slow down, drift, and imagine.⁠”
  • On Site Opera, which is based in New York, is getting creative about how to remain engaged with its fans. One production, “To My Distant Love,” is a one-on-one live telephone experience: Audience members get calls from a soprano or baritone, whichever they prefer, plus e-mail love letters. Those who purchase tickets to “The Beauty That Still Remains” receive diaries in the mail every one to two weeks, plus access codes to pre-recorded audio performances and invitations to virtual events. 
  • Atlanta Creative Events is teaming up with the City of Lawrenceville, GA, to help make pandemic-era Valentine’s Day special. Couples can reserve a private igloo — which includes a heater — for dinner and drinks, and live performances will occur at a nearby, outdoor stage. 

Regional Regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with event reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US:

  • Dade County in Wisconsin says outdoor gatherings can now stretch up to 50 people, double the previous limit. Infections are rising in the region, and officials hope the loosened restrictions encourage people to gather outside instead of the more risky indoors. “What we know to be true is that the risk of gathering is lower outside,” Janel Heinrich, director of Public Health Madison & Dane County, told the Wisconsin State Journal.
  • In Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz is allowing bars and restaurants to once again offer indoor dining (at 50% capacity), and movie theaters, museums and other entertainment venues can open for the first time since mid-November (at 25% capacity). “The situation in Minnesota is undeniably better than it was last month,” Walz said. “We have reasons to be optimistic …  But we need to protect the progress we’ve made.” The relaxed restrictions mean that the state’s 18th annual Crosslake WinterFest can continue, with some tweaks. Activities include ice skating and kite flying, and WinterFest facemask buffs will be available for $10. Purchasing one grants access to assorted deals in town.
  • In California, Gov. Gavin Newsome lifted a stay-at-home order in Sacramento, which means outdoor dining can resume — as can gatherings with people from up to three households. Other parts of California remain under lockdown as the state struggles to control the pandemic.
  • Newark — a small city in Delaware, not the one in New Jersey — extended its strict limits on gatherings. Under the rules, indoor gatherings are capped at 10 people, while up to 20 people can gather outside. The city’s residents can apply for permits to have larger gatherings, with a max of 50 attendees. Those who violate the gathering rules will be fined between $100 to $500 and must complete up to 20 hours of community service; the penalties increase for a second offense. 

International Insights

Here’s a look at what’s happening with event reopening rules — and pandemic developments — around the globe.

  • Guns N’ Roses is planning a tour in Australia and New Zealand, although not until November. “Stadium rock is back,” the group declared on its website. The tour is just one of many big events that organizers are counting on holding in person this year, including the new arts festival Rising, which is slated to open in late May. Australia has weathered the pandemic better than many other countries, thanks to an aggressive early response and regional lockdowns.
  • On Saturday in Abu Dhabi,  the UFC hosted its first live event with fans in 10 months. About 2,000 patrons — 10% of the Etihad Arena’s capacity — were permitted to attend each of three fight shows, which helped ensure social distancing. “This decision [to welcome fans back] was not taken lightly,” Nour Al Harmoudi, a UFC associate project manager, told Edgar Daily, a men’s fashion and culture website. “Our plan mandates all ticket holders must present a negative PCR test, with 48 hours validity … Thermal scanning will also be in operation. Anyone showing signs of high fever or without a valid PCR test will be denied entry. Health and safety is our priority.”
  • Elsewhere in the United Arab Emirates: Dubai says its Expo 2020 is still a go to kick off in October. (It was originally scheduled for 2020 but postponed due to the pandemic, and it’s not changing its name.) The “world fair” — a celebration of innovation — is expected to bring 25 million visitors to Dubai and will be held in The Terra Pavilion, a new building that event organizers unveiled to the media in January. The pavilion itself is opening to the public this week, with plans to welcome 3,000 to 5,000 people a day with safety measures like social distancing squares, hand sanitizer and thermal checks.
  • On Saturday, India — home to 1.3 billion people — launched one of the world’s largest vaccination drives. Officials there plan to inoculate 300 million people by August. “These vaccines will help India win the battle against the virus,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during a speech.
  • A new Dutch festival, Frontier, has been given the greenlight to proceed this summer. The techno and hip-hop event will be “high-tech and fully corona proof,” its organizers say, and no international visitors will be permitted to attend. Patrons will have to show proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results to gain entry, and payment will be touchless. Food and drink will be ordered via an app.

