Space soccer players just a vision of the future or soon to be reality?

And what about the hygiene officer for events?

I love asking children what they want to be when they grow up. And you can actually ask this question anew every year. Because ideas change with age. Alganon (5 years old), my little neighbor, has two wishes right now: astronaut or soccer player. Preferably both! Footballer in the morning and astronaut in the afternoon. But on further reflection, he then says that both could be too strenuous. (I have to change all the time). But why not? Who knows what the world will look like in 20 years’ time. And maybe Alganon will actually become a professional space soccer player. Who would have thought that the profession of hygiene officer for events exists today? Who would have thought that a pandemic would keep us busy for so long?

And with this story of the little space soccer player, I would like to build a bridge to my guest today, Rüdiger Strattner. You have realized a topic close to your heart in 2021. The harvest helper podcast.

Would you like to briefly explain what it’s all about?

For the podcast, I transform myself into the harvester who helps professionals from art & culture to harvest what they have created so far in their professional careers. The focus is always on the value for people who are thinking about whether this area could be something for them in the future. In addition, each episode increases the general visibility of the various professions in the event sector. And there are also lots of exciting and entertaining stories to listen to.

When Alganon is a bit older, I’ll be happy to recommend your podcast to him. Who knows what he wants to be when he’s 18 years old. And MICE crisis managers will hopefully be an integral part of the event industry. Thank you for having me in
episode 10
#theharvesthelper podcast.

The idea behind my blog post MICE Crisis Management meets…..is to present different professional fields that have to do with crisis management. The topic of crisis management is very diverse and may have a completely different name in different industries, but no matter what name ‘crisis management’ goes by, all of these situations involve solution-oriented action and people. There are many synergies when it comes to creating hygiene concepts, from risk assessment to action plans and communication.

Therefore an exciting topic for MICE crisis management meets….

You have been 1999 master craftsman for event technology and has supervised many great projects since then. We have also known each other for many years from my time at Messe Berlin. Back then you were in charge of the IFA Red Lounge as technical project manager. Your position as hygiene officer is now new. Without the pandemic, this topic would not have become so relevant for our events. And a few years ago, we probably wouldn’t have believed that this profession had a future in the event industry. How did you come to be a hygiene officer?

Duden and Wikipedia are also my favorite sources, especially when I’m not quite sure about something. And so I looked up the term “hygiene” in the dictionary quite early on last year.

And what it says could not have been more motivating:

Hygiene = the totality of measures in various areas to maintain and raise the level of health and to prevent and combat diseases.

I knew that sounded like Team Sport, so I’m in!

And how do you combine hygiene with your professional career to date?

At the end of the 1990s, I was one of the first people in Germany to take part in the “Master Craftsman for Event Technology” training course. Before that, there was only the title of stage master, but this was not comparable nationwide.

Last year, I realized early on that it was time to establish a new, contemporary qualification. Although there are still no truly standardized national qualifications in the field of hygiene for events, I am very satisfied with the training I have completed. Since the beginning of June 2020, I have had an IHK certificate for the title “Hygiene Officer for Health / Care”.

As a result, I now travel a lot, advising in advance, writing and managing hygiene and infection control concepts and supervising events. Nothing has really changed for me, the focus is just different now.

It’s now July 2021 and so far there have been few or no events in most countries. We therefore still have little experience with hygiene concepts. Test events have been held in Berlin and Barcelona, among other places. And now the European Championship is underway in various European cities. The first major trade fairs, such as Mobile World in Barcelona, were also held.

Through your current assignments, you have already been able to help shape one or two hygiene concepts or actively implement concepts on site. What should organizers, for example, pay attention to when creating them?

In the past, it was enough if someone wanted to realize an event idea and the financial framework was given. That is no longer enough! Depending on what is to be implemented, the framework within which it is possible must be worked out in great detail.

What is exciting at the moment is that completely new constellations are being added. In the past, a city’s local health department was involved in approval processes via established routines behind the scenes. Today, the central assessment of an event concept is often on the table there. So it was important for me to “practise” communicating with the employees there over the last few months.

The two most valuable tips at this point:

A: Be brief with basic statements! In case of doubt, the other person knows more about the background to the pandemic than you do.

B: convey a simple, clearly understandable idea of the planned event in your concept. The easier it is for your counterpart to get a consistent picture of the planned event, the more likely it is that they will support you.

I’m looking forward to hearing about your experiences over the last few months. How well did employees or participants accept the hygiene measures?

As part of a TV production that I regularly supervise as a hygiene officer, I recently received completely unexpected support from the VBG. This is because it closely tracks and evaluates what is published on the relevant social media channels. And if this is too much at odds with what is currently required, the VBG sometimes turns to the broadcasters concerned. In our case, everything was fine, but we seized on the momentum of the campaign and used it to keep acceptance of our concept high. Incidentally, the excellent concept comes from Conception Bay GmbH, for whom I work there on a freelance basis.

In general, I have found that it is not possible to immediately see how each individual feels about hygiene and infection protection measures. My impression is that the longer the pandemic lasts, the more people will lose their willingness to abide by the rules. This makes it all the more important that the measures are supported and endorsed at management level without any hesitation.

Last fall, together with Marianne and Verena Rogler, I wrote and was responsible for the concept for the premiere of the new musical production “Himmel und Kölle” in Cologne. The producer and director incorporated all the agreements made into all the processes. This created an atmosphere of “togetherness in difficult times” and it was never necessary to point something out as a warning or even just a reminder.

However, my experience shows that this is unfortunately quite an exception. All too often I have the feeling that a certain spirit of rebellion is associated with this as soon as there is no longer any observation that the measures are no longer being adhered to independently. This is a shame, of course, as it openly plays into the hands of the pandemic!

