Many pubs, restaurants, theatres and other entertainment venues have suffered long periods of closure during the COVID-19 pandemic, causing major disruption to their businesses and incomes.
As restrictions begin to lift, and venues start to plan a route to recover, we look at some standards that can help build resilience, reduce costs and promote their offerings.
COVID-Secure Certification
Increase Customer Confidence in your Controls.
Social Distancing, hand sanitiser and other COVID-Secure controls have become the norm in all areas of life, from the office to the supermarket; and entertainment venues have more risks to manage than most.
Most of these controls come from UK Government guidance which requires a COVID-Secure risk assessment to be conducted and it provides guidelines, some of which are mandatory.
While there is no single recognised COVID-Secure certification, many certification bodies have developed their own schemes and marks which you can use to demonstrate your venue is a safe place.
These Certification marks can be used around the premises and on marketing material to provide reassurance to patrons.
See also: COVID-Secure Using your Management System
Business Continuity Management
Demonstrate to Corporate Clients that your Venue is Resilient.
The standard for Business Continuity Management ISO 22301 has increased in popularity since its initial 2012 publication by ISO; driven largely by public sector requirements during tendering, but also featuring in regulated industries such as Finance.
Many venues, particularly those holding large scale events, are now turning their attention to business continuity planning.
ISO 22301 provides a structured framework for managing the whole process, from business-as-usual, to one off special events.
Achieving UKAS Accredited Certification can demonstrate to your large corporate clients that your venue is resilient to disruptions.
Energy Management
Reduce Operating Costs & Promote Your Ethical Credentials
For most venues, energy consumption is a considerable overhead. Running lighting, heating, refrigeration and air conditioning are just some of the costs that mount up.
ISO 50001, the standard for energy management, can help you take a base-line of your energy consumption and plan to increase efficiency, thereby reducing operating costs.
Again this standard provides a structured framework for managing energy and the certification can be used as an impartial assurance of your processes.
However, if you are not ready to implement ISO 50001, here are some other options:
Energy Audit
Assent’s consultants can conduct an energy audit of your premises, using data from your utility bills, and a review of your site. This provides a similar energy baseline from which you can determine savings, or just monitor usage as your venue recovers.
Our data analytics team can configure dashboards and reports to easily show you where energy is being used.
Carbon Footprint Calculation
The Carbon Footprint measure is well recognised and can be used to manage your Carbon impact on the environment.
This can take into account your venues activities alone, or be extended to the products and services you purchase.
Once you know your carbon footprint figure you can reduce it through better purchasing choices, or off-set it by investing in carbon reduction schemes and technology.
Find out more: ISO 14064 Carbon Footprint Calculations and Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
ISO 14001
The international standard for Environment Management, ISO 14001 is a very popular certification which takes into account all your environmental aspects & impacts, including energy.
Our consultants can guide you through the implementation process, helping you identify the aspects of your venue which impact the environment and set objectives to reduce them.
We can also guide you through the ISO 14001 Certification process and help you promote your environmental credentials!
Conclusion
While it may seem counterintuitive to invest in standards and certification at a time where business is slow, taking a detailed look at your organisation’s processes now can lay a strong foundation for future growth.
By improving efficiency, reducing costs and building ethical marketing collateral, you can set your venue apart from the others!
Contact us to discuss how we can help you implement any of these standards.