Jan. 6, 2021:

First, Some Good News

Though in-person events remain in flux and coronavirus cases are rising, there have been some promising recent developments.

  • Entertainment venues are getting a long-sought-after lifeline: On Dec. 21, Congress passed a COVID-19 relief bill that includes a version of the Save Our Stages Act, which has been championed by the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA). Under the renamed Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Non-profits, and Venues Act, $15 billion will be provided to eligible live music operators and promoters, live performing arts organizations, comedy clubs, museums, movie theaters and talent representatives. President Trump signed the bill on Dec. 27, and applications are expected to be available within a few weeks.
  • The news that independent venues will be eligible for pandemic relief was widely lauded. In a statement, the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl wrote: “The preservation of America’s smaller, independent venues is not only crucial to the millions of concert goers whose lives are bettered by experiencing their favourite artists in the flesh, but to the future of music itself, as it gives the next generation of young musicians a place to cut their teeth, hone their craft, and grow into the voices of tomorrow.” Jen Lyon, a promoter in New York, told Variety: “This is a huge relief for our industry and an important acknowledgment from our Federal Government of the value of arts and culture. We have been shuttered for 10 months and are in a precarious place as of today. We ask New York State to help us with a fund that they can implement quickly so we can get through until the federal help arrives.”
  • After a slower-than-ideal vaccine rollout, Dr. Anthony Fauci said he’s optimistic that efforts will be back on track within about a week. “We’re not where we want to be,” he told NBC on Sunday. “We’ve got to do much better, but let’s give it about a week or two into January to see if we can pick up momentum that was slowed down by the holiday season.”
  • As of Jan. 4, more than 13 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been given to people in 33 countries, according to Bloomberg. So far in the United States, at least 4.66 million doses have been administered. That equates to 1.4% of the American population.
  • On Monday morning, an 82-year-old man became the first person in the world to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Brian Pinker, a dialysis patient who lives in Oxford, a city in England, said getting the shot gave him the gift of peace of mind. “I am so pleased to be getting the COVID vaccine today and really proud that it is one that was invented in Oxford … I can now really look forward to celebrating my 48th wedding anniversary with my wife Shirley later this year.”
  • The US is considering giving people half-doses of Moderna’s vaccine, which could help get a lot more people vaccinated a lot faster. “It will be based on facts and data to immunize more people,” Operation Warp Speed chief adviser Moncef Slaoui said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
  • In New York, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo pledged not to get vaccinated before Blacks and Latinos in his age group (he’s 63). “Data has continued to show that despite higher infection and death rates in the Black and Latino communities, testing has remained more widely available in white communities,” he said in a statement. “I refuse to let race or income determine who lives and who dies in New York and I mean it.”

Managing COVID-19 Restrictions 

Venues and creators are getting creative and finding ways to safely operate their business amid ongoing restrictions.

  • The electronic musician Jean-Michel Jarre put on a New Year’s Eve concert inside Notre-Dame in Paris — except he wasn’t really there. Instead, a virtual-reality avatar of Jarre performed for 45 minutes inside a virtual cathedral, a convincing mixed-media backdrop. The event was streamed on Facebook and YouTube, plus broadcasted on radio and TV. Jarre partnered with VRrOOm, a French VR company that puts on live events using virtual and augmented reality. “For me virtual reality is a dream come true,” Louis Cacciuttolo, the company’s founder, told Variety in 2020. “It brings the emotion and intensity of films, live events and the performing arts to the audience wherever they are located.”
  • Insomniac, an electronic music festival producer, debuted an Electric Mile drive-thru experience in California. After dark, patrons can drive through a festival-like environment with 5 million lights, glow-in-the-dark mushrooms, disco balls, strobe lights, 500 art installations, lasers and a warehouse-style rave. The experience is expected to last 45 minutes to an hour, and no one is permitted to leave their vehicle.
  • Los Angeles Philharmonic members Cathy and Jonathan Karoly missed performing for audiences so much that they began playing on their front porch in Pasadena, CA. Neighbors and friends would set up a chair on the lawn, and passersby stopped to find out what was happening. The Karolys printed programs. They played 25 concerts but recently stopped due to surging virus cases. “We take it very seriously,” Jonathan told The Associated Press. “The fact that it’s on our porch is irrelevant. We never wanted to sacrifice the quality. People come and they’re going to hear a first-rate concert. We challenged ourselves.”
  • An “Immersive Van Gogh” exhibit is opening in San Francisco in March — and it was designed with pandemic safety in mind. The famous painter’s works will be displayed in the space that was once the beloved Fillmore West concert venue, and projection technology will allow patrons to literally step into paintings like “Starry Night.” Admission numbers will be based on the city’s guidelines in March, and guests can expect temperature checks and hand sanitizing stations throughout the space. The digital projection tool will even be used to display social distancing markers on the floor. Masks will be mandatory.

