Safety. Comfort. Quality Events organized by the PTWP Group #wecare
1. Safety on the premises
Safety has always been our priority. Best quality is always a standard in the venues, where our events are organized. We know how to disinfect surfaces, we remember to ventilate rooms and disinfect equipment. We do all this because we want you to feel safe and comfortable in the space we have created.
#wecare – on the premises
- we disinfect surfaces before you enter the venue
- we ventilate rooms and halls
- we follow the rules on frequent ventilation of venues
- hand disinfectants have been placed “at your fingertips” (at the entrances, in toilets, at cash desks, in elevators, at the reception and in the food court)
- we have displayed instructions in visible places; they inform you of the necessity to clean and disinfect hands, instruct how to remove and put on gloves as well as how to remove and put on a mask
- we have determined a maximum number people allowed to be in a restroom in the same time (it equals the total number of cabins/urinals)
- we have temporarily switched off hand dryers – you can dry your hands using contact-less paper towel dispensers
- we have marked containers for used personal protective equipment
- we have determined the maximum number of people allowed in an elevator (1 person, except for families)
- we have instructed cleaners hired by the organisers in new procedures, including more frequent cleaning and disinfection (toilets, handrails, handles, door knobs, buttons, elevators, escalators, table tops, seat backs, etc. need to be cleaned every hour)
- we have organised the schedule of the event in such a way that the least possible number of people work together in the same place and in the same time – including white-collars
- we have made sure that the audience enter the venue in a contact-less manner;
- we do not use deposits
- in case IT/AV equipment is rented from the manager of the venue, we undertake, among others, to:
- disinfect the microphones and the projector during intervals
- disinfect the platform for speakers during intervals
- disinfect the interpreting booths – after every 4-hour block
- disinfect headsets for the audience – at the end of every day. We will make sure that each day every person receives their exclusive headset.
2. Safe visitors
We bear in mind that the safety of the venues depends also on responsible behaviour of visitors. We communicate with guests and participants, asking that they follow the rules.
#wecare – about visitors
We kindly ask you to:
- disinfect and thoroughly wash their hands. Disinfectant liquid dispensers are easily accessible on the premises and in toilets we have displayed information on how to wash hands properly.
- wear masks, especially in places where people wait in lines, e.g. in front of toilets
- maintain a safe distance even during a conversation (min. 2 metres)
- make a written declaration, before you enter the venue or online, that – according to their best knowledge – you are not infected, in quarantine and that you are not under epidemiological surveillance
- refrain from taking part in the events if you are over 70 or suffer from a chronic disease
- take seats assigned to you personally; this, unfortunately, means that you may choose your seat
- take every second seat and maintain a distance of one row of empty seats between occupied rows; the above does not apply to you if:
- you have come with a child under the age of 13
- are a person with a certificate of disability, a person with a degree of disability, a person with a certificate of need for special education or a person who cannot move on their own due to their health condition
- limit the amount of time you spend in the reception – if possible, it is recommended that you register for the event and contact the organiser on the Internet
- move exclusively in the designated area
- follow the procedures for entering/leaving the venue:
- wait in lines, remembering to maintain a distance of minimum 2 metres
- wait in sections to be allowed into the venue at regular intervals, if the organiser has provided for such a procedure
- use electronic tickets stored in smart phones
- do not obstruct the entry/exit and let the elderly through
- comply with the safety guidelines and follow the instructions of the staff
- In case you have disturbing symptoms of COVID-19 such as dyspnea, low-grade fever (body temperature between 37°C and 38°C), symptoms of a cold or in case you had direct contact with a person infected with SARS-CoV-2 within 14 days before the event, do not come to the event, stay at home and contact the nearest sanitary and epidemiological station or call your GP.
- cover your nose and mouth with an elbow or tissue while sneezing or coughing and dispose of the tissue in a closed rubbish bin, remembering to wash your hands immediately.
3. Safe catering
The International Congress Centre and the Spodek Arena have for long cooperated with trusted and tested catering services providers. To make sure that you are safe during our events we have introduced stricter requirements for caterers. The guidelines also apply to other venues where we organize our events.
#wecare – caterers
- all meals and/or equipment must be delivered by means of ventilated and/or disinfected and/or ozonised cars
- equipment and dinnerware must be frequently disinfected;
- meals can be served in a few ways;
- in closed biodegradable lunch boxes
- seasonings, salt and sugar are available in disposable sachets only
- contact-less coffee stations
- contact-less food counter at a lunch, banquet and dinner
- food served to a table
- staff must wear gloves as well as masks/protective visors covering the nose and mouth
- disinfectants for guests and staff are available in catering areas
- caterers are expected to disinfect hands, counters and payment terminals and, at least every hour, cash desks and service points
- pin pads and scanners are disinfected before/after every use
- common surfaces used by clients must be disinfected at least every 15 minutes (except for floors)
- we comply with current guidelines of the Chief Sanitary Inspector and the Minister of Health, available at www.gis.gov.pl or www.gov.pl/web/koronawirus/.
4. Safety at points of sale
Temporary points of sale operate on the premises of the International Congress Centre. You will find there beverages, snacks and meals. We have implemented transparent rules to ensure their safe operation.
