EVENTS vs. GATHERINGS
September 19 to October 3, 2020
Oktoberfest is upon us! Usually a social time in our calendar with lots of activities, fun features and seasonal beers, the provincial COVID regulations (as updated Sept 17) have caused us to reflect on what defines an event vs. a gathering, and how that influences your visit to the brewery.
To be clear, our #1 priority is to operate in a safe manor both for our guests and staff while meeting or exceeding provincial regulations and health recommendations. The effects of COVID-19 will continue to impact events and event planning beyond 2020. We feel that implementing a new framework to events will maintain enhanced safety standards and hopefully bring a bit of positivity to the lives of our guests and Ottawans.
From the encyclopedia Kichessippia:
Gathering - a social meeting defined by 1. an event/purpose (birthday, wedding, celebration, etc.) through 2. an invitation (open or limited) of multiple groups within a population, or sub-group of a population.
Event - a organized presentation of art, information, service, demonstration, etc. that 1. involves the participation or attention of the desired audience and 2. has a defined start and end.
Our new reality is events without gatherings. We participate, share experiences, support causes and get out of the house without connecting multiple social bubbles. In the taproom and beer garden that means:
1. Attendees are provided exclusive use of a seated area for their social bubble. Our tables comfortably seat 8 people, which becomes an inherent maximum number of people in a group. This will also create a natural limit to our overall capacity as not every group is the full 8 people and will extend the existing 2m distancing between seating areas.
2. Audience participation takes place in a socially conscious way. Including reduction of elimination of shared items, enhanced sanitation practices, one-way traffic flow patterns and ability to participate remotely/from your table and any other measures that will enhance the isolation of social bubbles from each other in the same space.
3. Utilization of guests lists, advance tickets, assigned seating plans, contact tracing and staggered service. We understand that plans change; by using advance ticket money to fund local charities and non-profit causes we hope to keep funds going to organizations that service at-risk communities while being able to plan attendance to satisfy the first two points.
All of this requires a surprising amount of planning on everyone's part! Committing to advance tickets/notice, extra staffing, limited capacity and sales , slower lines and all the things we've all been experiencing over the past months seems thankless; thank you for your organization, patience and understanding when visiting us.
All of these rules and restrictions may also seem like a one way street; they aren't. We are happy to discuss, define and design policies that better suit a particular situation if they still meet our mandate of safety and satisfy provincial guidelines. These discussions get the best results when take place prior to your visit/the event and with the proper authority. Please email connect@kbeer.ca with any policy questions, event ideas or comments on your visit.
We believe that the extra work is worth it; we believe that Ottawa cares about prioritizing safety, and we believe that success is creating fun shared experiences that respect your neighbors, community and threat of this virus.
We truly appreciate your support as we continue to launch activities and events with these principals in mind.
The Kichesippi Taproom Team