Regional Regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with event reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US:

  • In Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam is enforcing new restrictions through Jan. 31, including a limit on indoor and outdoor gatherings that dropped from 25 people to 10. That includes parties and other social events, both indoors and outdoors.
  • In Santa Clara County, CA, health officials issued new restrictions for the new year: Businesses must close their employee breakrooms; workers cannot eat or drink in them, even if they’re alone. So what to do for lunch? Eat it in your car, the local government recommends. According to an FAQ document: “Employee breakrooms have proven to be one of the most common causes of workplace COVID-19 transmission.” The restrictions don’t apply to hospitals or health care facilities.
  • Colorado is expected to loosen restrictions in some counties this week — a boon to event organizers and restaurant owners. Still, the venues will have to comply with capacity restrictions, like 25% or 50 people indoors; whichever is smaller. While the slight relaxation won’t make a major, immediate impact on the events industry, the owner of a Denver music venue told KDVR that it does provide some hope.
  • In Anchorage, indoor service at restaurants and other facilities — like bingo halls, bars and theatres — had been closed for December. Now, following a decline in cases, some of those restrictions will be relaxed. Nightclubs, theaters, bowling alleys and other entertainment facilities, for example, can operate at 25% capacity.
  • Temporary restrictions in Pennsylvania that had taken effect on Dec. 12 ended on Monday. Restaurants, which were limited to takeout and delivery only, can resume indoor dining at 50% capacity. Theaters, museums and entertainment venues can also open at 50% capacity.

International Insights

Some countries are making progress in the fight to get the pandemic under control and, as a result, loosening restrictions. Here’s a look at what’s happening in China.

  • In Wuhan, China — the early epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic — there’s crowd-surfing again. Bars are crowded with festive partiers; street games and concerts are open to all. In other words, life looks a lot like “normal.” There have been no locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 reported in Wuhan since May 10, following an extremely strict 76-day lockdown. As live events return, residents are snapping up tickets and enthusiastically showing up for events. “During the epidemic time, Wuhan was really a dead city,” one concert-goer told Reuters. “Now people are all coming out to eat and have fun. I don’t think there were as many people before the epidemic.”
  • Though New Year’s Eve festivities were limited in many places in China, including Beijing, Wuhan still had its fun: There was a light show along the river, and a cyberpunk electronic music festival. The city’s philharmonic orchestra also performed. Thousands of people gathered to celebrate the holiday. According to The Guardian, “Some said they were being cautious, but were not particularly worried.”
  • In October, more than 630 million people traveled throughout China via trains, cars and airplanes to celebrate “Golden Week,” which included two holidays: National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival. Photos depicted a life that feels foreign in the US: train platforms packed to capacity; smiling visitors at an amusement park; revelers squeezed next to each other, often mask-less. (Mandatory mask requirements were called off in August, as coronavirus cases in China slowed.)
  • A Chinese news outlet, Global Times, examined how the pandemic has altered life for the country’s citizens. One takeaway: “Watching online concerts on the weekend has become a kind of popular way of entertainment,” one person reported. The statistics back up the anecdote. An online concert held in late May generated more than 35 million views, hinting at the potential reach of livestreams.

