That guy on the corner with the sandwich board reading “The end is nigh” may be a bit on the paranoid side, but you’ve got to admit, the paranoid are usually better prepared.
Preparing contingency plans—whether it be for natural disasters, manmade catastrophes or simple scheduling or staffing snafus—is not high on the agenda of the majority of meeting planners, however, even though their attendees’ lives and the financial health of the organizations they represent could be in peril.
It may seem that almost everything on a planner’s to-do list warrants a must-do, cannot-ignore priority. Determining goals and objectives, site inspections and selection of housing, speakers, menu creation, marketing the occasion, and communicating at least a basic level of ROI to stakeholders are all essential steps in the process.
But when the proverbial rubber hits the road, safety and security issues trump all other considerations—end of discussion, say industry veterans.
Yet, according to the 2007 Meetings Market Trends Survey, the results of which were released in January, most meeting planners across all segments of the industry have no basic emergency/contingency plan for their meetings and events.
What gives, one might enquire?
Many organizations created a three-ring-binder crisis plan following the events of 9/11, but it’s safe to say many of those blueprints have not been updated in the last few years. Memories of that historic terrorism event define the word ‘crisis’ in the minds of most when the topic of risk management surfaces, yet contingency planning experts say there is a much greater probability that other calamities could sabotage an occasion. The list of what-ifs is endless, and nobody can anticipate all scenarios, yet the risks of doing nothing remain the greatest of all.
Although it’s a chance many in the industry seem willing to take, acquiring a “risk attitude” can be the first step in what may seem a daunting and time-consuming path toward contingency planning.
What’s a Risk Attitude?
Planners and managers who have a risk attitude in regard to event or meeting planning assess the possible threats and hazards that could impact the conference or other event they are building. With experience and practice, it becomes second nature when they think of the big event picture and the inherent details involved. People with risk attitudes plan for a way to get out of situations, crises, disasters, or catastrophes, or at the very least, develop a strategy to minimize their effects. They begin by asking themselves one simple question: What’s the worst that can happen and what can we do about it?
“In our risks-filled world,” says contingency planning consultant Bob Mellinger, founder and president of Virginia-based Attainium Corp., “any organization that runs events should be prepared for anything that could happen—to protect its attendees, exhibitors, speakers, employees, and to the greatest degree possible, the continuity of its events. Inherent in the preparation is the organization’s reputation, because it’s entirely possible that one ruined or badly handled event might mean years of rebuilding reputation and attendance.”
Determining risk, he says, is necessary before you can calculate the probability and consequences of an occurrence.
A planner with a risk attitude might start with the destination under consideration.
If we take advantage of great rates at a Florida resort in September, she cogitates, what are the risks associated with the budget-friendly prices? She pays attention to the daily news and weather reports for clues that could spell trouble for the event. Could labor unrest in that other city’s downtown affect us? Daily news stories about domestic and global terrorism; wildfires in California, Colorado and Arizona; tornadoes in Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Maryland; and calamities such as a natural gas explosion in Toronto that reduced a strip mall to a huge crater can be helpful in anticipating the calamities.
Some natural phenomena are more likely to happen in certain regions than others, for example.
Julia Silvers, CSEP, a special events planner, educator and author (Professional Event Coordination and, appearing in 2008, Risk Management for Meetings & Events), says risk is inherent in every aspect of a meeting or event plan, but most people in the industry are not attuned to looking for the landmines along with the opportunities and possibilities. Planners acquire risk attitudes by starting with a basic contingency plan they can tweak for each occasion.
“There is no one-size-fits-all plan for all meetings or events, and nobody can anticipate every scenario,” Silvers says, “but if you have a risk attitude, you will start identifying areas where you might be vulnerable. It’s a matter of being proactive, not reactive. As you go through your plan for housing, speakers, site inspections, and so on, add a session with advisors and staff to do a risk assessment for every section of your plan.”
Planners who don’t have risk attitudes usually believe facilities bear the greatest responsibility for crisis management. Mellinger, however, believes the most likely “go-to” person for dealing with an event disruption is the planner or manager. But most planners have little or no preparation for situations that could bite them and their organizations.
Choose to Mitigate
The threat of liability is the motivator that gets most people out of their seats with regard to contingency planning, says Tyra Hilliard, CMP, a meetings industry attorney, speaker, consultant, and associate professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
“People need to know that if something bad happens at a meeting or event and it’s not handled well, somebody can get sued—either personally or organizationally,” Hilliard says. “Too many planners assume safety and security is someone else’s responsibility, often the hotel’s. But the responsibility doesn’t belong just to the facility. The planner has to be the one to initiate a risk assessment and contingency plan for a meeting, even if they don’t write it. They need to be involved in the process. For example, a C-level group is headed for a high-altitude destination, and the planner needs to quiz upper management about the risks and liabilities that could affect the program. It’s not just the host facility’s job to deal with it. In larger organizations, there are legal and insurance staff people who should be allies in assessing the situation.”
