Throughout much of 2020, we’ve been waiting patiently for events to be given the green light to go ahead.
Everyone had to do their part to make sure we also stayed safe. But now, Franklin’s Gardens has received the ‘Good to Go’ UK industry mark.
This means we’ve got the UK industry standard and consumer mark to say we’re safe to reopen and hold incredible events again. It also means that everyone at Franklin’s Gardens is adhering to Public Health England and government guidance.
This hasn’t been easy and has taken a lot of work. But, it has been more simple for Franklin’s Gardens than other venue hire options because we have lots of space and thorough cleaning standards already. This ensures social distancing is possible and that we have processes to maintain excellent hygiene in place.
But we have adapted a lot of the things we do to ensure the safety of our guests and staff in a post-pandemic world. Here are the same of the measures we’ve taken to make reopening safely happen…
Reopening as a Northampton venue safely
At Franklin’s Gardens, we’re proud to reopen as a COVID-secure venue in Northampton. Our conference spaces and meeting rooms have been given the industry stamp of approval that they’re ‘Good to Go’.
Over the past few months, our team has been working hard behind the scenes, planning and implementing measures to ensure we can reopen safely.
The most important step we had to take was to conduct a thorough risk assessment of our premises. In the government’s COVID-19 reopening guidelines, this was crucial to ensure the safety of everyone attending Franklin’s Gardens.
It allowed us to plan out solutions for all the possible risks that are associated with holding an event right now – such as ensuring there is space to social distance and providing accessible sanitiser stations.
We’ve been able to host some amazing events while maintaining social distancing and ensuring excellent cleaning standards. But things are moving fast in the world right now. Guidance is constantly shifting on everything in the country, not only with meetings, conferences, and events.
But you can book Franklin’s Gardens as a venue in Northampton with total confidence. All our staff know the current guidance and we ensure everyone is up to date with recent developments.
We also keep in regular contact with our staff to make sure they’re feeling well and update them on any new guidelines. This ensures no one comes to work who should be self-isolating, to keep all our staff and guests as safe as possible.
How is Franklin’s Gardens is COVID secure?
Because we’re the home of Premiership Rugby’s Northampton Saints, we have a lot of space. As a sports stadium, we have a variety of different venue hire options.
There are large meeting rooms that can fit up to 600 people, making them ideal for social distancing. As well as smaller spaces we’ve adjusted to be safe in current times.
At Franklin’s Gardens, our venue hire rooms provide you with flexibility over what you want your event to be.
Having enough space to be able to social distance is crucial. Current rules state that people from separate household bubbles should keep two metres apart or one metre apart with mitigation methods, such as masks or face shields.
The number of people who can attend your event will also be limited due to government regulations – this is to ensure everyone in attendance’s safety.
Although we were lucky as we already had a lot of unique spaces to adapt, we have made changes to ensure Franklin’s Gardens is COVID-safe. For example:
- Screens displaying important social distancing and sanitation messages.
- New floor plans that are designed to show social distancing capacities.
- Phased arrival of guests to avoid congestion and ensure social distancing is possible.
- Large, free on-site car parks that provide safe and easy access for your guests.
Our Venue’s cleaning culture
During our plans, another one of the biggest areas we focused on was hygiene and cleaning standards. We believe any amazing venue should have a focus on hygiene and cleaning standards. But now, hygiene and cleanliness are more important than ever.
As part of our risk assessment, we implemented an even more comprehensive pre and post-event cleaning process. Before and after every event, our team thoroughly cleans the event space using the correct products and techniques. This includes all private spaces, such as toilets, as well as our car parks.
During an event, we ensure that sanitiser stations are positioned around the venue. We’ve placed them in key areas, such as close to high-touchpoint objects including doors. To increase access to sanitiser points we have separate stations for guests and staff. This allows our staff to sanitise their hands behind the scenes of your event to decrease the amount of traffic in the room.
Of course, we also apply the same exceptional hygiene standards to the catering and culinary side of events. The approach to preparing and serving food and drink needs to be different post-COVID-19. This includes our chefs wearing PPE and ensuring no food containers are left open. To read more about our health and safety processes in the kitchen, click here.
We hope this blog has explained the safety measures we’re taking at Franklin’s Gardens and gives you confidence when booking us as a venue in Northampton. Remember, your safety is our top priority.
To find out more, get in touch with our team today. Give us a call on 01604 751543 or please feel free to fill in the enquiry form on our Contact Page to book your meeting or event at Franklin’s Gardens.
