What should ballrooms look like when we are all back to meeting again? Meeting planners no longer have to worry about figuring that out. A new event-tech tool could smooth the return to meeting by making it easy to plan room layouts that take each region’s safety rules and recommendations into account.
Event-planning platform Allseated announced its new Physical Distancing Tool today. Using algorithms based on local government restrictions, the mapping tool will allow meeting planners, with simple mouse clicks, to set parameters and see what a space will look like, how new rules will affect capacity, room entry and food service—all while putting the safety of guests and staff at the forefront.
Room to Experiment
Allseated was one of the first companies to digitize venues to make sourcing and site selection more collaborative and efficient. Its platform allows planners to access 80 percent of venue floorplans in the United States, and more can be added on a day’s notice.
Once a planner chooses a room, the new Allseated feature defaults to six feet between chairs. But planners can also reset the physical distance—Allseated shies away from the term “social distancing”—for the particular destination. A row of tables and chairs is generated onscreen. Planners can then play with the style of tables—squares, rounds, half-rounds—and the distance between rows and instantly know room capacity.
The modeling also shows clearance near doors to allow for entering and exiting safely. For an even better idea of what being in the room will feel like, a click from “bird’s eye” to “3-D first-person” brings the space to life. That visualization will allay a lot of planner and client concerns about how to safely resume meeting, promised Sandy Hammer, chief marketing officer and co-founder of Allseated.
Planning with Confidence
“It is about building confidence,” Hammer said. “We believe that events will return stronger than ever—but in a different format, at least at first. This will help deliver a safer experience.”
Hammer underscored the importance of getting this timely product in the hands of planners so they can safely get back to work. “As part of the events industry for the last seven years, it has been a privilege to build inspiring tools for our users. Partnering with Smart Meetings and Marin [Bright, Smart Meetings CEO] gives us a platform with the same aspirations.”
