New restrictions are not “new” per se for mass events, they just specify the number of people allowed (no more than 70).

Convention and exhibition activities are allowed in St. Petersburg with a special Government Decree No. 563 of July 27, 2020. The permission to hold conventions and exhibitions is QR that needs to be received by both a venue where the event is held and the organizer.

It is important to note that exhibition organizers can ensure a much higher level of epidemiological safety at their events for participants than can be guaranteed at large music or sports shows: the number of people per square meter is much lower at specialized events. Visitors usually walk around the exhibition halls alone and do not gather around a single stage or around a pitch. Technical and digital solutions allow you to control and manage the flow of people, provide additional disinfection areas, create a timetable affecting visits and establish contactless communication. Thus, mass events and convention and exhibition events are divided in terms of medical safety.

The EXPOFORUM Convention and Exhibition Center received a required QR code as early as in August 2020. In the period since August to November the venue hosted 24 events visited by more than 113,000 people. Over 40 events in offline and online formats are planned till the end of the year.

Epidemiological safety measures are carefully observed in accordance with requirements of the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing in the Convention and Exhibition Center:

• Traditional shuttles from the Moskovskaya metro station (St. Petersburg) are treated with preservatives after each trip during the events.
• So-called “buffer zones” are installed at the entrances; there are 11 vending machines with PPE kits, mobile and stationary sanitizers. Contactless “remote registration” has been but in place for event visitors and participants. Modern contactless thermal cameras are on hand to measure temperatures.
• All buffer zones are equipped with two vending machines, so that the flow of visitors didn’t stop even if one machine breaks down.
• A scheme of safe seating is implemented in conference halls that allows maintaining the distance of 1.5 meters between visitors. The convention program is made considering required breaks for disinfection and mandatory complex cleaning before and after the event. A so-called “mist treatment” – diffusion of disinfectant solution during 4–5 minutes – is used.
• To maintain the social distance near navigation stands handrailing marks are used. Floor navigation helps to divide flows of visitors and reminds of the importance of maintaining the distance of 1.5 meters between visitors.
• Bins for separate waste collection were additionally equipped with a section for utilized masks and gloves to be removed and processed safely with an affiliated company. Thus, the damage caused to the environment is minimized.

To create communication wrapping it in events and impressions is a mission of EXPOFORUM International that remains unchanged. In 2020 it gets another component – safety for participants and visitors.