#wecare – points of sale
Operators of points of sales and their staff are obliged to:
- use biodegradable cups
- serve seasonings, sugar and salt in disposable sachets;
- equip points of sale with a transparent cover, e.g. made of plexiglass, separating customers from staff (in accordance with guidelines of the Chief Sanitary Inspector)
- inform staff to cover their nose and mouth with a mask or a protective visor
- cashless payments are recommended
- frequently disinfect hands, counters and payment terminals and, at least every hour, cash desks or service points.
- Disinfect pin pads and scanners before/after every use
- mark the distance of 2 metres in waiting lines
- maintain a distance of 2 metres between table tops (a distance of 1 metre needs to be maintained if plexiglass is installed between tables)
- disinfect every table after previous guests have been served
- disinfect common surfaces used by clients at least every 15 minutes (except for floors)
- act in accordance with current guidelines of the Chief Sanitary Inspector and the Minister of Health, available at www.gis.gov.pl or www.gov.pl/web/koronawirus/.
5. Safety during events
a. Congresses, conferences, concerts
The role of the organiser is crucial in ensuring safety of participants of every event. We have developed a set of procedures for companies managing events in the International Congress Centres and the Spodek Arena, as well as other venues where we organize our events.
#wecare – organisers of events
- we communicate with participants informing them of new safety rules and guidelines on protection against SARS-CoV-2 before and during the event. For this purpose we use social media, ticket counters, websites, rules of the event, posters, banners, the PA system, etc.
- we contact our subcontractors and exhibitors online, via selected platform and registration systems. We utilize new technologies, limiting direct contact.
- a person who shows visible symptoms of infection (nagging cough, malaise, breathing difficulties) will be denied entry. The event organiser shall implement an internal action plan in accordance with the guidelines developed by the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate.
- we have prepared a room (equipped with personal protective equipment and a disinfectant) in case there is a need to isolate a person with symptoms of an infection
- it is possible to buy face masks in a designated place in the International Congress Centre and the Spodek Arena
- phone numbers to the poviat sanitary and epidemiological stations as well as emergency services have been displayed in an easily accessible place
- as long as borders remain closed we organise only domestic meetings / events
- we make sure that a safe distance of at least 2 metres is maintained between organisers/participants
- covering mouths and noses (with masks or another material) is mandatory – it is demanded of every person present on the premises (the organiser, subcontractors, participants, staff, etc.)
- we comply with laws regulating the maximum number of people occupying the same space;
- plays, performances, film screenings and video recordings – we occupy half of available places
- trade fairs, exhibitions, congresses, conferences, meetings – 1 person/4m2
- mass cultural events and entertainment – every second place is available for the audience; participants are supposed to maintain a distance of one empty row between occupied rows and only half of available places may be occupied
- we make sure that all accessories, furniture and multimedia equipment are disinfected before they are brought onto the premises; we make sure that the following rules are observed:
- disinfecting microphone and the projector during intervals
- disinfecting the platform for speakers during intervals
- disinfecting the interpreting booths – after every 4-hour block
- disinfect headsets for the audience – at the end of every day. We will make sure that each day every person receives their exclusive headset.
- organising the cloakroom / luggage storage in the following way:
- we make sure that the maximum possible number of staff work in the cloakroom or allow participants to hang their overclothes on their own
- a distance of at least 2 metres must be maintained between participants of an event/meeting waiting in line to the cloakroom
- staff working in the cloakroom must be equipped with personal protective equipment, including masks or protective visors, gloves and hand disinfectants (in accordance with applicable laws) as well as waterproof long-sleeved aprons (to be used when necessary)
- when possible, overclothes should be hanged on every second hanger and disposable coat number should be used
- the tabletop in the cloakroom must be disinfected at least every hour
- cashless payments are recommended
- it is mandatory that a team of paramedics competent in dealing with cases of COVID-19, equipped with full personal protective equipment is present at events/meetings for minimum 50 people;
- each rented space should be prepared and arranged in compliance with current guidelines on maintaining a safe distance
- a list of phone numbers to people present in the venue must be kept during the event (including assembly and disassembly) in case a participant is diagnosed with coronavirus
- a health care coordinator or an employee must be delegated to fulfil tasks related to maintaining all established procedures and be in constant contact with a designated person from the competent poviat sanitary and epidemiological station; activate the organiser's hotline, operating during the event, displaying the phone number and rules of its use in a visible place;
- contracts with subcontractors and employees must include appropriate provisions (including consent for the processing of personal data allowing the organiser to share participants’ data with the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, declarations on the health of a participant)
- rules of events must be in compliance with current laws regulating preventing the threat of an epidemic:
- provisions on data processing allowing the Organiser to share participants’ data with the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate and emergency services
- each participants is obliged to have their own personal protective equipment
- every participant is required to make an obligatory written declaration, before entering the venue or earlier on the Internet, that they, according to their best knowledge, are not infected with coronavirus and that they have not been neither in quarantine nor under epidemiological surveillance
- it is required that the audience maintain a distance of at least 2 metres from the stage/performers; in the case of concerts – at least 6 metres
- the space (chairs, tables, stage, etc.) must be arranged in such a way that a distance of at least 2 metres is maintained
- between participants of a meeting / event;
- participants must not have the possibility to choose their seats (seats / tables, etc. must be marked and assigned to a particular person)
- we count participants entering the premises in order to verify the number of people occupying the venue and deny entry, if the maximum occupancy rate has been reached;
- we make sure that the contact between the entering and the leaving is reduced to the minimum, thus limiting the possibility of participants obstructing passageways; the exit from the venue is located in a place other than the entrance and clearly marked with an entry ban;
- we make sure that during assembly and disassembly safety rules applicable to building companies and suppliers in accordance with current regulations and recommendations of the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate are followed
- we have been developing epidemic safety instructions for the venue before and during events; 14 days before the event (applies to large events in closed facilities) we will apply for an opinion of the relevant sanitary and epidemiological station
- while waiting in lines participants must maintain a distance of at least
2 metres - organiser of events are required to follow current guidelines of the Chief Sanitary Inspector and the Minister of Health, available at www.gis.gov.pl or www.gov.pl/web/koronawirus/, and observe, in particular, safety rules for participants/employees/suppliers of the event/meeting published on the gov.pl website;
b. Trade Fairs
Organisers of trade fairs are supposed to follow guidelines applying to congresses, conferences, concerts and the development of temporary constructions as well as exhibition space.