Inspiration and Further Reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

 

Dec. 22, 2020:

Special Update: The Save Our Stages Campaign

After months of lobbying from the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and a grassroots social media campaign, pandemic relief is coming for eligible independent venues and event creators. On Dec. 21, Congress passed a COVID-19 relief bill that includes a version of the NIVA-supported Save Our Stages Act — renamed the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Non-profits, and Venues Act — which will provide $15 billion in grants to eligible live music operators and promoters, live performing arts organizations, comedy clubs, museums, movie theaters, and talent representatives. President Trump signed the bill into law on Dec. 27.

Program rules and application details are in the works, and we’ll have updated information as it becomes available. For now, click here to read about what’s in the bill, and what happens next.

Dec. 16, 2020: 

First, Some Good News

Though in-person events remain in flux and coronavirus cases are rising, there have been some promising recent developments.

  • After months of anticipation, one of the first coronavirus vaccines was given to a nurse in New York on Dec. 14. Sandra Lindsay, who works at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, was inoculated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. “I feel like healing is coming,” she said, according to The New York Times. “I hope this marks the beginning of the end of a very painful time in our history.”
  • Pfizer’s vaccine was cleared for emergency use on Dec. 11, and this week, about 2.9 million doses will be shipped across the US. The company will supply 100 million doses of the vaccine — which the most recent data indicate is 95% effective against COVID-19 — by March. As the initial doses were loaded onto trucks at a Pfizer plant in Michigan on Sunday, workers and other onlookers applauded the historic moment. “Of all the vaccines that I have been involved in the development of, this stands out as the most stunning accomplishment,” Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN.
  • The government is expected to authorize a second vaccine, made by Moderna, on Dec. 18. Six million doses of the shot, which trials indicate is 94.1% effective, could then be distributed the following week. The US, which had already purchased 100 million doses, announced it will buy an additional 100 million. “This new federal purchase can give Americans even greater confidence we will have enough supply to vaccinate all Americans who want it by the second quarter of 2021,” US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told Politico.
  • Fears of a twindemic — a nasty flu season on top of the lingering coronavirus pandemic — have not come to fruition. “Overall flu activity is low, and lower than we usually see at this time of year,” Dr. Daniel B. Jernigan, director of the influenza division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The New York Times. “I don’t think we can definitively say there will be no twindemic; I’ve been working with flu for a long time, and I’ve been burned. But flu is atypically low.”
  • On Dec. 15, Adam Hartke, co-chair of the National Independent Venue Association’s Advocacy Committee, testified in Washington, DC about how the pandemic has impacted the live entertainment industry. The hearing included a review of proposals for issues like unemployment compensation and health care subsidies. “Our venues are the catalyst to many artists’ careers,” said Hartke, who owns Wave and The Cotillion, venues in Wichita, Kansas. “Without smaller stages for new artists to perform, we will see fewer superstars in the future, and in turn the entire industry will suffer.” Hartke pointed out that, to date, more than 2.1 million emails have been sent to Congress in support of the Save Our Stages Act. The act is also supported by 57 Senate cosponsors, and 172 House cosponsors. “What we are asking for is the passing of the Save Our Stages Act as written and an extension of PUA to take care of our employees until we can rehire them and resume operations,” Hartke testified. “This is what will save the mom and pop venues across the country, and ensure we are there to once again be the anchors within our communities, and the overall live entertainment ecosystem within America.”

Managing COVID-19 Restrictions 

Venues and creators are getting creative and finding ways to safely operate their business amid ongoing restrictions.

