Read the full Ascential Secure standards
Ascential Secure is the health and safety standard for our live events, developed to address the risk posed by COVID-19.
Our standard mirrors those developed by industry association partners including UFI, AEO and SISO, peers including Informa, Reed Exhibitions and Clarion, venues, suppliers, contractors and health, government and local authorities. We have adopted these industry-wide standards to help deliver safe, hygienic, productive and high-quality live events.
Ascential Secure explains how this industry best practice is being delivered at our live events.
This means that people coming to our events can have every confidence that we are taking all reasonable precautions to keep them safe, and that they can get on with the most important things for them and their business: gaining the information, insights, connections, data and digital tools that they need.
Our live events will be run according to official government and local authority guidance in the first instance, as well as any venue or location-specific regulations. In addition, all Ascential events, regardless of format or location, will follow ten top measures outlined below.
Where appropriate, our live events will also follow the full range of industry standards and guidelines, as published by SISO: SISO All Secure Standard
Ascential Secure top 10 measures
Cleaning & Hygiene
1. Enhanced cleaning
All Ascential events will undertake enhanced, deep cleaning before, during and after our events, working with venue partners to ensure the highest standards of hygiene and cleanliness. This includes continuous sanitisation throughout the course of an event, with a focus on high-touch areas such as door handles, restrooms and food and beverage areas.
2. Personal hygiene
All Ascential events will provide additional hand washing facilities and hand sanitising stations throughout the event space, encouraging all participants to regularly wash and disinfect their hands.
Physical Distancing
3. Registration process
All Ascential events will make best use of technology to minimise queuing and contact during the registration process.
4. Physical contact
All Ascential events will request that participants avoid physical contact, such as handshakes and embraces, promoting alternative ways to greet business partners. The exchange of printed materials, such as business cards and sales brochures, will also be discouraged, with digital alternatives recommended.
5. Physical distancing
All Ascential events will maintain a density of participants in line with local authority regulations and venue or other relevant guidance. This will be managed through one or more control measures, such as pre-show communications to participants, a one-way traffic system around exhibition floors, staggered entry times, on-site signage and floor markings and on-site social distance ambassadors.
6. Food and beverage stations
All Ascential event teams will work closely with venue partners to employ the highest standard of food safety, minimising self-service buffets in favour of pre-packaged food options. If any queuing is anticipated, social distancing will be maintained through the use of floor markings and relevant signage.
Protect & Detect
7. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Items of PPE, such as face masks, gloves and eye screens, will be used by participants and staff if appropriate, in line with local government and health authority advice.
8. First aid
All Ascential events will have access to a qualified first aider and a separate quarantine area, if possible. Participants will be asked not to attend if they are feeling unwell, and teams will follow local health authority guidance on detecting and managing anyone who shows symptoms of COVID-19.
9. Health screening
All Ascential events will follow relevant health authority guidance on screening participants. This may include checking the temperature of everyone on entry, through thermal scanning or other screening processes.
10. Trace and contact
Should it be necessary, all Ascential events will work with local authorities and venues to trace and contact participants at our events, subject to local privacy regulations.
Ascential Secure FAQ
What is Ascential Secure?
Ascential Secure is the approach we are taking to enhance the health and safety standards in place at Ascential events, following COVID-19.
From exhibitors to sponsors, speakers, visitors and journalists, those who come to our events do so to gain the information, insights, connections, data and digital tools that they need, effectively and safely.
The standards and practices that make up Ascential Secure are designed to provide confidence that at every Ascential event, we are striving to provide the highest standards of safety, hygiene, cleanliness and quality.
How was Ascential Secure developed?
Ascential Secure is based on a set of event industry standards, called All Secure.
The All Secure industry standards were developed collaboratively by a group including industry associations UFI, AEO and SISO, event organisers Informa, Reed Exhibitions and Clarion, a range of event venues, suppliers and with input from health, government and local authorities.
Ascential Secure is the way these industry-wide All Secure standards are being applied to Ascential live events.
What can I expect at an Ascential Secure event?
You can expect to see that health and safety is a priority, and that a range of measures are in place to ensure everyone involved is able to enjoy a safe, hygienic, productive and high-quality organised event experience.
As a starting point, Ascential Secure events will be run according to the guidance of the government or official local authority for that location, and according to any venue-specific regulations.
In addition, all Ascential Secure events follow ten key measures around Cleaning & Hygiene, Physical Distancing and Protection & Detection, with additional measures in place where relevant and practical for the type of event and its location.
What measures are being followed at the Ascential event I am attending?
As a minimum, all our events follow the ten key Ascential Secure measures around Cleaning & Hygiene, Physical Distancing and Protection & Detection, in addition to following the guidance of government or official local authorities and any venue-specific regulations.
For details of the specific measures in place at a particular event, see the event’s website or contact the event team directly. More details will also be included in event materials on registration or booking.
Can you guarantee my safety at an Ascential Secure event?
No environment or space inside or outside of the home can ever be 100% safe.
At controlled event gatherings like our live events and by applying Ascential Secure measures, we have put in place a comprehensive range of enhanced standards that make the health and safety of everyone who attends a priority.
Through measures such as enhanced deep cleaning before, during and after events, non-contact registration, distancing and crowd management, and the deployment of screening and protective equipment, we are striving to provide the highest standards of safety, hygiene and cleanliness, and to ensure that following COVID-19, our customers, partners and colleagues can gain the information, insights, connections, data and digital tools that they need.