According to recent studies, 53% of meeting and event organizers don’t have an event-specific crisis management plan in place. The biggest change to our business over the past five years has been the focus on safety and security. From lone-wolf attacks using vehicles on the street to the threat of drones overhead to the staggering increase in severe food allergies, the need to prepare and often execute a comprehensive safety and security plan is now woven into every Bespoke event.
Communication and documentation is priority #1!
Mobile apps were once considered a technology luxury, a marketing tool and a green solution to printing. Today, with 97% of business professionals using smart phones, having a mobile app at your next meeting event may be the best way for you to communicate critical information to your attendees at once. Push notifications and directions to reach thousands of attendees instantaneously and clearly, a much cleaner solutions than public address systems. Always make sure you have established a chain of command and enlist your communications team early so you have outlined your available resources in an emergency.
We document everything and partner with our venues to ensure we have all the records in-hand for insurance and liability coverage. First Aid logs, In-house attendee lists, daily “Manager-On-Duty” (MOD) reports and loss prevention meetings become part of the cadence of your program. Don’t wait until you are on-site to set the expectation with your venue partners. We dig-in during the sourcing process as to what plans are already in place, walk through the experience and ask the tough questions during your site visits and reinforce your expectations and protocols with everyone at your pre-convention meeting.
Every program will need to develop the right protocols for the event, its attendees and its venues. Safety and security shouldn’t have to diminish a phenomenal experience, but knowing that you have invested in the right tools with documented plans in place, a clear vision of roles and responsibilities and seamless communications strategies, you can mitigate risk and ensure a safe and secure program for you and your attendees.
*Meeting Professionals International, 2017
