Adobe Stock

You’ve been hard at work preparing for your next big event. So far, everything is going smoothly. The attendees are engaged. Your guest speakers are wonderful. Everything is going according to plan … until it isn’t. Suddenly, it starts raining outside, which means your outdoor luncheon needs to be moved inside. Then you hear thunder, see a flash of lightning and the electricity goes out, leaving your entire audience in the dark — right in the middle of your third speaker’s presentation.

What do you do?

As you know, being prepared for the unexpected is part of any event planner’s job. Inevitably, you’ll run into an emergency more than one time in your career. From equipment failure to weather disruption to speaker cancellations — and even the possible threat of violence — you must be prepared for any and all situations, no matter how unlikely they are to occur.

“Understand that there are always risks when planning an event,” says Melissa DeLeon, president of MTI Events in Overland Park, KS. “And the larger the group, the greater the chance some type of emergency will occur. Then identify those risks with regard to how they will affect the program.”

While this can be overwhelming to think about, you can put best practices in place to ensure that no matter the emergency, you’ll be prepared to adapt quickly to the situation so you can ensure the success of your event and, more importantly, the safety of your guests.

Develop a Risk Assessment

The first step in planning for the unexpected is to create a risk assessment, which identifies potential threats and analyzes their likelihood and impact on the event and your attendees. Such assessments are created well before the event happens and are generally used to foresee potentially harmful situations, such as an act of violence or a natural disaster. They can help you prevent incidents, reduce harm and make better decisions regarding your event.

Laurel Eldridge, manager of corporate events and sponsorships at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (which is part of the BlueCross BlueShield Association), says that risk assessments are all about brainstorming “what if” scenarios and collaborating with stakeholders to plan for the unexpected. “Working closely with safety and security teams, we start with analyzing the venue’s layout, identifying potential hazards and reviewing access points during virtual and onsite walk-throughs,” she says. “I lean on their expertise when evaluating risks and developing emergency plans related to weather, crowd control and health emergencies.”

Eldridge says she shares these plans with all stakeholders, including guest speakers and vendors. She also addresses any concerns and ensures that everyone knows their roles in various situations.

To create a risk assessment, simply follow these steps:

• Find any potential hazards or risky activities
• Consider how the hazards could affect people
• Determine the likelihood and severity of the risks
• Decide which actions can be taken to reduce or eliminate these risks
• Document your findings and the precautions you’ve decided on
• Put your plan into action
• Review your assessment and make changes if needed

Have a Contingency Plan

Part of every planner’s event strategy should be to create a contingency plan. This should include detailed backup plans for potential issues that could disrupt the event. While it may be impossible to foresee every potential issue that could happen, it’s important to think outside of the box and consider anything that could go wrong, from severe weather to medical emergencies to technical glitches.

“You should always have a contingency plan,” says DeLeon. “There are too many factors beyond a meeting planner’s control. Weather, delayed flights, kitchen fires, staff strikes, power outages — and those are the normal risks.”

Creating a robust contingency plan not only enables planners to anticipate and prepare for potential challenges but also empowers them to respond quickly and effectively when managing the unexpected during an event. Possible scenarios in your plan should include: severe weather, speaker cancellations, technical issues, food safety concerns, medical emergencies, venue problems, security threats, attendance and any other foreseeable disruptions. You should outline specific actions to be taken in each scenario, including designated responsible individuals and communication protocols to minimize any impact on the event’s success.

Actions could include putting in place backup vendors for critical services, alternative indoor venues for outdoor events and a first-aid plan. Beckie Souleymane, director of meetings and operations for the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) in McLean, VA, has advice for specific scenarios to consider.

Weather Emergencies

“Severe weather is rarely unpredictable, so monitoring local forecasts in the days leading up to the event and maintaining open communication with the venue is essential — even if you’re not anticipating severe weather,” Souleymane says.

Once, at AAPC’s annual meeting in Palm Springs, CA, she and her team had planned an outdoor awards ceremony at a beautiful venue. However, high winds that week posed a risk to production setup, F&B service and attendee safety due to potential debris. After careful assessment, they decided 24 hours in advance to move the event indoors.

“This proactive decision ensured a seamless transition, reduced last-minute stress and allowed us to deliver a great experience for attendees,” she says. “Clear communication with the venue and production team throughout the process was key to executing the change smoothly.”