What I still find confusing is that it’s not entirely clear who gets to write the concepts?

I can’t give you an absolute answer either! The first step is to determine which people are where and why. This is actually easiest in a professional working environment. There, for example, the “SARS-CoV2 Occupational Health and Safety Standard”, which comes from the Federal Ministry of Labor, has been in force since 16.04.20. I write “actually” because we have probably all seen a lot of examples by now of people not ensuring that the appropriate measures are in place and that compliance with them is checked, especially in a professional environment. Please always make sure to use the latest versions of the corresponding texts.

As soon as guests are invited to an event, the operator’s liability applies in the same way as for all other hazards to which a guest could be exposed in case of doubt.

The decisive factor is always to start locally, look through the specifications that apply to your type of event and then decide what is needed. The “Kölner Amtsblatt” is a good example here, which has repeatedly communicated very decisive guidelines in recent months, which then first had to be “linked” to the rules at state and federal level.

I am currently very unhappy about the fact that an inflationary number of people are completing further training to become hygiene officers who have never before taken on responsibility in a managerial role!

It takes experience and the right mindset to develop a concept that achieves the protection goals and is implemented and maintained with vigor!

This means that we need two different positions. The author of the hygiene concept and someone who then implements the concept on site?

This does not necessarily have to be the case, but a good concept gives the people who take responsibility on site everything they need to be able to make decisions in any situation.

I reserve the right not to act on any request for event support if I am unable to fully support the subsequent concept!

As an event organizer, how can I check what needs to be included in a hygiene concept? Which elementary building blocks should be present?

There are several providers online who regularly update their offers and provide valuable information. There are certainly comparable providers, but I would simply like to refer you to the EVENTFAQ page. In relation to your question, I recommend starting with the “Event planning checklist under Corona”

An important topic is how to deal with participants who test positive on site.

This case must be played through in all facets of the individual concept! My recommendation is never to plan and organize the testing yourself if you have no medical background! In recent months, service providers everywhere have specialized in taking on this task as required by the corresponding hygiene and infection protection concept. Ideally, this should be discussed in detail with the relevant service providers when the concept is being drawn up.

Currently, “the stress” on site usually begins with a positive rapid test. The important thing here is that you don’t have to look at page xy of a comprehensive concept first. What is much more valuable now is a clear, simple overview – preferably laminated in A4 format and clearly visible on the wall – on which employees can immediately see what needs to be done.

Positive test results can very quickly lead to deep unrest in the team on site. It is therefore very important to have prepared statements and the corresponding distribution lists ready. I think your expertise in crisis management is really needed here! Otherwise, a very dynamic bushfire of assumptions and conjectures can quickly develop.

Is there a hygiene concept guideline here?

I have not developed any guidelines myself that I could make available here. This also has to do with the fact that the temporal development of the pandemic must always be included in all considerations as up-to-date as possible. And there are always massive regional differences in the relevant legal requirements.

When you start thinking about your individual event, the very first thing you should do is read through the Corona Protection Ordinance that currently applies to you in full. If you shy away from this effort, simply integrate an experienced hygiene officer into your project right from the start. These are specialists like me who deal professionally with the latest developments on a daily basis and are usually well networked with each other.

However, if you want to do more research yourself first, you will find two very valuable starting points here:

In the professional environment, I clearly recommend the VBG guidelines! A very good starting point is the “VBG Hygiene Plan SARS-CoV-2”

The German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA Bundesverband) reacted very quickly last year and provided very valuable basic material. Here I recommend accessing the “Requirements & practical aids” section of the DEHOGA homepage

Are there any valuable tips you would like to pass on to readers?

The impression is often conveyed that there is currently no room for maneuver. This is partly true, for example, where large numbers of visitors are involved. However, I always recommend taking a sporting approach – try to do as much as is possible in good conscience while committing to the goals of combating the pandemic!

The event industry has many wonderful professionals with decades of experience. But when it comes to working conscientiously under pandemic conditions, we are all just beginners! Properly understood and accepted, this can lead to a wonderful beginner’s mind, which otherwise sometimes doesn’t exist due to routine.

I am experiencing this here in Cologne, for example, with some theaters and restaurants that have made themselves available as citizen test centers. Every day we discuss what the trends are and what will be possible again under what future conditions….. Still – as things stand today – mere hope, but at least with the collective backing of those who are taking part!

‘Hygiene is a team sport, everyone has to take part!

That’s what you said in our preliminary talk and I think it’s a fitting conclusion. Because only together can we, meaning each and every one of us, help to ensure that future events can take place in a hygienic manner.

Many thanks Rüdiger for these valuable tips!

Rüdiger Werner Strattner, born in 1968, loves the stage and art.

Rüdiger Strattner has been a master craftsman in event technology since 1999. Rüdiger has been successfully self-employed since 2006 and in 2007 he directly said goodbye to a piece of German television history by supervising the last three Dieter-Thomas Heck programs as stage manager for ZDF. In 2015, as part of an outstanding creative collective, he took part in the tender for the two new news studios of the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. The tender was won and today the whole of China is watching the news from the studios that Rüdiger helped to develop. His design for the trade fair appearance for “Electronic Arts” at “gamescom” received the “Best Booth” award in 2017. In 2005, he was a founding member of the non-profit association “Human Study e.V.”, where he was a member of the board from 2012 to 2018. In 2020, he completed further training, which he completed with the title “IHK-certified hygiene officer for healthcare and nursing”. Since January 2021, he has been producing the “Erntehelfer Podcast”, in which he presents one interesting person from the world of art and culture per episode.