Since 2015, JMTE has worked with the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce to plan their annual Apple Harvest Festival, a juried arts and crafts event in Waynesville, NC. On a regular year, this event draws more than 40,000 people. In October of 2020 in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic this festival became a “Daze” – How do we provide a safe environment for visitors and craftsmen while ensuring the success of this event for the town? JMTE worked with local stakeholders to redesign the event layout with additional space between vendor tents and one-way pedestrian patterns within four isolated zones. Each zone was cordoned off and included manned entrances, directional signage and pedestrian traffic flow arrows. Visitors were encouraged to wear masks and were offered masks and hand sanitizer as they entered each zone. In addition to overall design, JMTE provided maps for vendors to use during setup, which included locations of hand sanitizing stations, restrooms and nearby parking.

Waynesville is home to the JMTE corporate office, so our team also volunteers time the night before the event to mark locations along the street for vendor booths. Word on the street is that 2020’s “Apple Harvest Daze” event was a success! If you missed it this year, we hope to see you next October!

 

JMTE can support your Town staff to create events that align with state and local COVID-19 parameters, ensuring a socially-distanced, safe, and successful event for everyone – vendors, attendees, and health workers.