#wecare – organisers of trade fairs
Trade fairs organisers are expected to:
- create buffer zones in order to make sure that the required distance is maintained between visitors;
- provide visitors with disinfectants kept in a visible and accessible place
- make sure that every person entering the premises disinfects their hands
- clean and disinfect elements of the stall at least every hour
- rearrange the space between stands in such a way that the passage between stands is at least 3 metres wide
- make sure only authorised persons in possession of access documents, i.e. registered exhibitors, registered visitors, staff and other services providers are be allowed on the premises
- register all participants of the trade fairs in order to obtain data of people present at the event (e.g. by issuing tickets assigned to each individual)
- refrain from distributing leaflets and taking other actions likely to prompt people to gather in one place
- store rubbish and waste materials in closed, regularly washed and disinfected containers
- implement daily procedures of analysing and documenting the epidemiological history, in particular the absence of symptoms in staff/services providers and the lack of contact with a person who had visible symptoms or was exposed to contact with an infected person
- follow current guidelines of the Chief Sanitary Inspector and the Minister of Health, available at www.gis.gov.pl or www.gov.pl/web/koronawirus/, and observe, in particular, safety rules for participants/employees/suppliers of the event/meeting published on the gov.pl website;
6. Our employees – #wecare ambassadors
To ensure safety of participants, organisers and our own, we have implemented rules that on a daily basis are observed by our employees.
#wecare
Our employees have been instructed to:
- cover their mouth and nose, wear a mask or a protective visor every time they meet our clients; If they forget their mask, they can always collect another one at the reception desks;
- we encourage our guests and employees to greet each other with a smile instead of a handshake
- maintain a safe distance from the interlocutor and colleagues (2 meters is recommended)
- regularly and thoroughly wash their hands with soap and water in accordance with the instructions displayed at the washbasin and/or disinfect dried hands with an alcohol-based agent (min. 60% solution);
- cover their mouth and nose with an elbow or a tissue every time they cough or sneeze. Every tissue is supposed to be disposed of in a closed rubbish bin; moreover our employees have been instructed to wash their hands immediately after they have cleared their nose and mouth.
- avoid touching one’s face, especially the mouth, nose and eyes
- avoid commuting on public transport whenever possible
- before work, immediately after arriving, wash their hands with water and soap or available disinfectants. Disinfectant liquids may be found at the reception desks at the entrances (the entrance to the International Congress Centre is located from the direction of the VIP car park and from the direction of the Sławik and Antall Square; in the case of the Spodek Arena – from the direction of axis A)
- disinfect their phones, keyboards, computer mouses with disinfectants available in the kitchenettes – at least once a day. Disinfectants in the kitchenettes are at employees’ disposal (they are not supposed to leave the kitchenette)
- sign their attendance list as soon as they arrive at work for the purpose of keeping the record of all people who were present in the venue, should there be cases of the coronavirus among the staff or participants;
- avoid public spaces and not to arrive at work, if they have symptoms of SARS-CoV-2. Every confirmed case of the coronavirus must be immediately reported to the supervisor.
- comply with current guidelines of the Chief Sanitary Inspector and the Minister of Health, available at www.gis.gov.pl or www.gov.pl/web/koronawirus/.
The Principles are based on the SAFETY GUIDELINES on preventing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 during events organized by PTWP S.A.
In accordance with current laws and recommendations of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Ministry of Development and the Chief Sanitary Inspector as of July 20th, 2020.
The guidelines regulate the activity allowed by applicable laws and might be changed according to changes in laws and recommendations of the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate. The changes will be announced in a long-continued practices: electronically on the event website or in the form of announcements.
Polskie Towarzystwo Wspierania Przedsiębiorczości S.A. reserves the right to tighten / relax the safety rules depending on the situation.