28 May, 2020 – IFEMA’s imminent return to trade fair activity in September has accelerated the fine-tuning of the site and its management to guarantee maximum health and safety for exhibitors, visitors, suppliers and employees.

Therefore, many measures are being analysed and certified by IFEMA, with a view to resuming its activity and recovering the strategic role of trade fairs and congresses to help companies reactivate their businesses and contribute to the reconstruction of the economy.

This is why IFEMA is already adopting all the protocols based on criteria defined by the health authorities and the main national and international public and sectoral bodies, to offer safe and healthy spaces and environments. With this objective in mind, IFEMA is working to activate the mechanisms that guarantee and monitor everything related to safety, control and preservation of the health of the different groups that take part in the fairs, as well as the hygiene, quality and environmental safety of the facilities. An essential part of this is the management and control of capacity and the constant monitoring of the traffic of people to prevent high concentration and social distancing. All of this is accompanied by effective communication management and awareness campaigns to ensure compliance with all good practices in the framework of the fairs and for the adaptation of companies to the new post-COVID-19 environment.

The objective at the moment, in short, is to maximise protection for the professional communities represented at the various events, and for suppliers and employees in order to avoid any risk. To this end, prevention measures and mechanisms are being implemented, under the supervision of the Health and Safety Control Unit (UCS), recently created by IFEMA.

Access, distance and capacity control. IFEMA has implemented a comprehensive strategy “NO HANDS. CONTACTLESS” strategy during all the production, holding and dismantling processes of its events and for all users of the site. It has also designed a new preventive management procedure for the traffic of people and vehicles; it has incorporated telemetric counters for people entering and leaving, which allow real-time control of attendance levels, as well as technological solutions that allow the knowledge and control of areas of confluence and concentration of people with higher than recommended levels of density. In areas where the minimum distance cannot be maintained, protective screens have been installed and the use of masks will be mandatory.

Another effective measure will be the “eticketing” access system, which will be received electronically and displayed on the telephone screen to speed up access and minimise concentrations at registration desks, as well as daily access passes to control capacity, or “0 Lines” designed to manage queues based on spatial distribution criteria with separators, signage on the ground and overhead and support staff for traffic control and management.

Health services measures and units: In terms of health measures, the technology implemented at IFEMA’s entrances, body temperature detection systems, health verification systems, first aid services and units, medical services, emergencies and units specialising in immunology and epidemiology are of particular note.

Protocols have also been established to optimise and reinforce the frequency, intensity and quality of cleaning, sanitisation, waste disposal and disinfection processes in all indoor and outdoor areas of the site. In addition, disinfection dispensers are distributed at all transit points and hygiene measures are visibly displayed at strategic locations.

Measures to ensure mobility: Movements and movements to and from the site will also be supervised, guaranteeing uninterrupted connections with public transport services, taxis, shuttle services, VTCs, etc., and preventively managing the entrances, unloading of passengers, and waiting areas for the exit of people and vehicles from the site. In addition, entry and exit flows will be organised to avoid queues and high intensity areas during trade fairs, congresses and events.