Identifying the possible risks—and trying to do everything you can to prevent a disruption from occurring or minimizing its impact—is mitigation. And it’s the defense against the litigation many fear. If ethical responsibility to protect constituents, the organization or attendees doesn’t motivate people to be risk-conscious, then business disruption just might.
“Businesses and associations are concerned with continuity,” Mellinger says, “and those who plan meetings and events are running a little business. There are few differences between risks that can happen back in the office and a meeting. If servers blow up on-site, it’s likely the same impact it would be if it occurred at the home office. The planner needs to have an alternate plan for tech support.”
Silvers agrees with Mellinger, and suggests the best way to get attention is to translate the risks into dollars.
“Within a large organization, especially, physical or professional injury migrates into a money issue,” she says.“If you put the impact into a dollar context, it may help gather allies in an organization, i.e., ‘We can lose 10 times the cost of this meeting if we get sued.’”
The necessity of putting your due diligence work in writing is another warning from Silvers.
“We are a very litigious society, and some of the risk assessing may seem absurd,” she says, “but planners need to realize they are in the liability chain as organizers. Documentation goes a long way toward reducing potential liability.”
Start with the Basics
Kirsten Olean, CMP, director of meetings and conference management for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) in Washington, D.C., is among those who take a risk attitude when it comes to planning events. Her association crafted a meetings contingency plan following 9/11 that is still in use. Even though she believes the plan still isn’t robust enough, she thinks crafting at least a basic mandatory procedure for all involved is crucial, even though the time commitment for doing so is significant.
“We designed the basic plan back in 2001 for our annual meeting and we still customize it for all of our 60 or so meetings a year,” Olean says. “Communication is a big part of it. We make certain we have phone numbers of key contacts, such as registration, hotel—usually the convention services manager—and the hotel’s [internal] numbers to dial for emergencies. We try to get the cell numbers for the planner in charge, registration and the AAMC internal staff people sponsoring the event, so we can collaborate about any decisions that need to be made about moving forward with the meeting. We try to get as much from the facility about evacuation as we can, though many won’t share with you much beyond the basics.
“But they will let you know how to communicate,” she continues. “We expect hotel staff to review emergency procedures at the pre-con meeting, and we advise the people in our housing block about the exits closest to their rooms, and so on, though most people don’t take it seriously.”
Gloria Nelson, CSEP, of Wisconsin’s Gloria Nelson Event Design, says contingency planning—the due diligence that shrinks liability exposure—has to be in the top-five pecking order of planning tasks, along with ascertainment of goals and objectives, research and development, and meeting/event design. She believes it’s imperative to have a disaster management plan, as well as a policies and procedures handout that puts all team players on the same page with regard to emergency protocol, response time, the event/meeting overview, and more.
“I want every stakeholder involved in the event looking at risk management, so I want collaborative team meetings with security/risk managers from the facility,” she says. “This makes everyone strategic partners and puts everyone on level ground, making an ‘inclusive’ vs. ‘hierarchical’ relationship. With the planner in the lead position, it is imperative to delineate protocol—who is responsible for what—and document those understandings. I ask them for a copy of their plan because I assume nothing. I also ask them when the last time they had a drill with their staff was.”
Nelson says a document outlining the understanding about who’s responsible for what should go to all stakeholders, including attendees, regarding what they need to know. She also brings along a three-page incident report to her events, so she can document any situation that might arise, along with the responsibility for response and a follow-up that would further mitigate any financial downside risk to her as an independent planner.
The Greatest Risk
Acquiring a risk attitude may seem like one more daunting task to a planner who has nothing in place, but contingency planning experts say the greatest risk, personally and professionally, may be doing nothing at all.
“We are a very litigious society,” Silvers says, “and to planners who haven’t conducted a risk assessment, I say they have by default accepted all risks. This is not just about an evacuation plan. There is inherent risk in every aspect of your plan—often financial—and those who do nothing will likely find themselves in a boardroom or courtroom trying to justify their due diligence incompetence. This is because professional meeting planners are held to a higher standard of knowing what the obligations are. If you have not done the due diligence, gotten appropriate insurance coverage where necessary, and something goes wrong, you’re it.
“This industry has been living on luck far too long, and if we don’t do what we’re supposed to do in this realm, we may get legislation from the government we don’t want,” she continues. “I say, hope for the best, plan for the worst—it’s your liability.”