Medical Emergencies

Souleymane recommends that, first and foremost, planners should collect emergency information from attendees at registration to ensure that their designated contacts can be quickly reached if needed. Additionally, she says having a well-defined crisis response plan ensures that your staff understands its role in handling emergencies. This means assigning key members to a crisis management team in advance and giving them designated roles — such as managing communications, coordinating with the venue or retrieving the attendee’s emergency contact details.

In the event of a medical emergency, any staff member present should immediately call emergency services — regardless of their role within your crisis response plan — then notify the venue and its security team and alert a crisis team member to activate the response plan.

“Never hesitate to report an incident or call for help,” Souleymane says. “A well-prepared and clearly communicated protocol helps minimize confusion, prevent panic and ensure a swift, coordinated response.”

Security Threats

“Establishing a direct line of communication with venue security is a top priority,” Souleymane adds. “Ensure your security point of contact is present at the onsite pre-conference meeting so you can meet them face-to-face and align on protocols.”

A well-defined crisis response plan should be in place before the event, with staff fully briefed on their specific roles and the appropriate procedures for handling security threats.

She emphasizes that staff should never attempt to intervene or assess a potential threat themselves. Instead, they should know to follow the “see something, say something” approach — immediately reporting any concerns to security and adhering to established protocols. Knowing key security personnel in advance and ensuring staff are well-prepared can make all the difference in swiftly and safely resolving any situation.

Communication Is Essential

As you read this, you may notice a trend. In every scenario, communication is essential to the success of any contingency plan. “Communication is key, but also making sure that the communication is clear, concise and reassuring,” says DeLeon. “The last thing you want to do is create more chaos and confusion. As event planners, it’s important to create confidence that everything is under control, when in fact we may be juggling 22 balls in the air moving to the contingency plan.”

Eldridge says that her communications plan varies with each event, but she prefers to use a multichannel approach, including PA systems and digital signage. Text alerts and push notifications also work well, she says, if your event registration software offers that feature. Also, when necessary, make sure your communications are multilingual. She also stresses the importance of discussing accessible tools, such as visual alarms or onsite interpreters, in the event planning process and venue assessment. She encourages attendees to share any special accommodation needs when they register for events so that her staff can better prepare to assist.

Don’t Forget to Provide Training

A surefire way to ensure your staff knows exactly what to do in the case of an emergency is to train them well. Eldridge recommends a pre-event session during which all staff members are briefed on emergency protocols. “We use this time to distribute a packet with contact lists, schedules and maps of the venue,” she says. “I invite our safety and security team to run through instructions and exercises for common scenarios like medical emergencies or evacuations.”

Again, communication is key. Review how the members of your team will communicate with each other and with attendees, and go over the tools they will use (such as radios, headsets, text messages, event apps, etc.) The goal is to stay aligned on the plan through clear communication without causing unnecessary panic.

The Importance of the Post-Event Follow-up

After an emergency occurs during an event, a post-event follow-up is critical to assess the response, identify areas for improvement and ensure future event safety. This also includes providing support for affected individuals and taking steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.

“There is always something to be learned from every event and unfortunately, a lot of the training comes from ‘on the job’ when it comes to emergencies,” DeLeon says. “So learning how others handled a situation, what was done well, what could have been done better is key to improving our response and mitigating those issues at future events.”

Some of the key aspects of a post-event follow-up include:

• Debrief – Analyze the emergency response, including what worked well, what could have been improved and any communication issues
• Damage Assessment – Evaluate the damage done by the emergency and identify necessary repairs or replacements
• Employee Well-being Checks – Provide support to employees who may have been directly affected by the emergency, including access to mental health resources
• Communication Updates – Keep stakeholders informed about the situation, recovery efforts and any necessary actions they need to take
• Policy Review and Updates – Examine existing emergency plans and procedures to identify areas of improvement and make necessary adjustments
• Training and Drills – Implement additional training or drills based on lessons learned from the emergency
• Community Outreach – Engage with the community to address concerns and provide information about recovery efforts

By having a clear action plan in place, event planners can minimize the impact of disruptions, maintain the event’s momentum and ensure the safety and satisfaction of attendees. It also demonstrates your professionalism and commitment to delivering a seamless experience. | AC&F |