Live and virtual event management firm GES has launched a new application, Visit GO!, designed to enable the safe return of in-person events. The app uses proprietary access control technology and is the latest in a series of new tools that have been developed by various companies over the past few months to allow event organizers to verify attendees’ vaccination or testing status prior to admitting them to an event.
Visit GO! was first deployed at the London Mayoral elections earlier this month, where it validated test results for GES personnel and partners, and “delivered a quick and seamless safety measure and provided much needed reassurance to all participants,” Paul Ormsby, Head of Health and Safety of EMEA Exhibitions at GES, said in a statement.
The app is web-based and mobile-friendly, so it does not require any downloads and can be accessed on any smart device using a URL. It also integrates with GES’s Visit event platform, streamlining the verification and data collection processes for organizers.
Visit GO! connects with various test vendors and health agencies around the world, allowing attendees to link their test results or vaccination status to their badge. Organizers can in turn ensure that participants have either been fully vaccinated or have tested negative for Covid within an appropriate timeframe, according to local health guidelines and regulations.
“An additional advantage is that attendees can be tested before arriving at the event, reducing the number of onsite tests required,” said Gerard Conway, Director of Event Intelligence at GES EMEA, in a statement.
As the updated CDC guidelines in the US, which remove the need for masks and social distancing, currently only apply to those who have been fully vaccinated, it will become increasingly important — at least for the time being — to identify who is protected and who isn’t. Many businesses will be forced to rely on an honor system, but tools like Visit GO! provide a way for event organizers to further ensure everyone’s safety onsite until the pandemic subsides.