Meetings & Events

What's the probability that a natural disaster or other disruption will impact your meeting or event? It's probably greater than you might think - it can happen to you! You need to have a plan for mitigating and/or responding to any kind of disruption that could derail your meeting. This week's articles can help you with your continuity and disaster response efforts.

Even the threat of a disaster can have a profound impact on meetings and conventions, ranging from the cancellation of flights to the postponement of meetings - here's why you need a plan. (Item #1)     If the worst happens, you'll be happy to have these four tips on disaster preparedness. (Item #2)   Canceling all or part of a convention is a nightmare that no event planner or destination convention organization ever wants to deal with. (Item #3)  

How would you deal with these three scenarios? (Item #4)   Florida is a popular meeting and event destination; here's what you need to know to prepare for your next Florida event. (Item #5)   The best way to plan for the unexpected at your next event is by having a solid disaster management system in place. (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. Advanced Planning: Why You Need a Disaster Emergency Plan

Convention planners, facility managers and destination representatives say many in the meetings industry could significantly improve their disaster and emergency plans. Effective preparedness and planning often starts with identifying the threats and preparing for worst-case scenarios. While organizations can't prepare for everything, experts say they can try to prepare for what could happen and use those plans as a model for how to respond to other crises. Most importantly, those plans should be designed with flexibility and continuously tested and improved.
http://www.collaboratemeetings.com/feature/advanced-planning-2/

2. A Meeting Planner's Guide: Four Tips on Disaster Preparedness

Mother Nature has a habit of creating unexpected challenges. Unfortunately, disaster can strike when least expected, so it is vital to have a plan in place to help prepare for any circumstance. As meeting planners think about events to incent or motivate their employees or channel partners, the first thing they consider is destination. While emergency response or disaster preparedness is probably pretty far back in their minds, but it should be an important consideration.
http://meetingsnet.com/blog/meeting-planner-s-guide-four-tips-disaster-preparedness

3. When to Cancel Your Event in the Risk of a Disaster

Hundreds of events are called off every year and their cancellations have a profound impact on their organizations and destinations hosting them. While often there is little an organization can do to prevent a cancellation, an effective contingency plan can help lay a framework for response. That plan should include cancellation procedures, adequate insurance coverage and a way to move forward.
http://www.connectyourmeetings.com/how-to/cancel-your-event/

4. Planner Smarts: Three Disaster Planning Tips

While the incredible disruption of Hurricane Sandy might not trigger a sudden uptick in dollars assigned to back-up plans, it doubtless will raise awareness among clients and planners that while every event is subject to forces that are often profoundly beyond control, we need to guard against them none the less. Here are three scenarios to consider and discuss with your client (now that it's on all our minds) to help mitigate the damage should the worst-case actually become a possibility.
http://blog.cvent.com/blog/new-york-meetings-and-events/planner-smarts-3-disaster-planning-tips

5. When Disaster Strikes Your Meeting

The Sunshine State offers great year-round weather in a tropical setting and an amazing choice of resorts, hotels, and attractions. But every summer, the arrival of hurricane season brings the possibility that a storm could disrupt your conference, even though Florida has had little to worry about since four named hurricanes hit the state in 2004. Throw in the potential perils present at any destination such as fire, floods, and other inclement weather events, and it's clear that it pays to be prepared for emergencies when you're planning a meeting. Here's what you need to know to be prepared for your next Florida event.
https://www.asaecenter.org/Resources/ANowDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=71512

6. Meetings Memo: Disaster Management

Recent events like the Moore, Oklahoma, tornado and the Boston Marathon bombing have highlighted the need for association meeting planners to have thorough, up-to-date disaster and crisis communication plans ready to go in case quick adjustments or cancellations are required.
http://associationsnow.com/2013/07/meetings-memo-disaster-management/