  • For the music-lovers on your list: NIVA compiled a gift guide to steer holiday shoppers toward their favorite venues’ merch. Merch sales, the association points out, “are the only income many venues have during this time of closure … and they need a means to survive.” Lots of venues have released fun new merch designs to help increase sales.
  • Since fans can’t go to them, some musicians are going to the fans. The Concert Truck, a mobile symphony, teamed up with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra to stage free community concerts between Nov. 19 and Dec. 17. The 16-foot truck is equipped with lights, a sound system and a heater, and has enough room for a piano. The founders, Nick Luby and Susan Zhang — classically trained pianists — launched the truck in 2015, with no idea how grateful they would be for the prescient idea five years later. “[The truck] has been a really powerful way to connect with people and share a moment at a time when that’s been very difficult to do,” Luby told Dallas TV station WFAA. “It’s been very special to us to continue to share music when it’s needed.”
  • As some venues permanently shutter or grapple with an uncertain future, Firefly at Here House, a restaurant and live music venue, opened in Aspen, CO, in December. It’s operating at 25% indoor capacity, and bookings are limited to a max of two hours, which allows guests to catch at least one set of live music. Masks are required, and groups can’t exceed six people. Upon arrival, all guests will receive infrared temperature checks. “What can we do for this community to cheer us all up? Music is such a great equalizer — everybody loves great music,” owner Candice Olson told the Aspen Times.
  • Le Poisson Rouge, a music club in New York’s Greenwich Village, launched a “virtual venue” — a subscription service that costs $19.99 a month. While fans can still buy $10 single tickets for livestream performances, the subscription service includes access to all shows, plus on-demand replays for at least 30 days. Another perk: “That warm fuzzy feeling of supporting independent music,” as the venue puts it.
  • Stand Up NY, a comedy club in New York City, is speaking out about what it perceives as an unfair double standard. “It’s been very upsetting to see a live studio audience at ‘Saturday Night Live’ when NYC comedy clubs are still prohibited from opening,” the venue tweeted. “We’re demanding that clubs be allowed to operate under the same guidelines as restaurants and bars.” Stand Up NY has organized protests around the SNL offices and is raising money to help support the New York comedy scene.
  • More than 7,300 people have signed a change.org petition to help save Voltage Lounge, a venue in Philadelphia, from eviction. “We’ve had to cancel hundreds of shows and have next to no revenue stream since March,” the petition says. “Unfortunately, now the time has come and we’re in a position where we have our backs against the wall and our landlords in Arts & Crafts Holdings want us out.” The lounge owes about $150,000 in back rent and is hoping the petition helps demonstrate its value to the community, perhaps encouraging its landlord to work to keep it at its home.

Regional Regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with event reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US:

  • Dr. Michael Osterholm, a member of President-elect Joe Biden’s coronavirus advisory board, warned Americans to skip holiday parties and not engage in social interactions with anyone outside their households. “There is not a safe Christmas party in this country right now,” he told Reuters.
  • In Wyoming — where 1 in 113 residents had the coronavirus in early December — there’s now a statewide mask mandate, in addition to more stringent restrictions on public gatherings. No more than six people who aren’t from the same household are permitted to sit together at theaters, concert halls and other gathering places, down from eight. A max of 10 people can participate in group workout classes, and outdoor gatherings can’t exceed 50% of venue capacity.
  • There are new restrictions on outdoor gatherings in New Jersey: Only 25 people can congregate, down from 150. Wedding ceremonies, funerals and religious activities are among those exempt. 
  • Gov. Tom Wolf — who recently tested positive for COVID-19 — ordered three weeks of tightened restrictions in Pennsylvania. The measures, which will be in place from Dec. 12 to Jan. 4, include a ban on indoor dining, bars, theaters, casinos and fitness centers
  • Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt is limiting public gatherings, including holiday parties, to 50% of the venue’s capacity unless the local health department grants an exception. “This doesn’t apply to churches, but I want them to continue to innovate,” he said.

International Insights

Some countries are making progress in the fight to get the pandemic under control and, as a result, loosening restrictions. Here’s a look at what’s happening in Asia.

