Meetings & Events

Are you one of the folks who think "it can't happen here?" Think again. The potential for crisis is in attendance at every conference or meeting you plan or attend. The question you should be asking yourself is, "Have I really considered all the possibilities for crisis and do I have some way to deal with them?" The articles below can help you answer this question.

Every meeting plan should start with a risk assessment. (Item #1)   Are your events in compliance with the revisions to the Americans with Disabilities Act? (Item #2)   Drinks at receptions… consider the risks. (Item #3)  

Here are some meeting-specific tips for dealing with crisis. (Item #4)   Association meeting planners need contingency plans more than their corporate counterparts. (Item #5)   In an evacuation situation, if you think everything's okay when everyone's out of the building, think again. (Item #6)  

As always, we look forward to hearing your comments & insights regarding business continuity. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, email me at [email protected].

Bob Mellinger, President
Attainium Corp

1. Risk Assessment Checklist

Meetingsnet.com asked security experts for their critical steps for assessing and mitigating risks at meetings. How many of them do you already do? If you're not doing a risk assessment at all, perhaps you should be.
http://meetingsnet.com/risk-management/attendee-data/risk_assessment_checklist0429/

2. All Inclusive...

A series of revisions to the Americans with Disabilities Act - dealing with accessibility and accommodation in public venues - recently went into effect. And more are coming online next March. What do meeting professionals need to know?
http://www.pcma.org/Convene/Issue-Archives/August-2011/All-Inclusive.htm

3. Pour Responsibly

Picture this: It's the closing night reception at your annual association conference. A band is entertaining the crowd, servers are passing out hors d'oeuvres on silver trays...and the wine is flowing freely. As the night winds down, an attendee grabs his car keys to head home, and gets in an accident along the way. A few days later, you get a document delivered to your office door: You've been sued for alcohol negligence.
http://www.smartmeetings.com/event-planning-magazine/2011/09/pour-responsibly4

4. Handling Crisis Situations for your Meetings

Crises can wreak havoc on any type of meeting planned by an association or corporation. Even worse, meeting-related crises occur at a time when staff and volunteer leaders are already stretched to the limit with onsite responsibilities. How does an organization respond?
http://www.conventionplanit.com/meeting-resources/attendance/handling-crisis-situations-for-your-meetings/

5. Storm Warnings

What's the probability that a natural disaster will impact your meeting? Planners who have come through a crisis with their meetings and organizations intact have a message for their peers: It can happen to you. Whether or not a meeting coincides with blizzards, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes or other natural disasters that seem to be impacting destinations as never before, wise planning includes contingency components. It's especially essential for associations, planner storm veterans say, because it could mean the difference in organizational solvency and survival.
http://www.meetingsfocus.com/Topics/ArticleDetails/tabid/162/ArticleID/16141/Default.aspx

6. Crisis Management Gotchas: The Evacuation

When faced with the probability that you will have to evacuate your meeting space, the thing this author finds most interesting is that most planners believe that the issue is complete once everyone is safely out of the building. Although no one - not even professionals - can help you plan for every contingency that arises from an evacuation, he has come up with his top five Gotchas that can get you in trouble in an evacuation situation.
http://www.dartford.gov.uk/licensing/contingencyplanning.htm