In response to the pandemic, venues around the world have made efforts to improve their health and safety protocols based on updated guidance from various health organizations to enable the resumption of events and reassure attendees and staff that they could get back to business in a safe environment.
Many venues have completed the Global Biorisk Advisory Council’s (GBAC) STAR Accreditation, while ASM Global also implemented its VenueShield program to help venues reopen, which includes a robust environmental hygiene plan for cleaning protocols and procedures. In addition, venues invested heavily in new ventilation and air filtration systems, which play an important role in mitigating Covid risks.
Germany’s Messe Frankfurt, which recently released a study on air quality in trade fair halls that it conducted at the end of 2021 in partnership with the Institute of Building and Indoor Climate Technology, E.ON Energy Research Centre, RWTH Aachen and Heinz Trox Wissenschaft gGmbH, notes that air filtration was not adequately considered when the decision was made to ban indoor events during the pandemic.
“The technical equipment and ventilation systems in our trade fair halls were not factored into the equation, even though the risk of infection can be reduced significantly through ventilation and air purification,” the company said in a statement.
The study sought to determine whether the air quality in typical exhibit halls poses a risk when it comes to Covid-19 and measured contamination levels at three trade shows held at Messe Frankfurt: Indoor-Air, Formnext and Food Ingredients (Fi) Europe.
The study used CO2 concentration as an indicator of air contamination and found that CO2 levels were well under 1,000 ppm for all of the events — CO2 concentration should ideally not exceed 1,000 ppm and should definitely not exceed 2,000 ppm. Messe Frankfurt shares that some readings were close to 400ppm, which is similar to outdoor air quality.
“These new study results show that there was good air circulation in all of the halls under examination and at all three events, without any recognisable pockets of uncirculated air,” explained Uwe Behm, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, in a statement. “The concentrations of CO2 at the individual measurement points varied only very marginally from those in the exhaust ducts, meaning that the mix of air is virtually ideal.”
Levels were at their highest on the day with the most visitors, but the fresh air volumes specified by Messe Frankfurt ensured that they never exceeded 1,000 ppm. With large-scale events returning around the world, these results provide reassurance for trade shows and expos taking place with adequate ventilation and should encourage other venues and events, where possible, to monitor their air quality to ensure that they are enacted additional safety measures if needed to maintain a hygienic environment.