  • Taiwan’s return to events is based on impressive control of the coronavirus: As of early December, the country — which has a population of 23 million — had recorded 716 cases and seven deaths. And it’s serious about keeping it that way: A man who recently broke quarantine by stepping out of his hotel room into the hallway for eight seconds was fined $100,000 Taiwan dollars, which is $3,500 in the US.
  • In November, the cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed for a crowd of more than 4,000 at the Taipei Music Center in Taiwan. It was his first concert in front of a live audience since March. “People all across the world can see and learn from the COVID-19 prevention measures you have taken. What is greatest about Taiwan is your willingness to work together,” he said during the show. Ma was required to quarantine for seven days before entering Taiwan, plus show proof of a negative COVID-19 test.
  • Also in November: Taiwan hosted Road to Ultra, a one-day music festival. It was the first event the Ultra franchise has held since the pandemic began. Performers included Alesso, Kayzo and Slander, and about 10,000 patrons attended. Four DJs who broke a “one room per person” quarantine rule were later fined $10,000 each in New Taiwan dollars, which is $351 in the U.S.
  • Elsewhere in Asia: Hong Kong, which has reported more than 1,000 new cases since Nov. 17, is capping public gatherings at two people. Those who break the rules will be slapped with a $25,000 fine (in Hong Kong money, which is $3,200 in the US) and six months of prison time.

Inspiration and Further Reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events — or master your approach to online events. Here’s what’s new:

Dec. 2, 2020: 

First, Some Good News

Though in-person events remain in flux and coronavirus cases are rising, there have been some promising recent developments.

  • AstraZeneca, a drugmaker, announced promising early results for the COVID-19 vaccine it developed with Oxford University: In one trial, it was 90% effective. That makes it the third major COVID-19 vaccine that will likely be a viable option for Americans within the next year.
  • The first 6.4 million doses of Pfizer’s vaccine — which early data indicate is 95% effective — could be sent out in mid-December. Distribution plans are still being finalized, but frontline health-care workers will almost definitely be among the first to get vaccinated.
  • On Monday, the pharmaceutical company Moderna announced it was applying for emergency use authorization for its coronavirus vaccine. If granted by the Food and Drug Administration, the next steps would be for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine who gets to receive it first. Then those people could start being vaccinated. Moderna’s latest vaccine data indicate it’s 94.1% effective at preventing COVID-19 and 100% effective at averting severe cases of the disease. “It was the first time I allowed myself to cry,” the company’s chief medical officer told CNN. “We have a full expectation to change the course of this pandemic.”
  • The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) announced Tuesday that it received a $500,000 donation from Spotify to help venues that have been shuttered for months. Spotify and NIVA are also using venue marquees to honor memorable concerts from then-rising stars at a handful of NIVA’s 3,000 member venues, including Childish Gambino at The Aladdin Theater in Portland, OR, and The Weeknd at The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC, and to help push Congress to provide relief in the form of the Save Our Stages Act
  • Speaking of the Save Our Stages Act, that landmark bipartisan bill recognizing the vital cultural and economic role independent venues play in our communities continues to build momentum, gaining co-sponsors as Congress works on an overall economic stimulus package. NIVA is encouraging supporters of the bill, which would provide relief in the form of grants to live venue operators, promoters, producers, and talent representatives, to reach out to their elected representatives via a simple form letter and ask them to act now, before it’s too late. 


Managing COVID-19 Restrictions 

Many venues and creators are getting creative and finding ways to safely operate their business amid ongoing restrictions. 

  • Miami Art Week, which runs from November 27 to December 6, is going mostly virtual this year. But guests can still explore some public works, a hybrid model other festivals will likely follow. Design Miami, for example, worked with the University of Miami Health System to implement safety protocols, and patrons are required to get timed-entry tickets and wear masks.
  • The Midway in San Francisco has maintained a robust line-up of events even as other venues stay shuttered. That’s partly thanks to its unique space, which includes more than two blocks of street space in front of an outdoor stage. Upcoming events include an album release party, a holiday concert and a performance by a DJ. Pods of up to four patrons can sit together at outdoor tables that are sufficiently distant from other people, and security guards are dispatched to monitor the crowds for mask-wearing. About 100 people (down from 6,500 pre-pandemic) can attend each show, and guests are only permitted to go inside to use the restroom.
  • In Arizona: Phoenix’s Rebel Lounge, a live-music venue, has reinvented itself as a coffee shop, bar and lounge. “It could be another year before we see concerts returning to anything that looks like normal,” owner Stephen Chilton said, according to The Arizona Republic. “With that much potential down time ahead, the only way to survive without federal aid is to pivot and try to utilize the space in some other positive ways.”
  • Ahead of hosting the NFL’s big game in February 2021, Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium partnered with Visa to go completely cashless and contactless in an attempt to cut back on unnecessary (and risky) touching.

