The Meetings Industry Association (mia) has launched a tool to help venues manage the tracking and tracing of delegates, which will be required under the government’s new COVID-19 guidelines.

Free to mia members featuring enhanced hygiene and infection prevention controls – the dedicated miaTrustedTrace tool enables venues to manage delegate contact information easily and safely. Venues that are not currently mia members can also register to use the tool for a nominal monthly fee.

All venues will need to do is access the tool from the mia’s website and, as part of the event planning process, load the necessary event information.

The system, which has been developed by the wedding planning platform ‘Guides for Brides’, produces a link to a dedicated event area which can then be shared with the event organiser to ensure all the relevant delegate contact information is collected correctly.

On the day of the event, the venue can use the system to cross-check the delegate list accordingly, to ensure a precise record of attendees is held.

After 21 days, the data will be automatically deleted in-line with GDPR regulations. However, should an attendee test positive in the meantime, all delegates can be notified in an instant to take appropriate precautions.

Jane Longhurst, chief executive of the mia, said: “We are thrilled to have joined forces with Guides for Brides to offer this tool as the latest resource in our package of reopening support for the sector. Their developers have specifically tailored it for business meetings and, as a first for the sector, we’re sure it will prove an invaluable resource for venues as part of their commitment to operating safely when we receive the green light.”

She added: “The sector has to play it’s part in helping to stop the spread of COVID-19. In addition to providing confidence to attendees that they can be traced should they have been potentially exposed to the virus, venues utilising the app can also rest assured that they are managing the sensitive data correctly and compliantly.”

Alison Hargreaves, director of Guides for Brides, said: “We’d developed this solution to enable wedding venues to keep guests and staff safe and to comply with the new government regulations. As the entire business meetings and events industry will face the same challenges, it makes sense to offer the same solution to all.”