Regional Regulations

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with event reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US:

  • New Orleans announced that no parades will be permitted during Mardis Gras 2021, which will take place in February. Mayor LaToya Cantrell said that while not all celebrations will be canceled, “large gatherings have proven to be super spreader events.”
  • Starting Monday, all social gatherings with people from more than one household are banned for three weeks in Los Angeles County. There’s also a curfew throughout California that forbids gatherings and similar activities between 10 pm and 5 am. The restrictions are the strictest the region has seen since March.
  • A live entertainment pilot program in Washington, DC, that had allowed seven venues to host scaled-back events was put on pause to help combat escalating caseloads. Effective November 25, outdoor gatherings in the city are limited to 25 people (down from 50), and indoor gatherings can have 10 attendees max. There’s no word yet on when the program will resume.
  • Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak is clamping down on private and public gatherings, announcing a three-week pause that includes strict capacity rules. Some shows, like Caesars Palace’s “Absinthe,” are choosing to proceed even with the reduced audience sizes. Others, like “This Is Christmas” at the Venetian Theater, have canceled their shows and will reevaluate when the restrictions are relaxed again.
  • Wyoming Gov. Mark Dorgon, who recently tested positive for COVID-19, announced new restrictions on indoor and outdoor public gatherings: If social-distancing recommendations are followed, indoor gatherings can occur with 25% capacity, up to 100 people. Outdoor gatherings must stick to 50% capacity, with no more than 250 people. Faith-based gatherings aren’t included in the regulations.
  • In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear is limiting event venues to 25-person capacity. “It’s not us being unfair; it’s the virus being unfair,” he told the AP.

International Insights

Some countries are making progress in the fight to get the pandemic under control and, as a result, loosening restrictions. Here’s a look at what’s happening in Australia.

  • Parts of Australia are easing restrictions as outbreaks slow. South Australia, for example, recorded no new cases of COVID-19 over a 24-hour period in late November. In addition to lifting border restrictions, more people will be allowed at gatherings, and dancing and drinking will once again be permitted at events like weddings.
  • Bar Pop, an events company in Perth, Australia, sold 15,000 tickets for its return to live entertainment, a three-day beer festival. It was held at a bigger space than usual to accommodate social distancing, with safety protocols like single-use cups and frequent sanitization in place. “We can see that there’s a strong desire from Western Australians to get out of the house and experience live music, the arts, and events again,” Bar Pop previously told Eventbrite, “in addition to dining and socializing at venues of all types.” 
  • As events resume in Australia, many organizers are echoing that sentiment about pent-up demand. The Happy Horsemen, a group of music venues in Brisbane, described “unprecedented ticket sales.” Patrons are so eager for live entertainment to return that even smaller bands are generating the kind of ticket sales that previously would have been out of reach.
  • Mary’s Underground in Sydney recently held seven shows, but the concerts had a new look and feel: Patrons had to remain at socially-distant seats, so there wasn’t the lively dancing you might expect. But one performer, Genesis Owusu, wasn’t fazed. “From the few faces I could see, I could see people really wanting to get up, shuffling around in their seats. That was enough to make me say, ‘Let’s do it for real,’” he told The Guardian

Inspiration and Further Reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate the return to in-person events. Here’s what’s new on the blog:

____

Nov. 19, 2020:

First, Some Good News

Though in-person events remain in flux and coronavirus cases are rising, there have been some promising recent developments.

  • Pfizer, one of the pharmaceutical companies working on a COVID-19 vaccine, announced that early data indicate its vaccine is 95% effective. That’s an even higher percentage than many experts had hoped.
  • Another company in the vaccine race, Moderna, says preliminary results show that its vaccine, funded with help from Dolly Parton, is 94.5% effective against COVID-19. The first doses could be available to high-risk and other special populations sometime in December. 

Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening with event reopening rules and restrictions in different regions across the US:

Northeast

  • As COVID-19 cases increase in Massachusetts, the state is clamping back down on event restrictions. Indoor gatherings are now restricted to 10 people, regardless of whether they’re at a public spot or private residence. Outdoor gatherings are limited to 25 attendees, and all attendees must disperse by 9:30 p.m.
  • Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine responded to the nationwide surge in cases by banning dancing and games at gatherings such as wedding receptions and banquets. That’s in addition to a 10-person cap that applies to both public events and private gatherings (outside of single residences, weddings, funerals, and religious observances).

South

  • In Washington, D.C., a live music pilot program including seven indoor venues has been extended until Dec. 30. The participating venues – such as the revered Kennedy Center, the (mostly) seated Hamilton Live and the basement nightclub Union Stage – can’t have more than 50 ticketed patrons, and seats must be at least 20 feet from the stage. That jumps to 30 feet if there’s singing, which tends to spread airborne particles. Guests must remain seated throughout events, so no dancing, and venues have to enforce one-way traffic and maintain records of all attendees to help facilitate contact tracing.
  • On Nov. 10, Montgomery County in Maryland, which is adjacent to D.C., voted to cut public gatherings (such as festivals and other events) to 25 people max, down from 50. The move came as coronavirus cases climbed throughout the region.
  • After about a month of limited outdoor events, Lubbock, a city in Texas, re-tightened its restrictions. Effective Nov. 1, outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people are not permitted in the city. Drive-in events, like concerts and movies, are still allowed, and organizers can lobby the mayor for exceptions to the 10-person rule.
  • Austin isn’t Austin without live music. The city is participating in a program called Reopen Every Venue Safely, which is developing guidelines for whenever it’s safe to host shows again. The in-depth advice includes sample procedures for when artists arrive at a venue, how to safely handle gear and what to do about food and beverage service.
  • Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre reopened in November with a makeover: In addition to an upgraded ventilation system, the venue installed ultraviolet light air scrubbers. Capacity for events ranges from 17% to 22%, and staff members are helping ensure social-distancing. Masks are mandatory.

Midwest

  • A Wisconsin appeals court blocked the Democratic governor’s emergency order, which limited public gatherings and capped capacity at bars and restaurants. That means there are no statewide restrictions on gathering sizes, though individual counties are enforcing their own rules.
  • Chicago reimposed restrictions that impact events and other social gatherings. Indoor performance venues and movie theaters are now limited to 50 socially-distant guests, or 40% capacity, whichever number is smaller. Meetings and events such as weddings and birthday parties must abide by a 10-person limit, whether they’re indoors or outside.

West

  • In Phoenix, public events with more than 50 people are prohibited, barring special approval from the city. Event organizers can submit an online application, which includes outlining their plan for cleaning and disinfecting, and providing documentation on how social distancing will be enforced. Private events not open to the public hosted on private property do not require the city’s approval, no matter the gathering’s size. 
  • Nevada recently rolled back restrictions, allowing large meetings and other gatherings to resume in Las Vegas – with a max of 250 attendees. That limit doesn’t include staff and/or performers, and event organizers can have up to 1,000 guests if they meet a slew of requirements. For example: submitting a safety plan to local authorities; separating guests into different rooms with 250 people or 50% capacity at all times; and requiring all guests to register ahead of time. (The state’s health officials recently clarified that any type of vocal performer — which includes comedians and magicians, who rely on verbal communication — can take their face masks off during performances, as long as they continue to follow social-distancing rules.)
  • In Colorado, counties are designated one of four levels: “protect our neighbors” which means the most lax restrictions followed by “cautious,” “concern” and “high risk” levels. Guidelines for outdoor events vary based on designation. Counties in the “protect our neighbors” stage can host outdoor events with up to 500 people, for example, while the other levels range from 75 to 250 guests. There are lots of guidelines for all events, regardless of size, including single-direction traffic flow, collecting guests’ contact information and providing flexible cancellation policies. The state recommends staggering guest arrival and keeping events short so attendees don’t need to use the restrooms, where germs often spread more easily. There’s also a handy social distance spacing calculator that can help you set up your event space. 

For more resources on staging in-person events during the pandemic, consult Eventbrite’s COVID-19 Safety Playbook for Events.