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When Tragedy Strikes
Are you ready for the worst? Most meeting managers like to think they have every possible situation covered, from a speaker forgetting his handouts to losing a shipment of T-shirts. They have carefully developed contingency plans for every potential meeting-related disaster. But they often forget to have a plan for handling a fire, bomb threat, tornado or earthquake. What would you do if a death occurred during a general session? What is your role during such emergencies?
In a recent survey conducted by several hospitality schools, the threat of fire was a major safety concern among meeting planners, followed closely by acts of terrorism. While many emergencies reach beyond the scope of the meeting, the planner can be of great assistance in the case of a crisis. As guardian of the meeting, you have access to information about the hotel, the locale and the attendees that can be helpful in notification and communication.
Just as other meeting elements have their own plans and checklists, from the registration and housing to shipping, your first step in emergency/crisis management is to develop a plan. Be sure to include other members of your management team and representatives of your organization’s insurance, risk management and security vendors in the process.
LET THE SCOUT IN YOU COME OUT
A crisis plan should contain two parts. The first part should focus on prevention, precaution and ideas for preparedness. Following are some general tips to help you and your staff watch over your attendees.
Review your organization’s insurance coverage with regard to meetings and emergency situations. Discuss with a company representative how to better prepare yourself, attendees and staff.
Encourage your meeting staff members to learn CPR or basic first-aid procedures.
Discuss the hotel’s emergency plan during the site inspection and review it again during the pre-conference meeting. Communicate appropriate guidelines to all of your staff members, vendor representatives and attendees.
Know and communicate procedures for special circumstances, such as earthquakes and hurricanes, to staff, vendors and attendees.
Review room setups to ensure that aisles and exits are not blocked.
During the general housekeeping announcements at the beginning of the meeting, advise attendees of emergency procedures and the location of exits.
If your meeting is controversial or may provoke demonstrations, enlist the aid of security specialists to brief you on crowd control, communications and the handling of bomb threats.
Be aware of the numerous layers of security involved in your meeting and how communication efforts are impacted by these layers. An emergency will involve local and state law enforcement, in addition to hotel security, your own private meeting security personnel and any additional personnel hired by entertainers or celebrities. If the event is international in nature, the FBI, CIA or State Department also may be involved.
Keep a copy of the final rooming list (the one provided by the hotel at the pre-con meeting) with you. In case of evacuation you will have a list of all of your attendees and their room locations for easy reference and a head count.
Ask for emergency contact information on registration forms. For meetings involving more than one hotel, verify where attendees are staying as part of the check-in process.
WORST-CASE SCENARIO
God forbid, but there’s always the possibility someone will die on your shift. If it happens, the local medical examiner or coroner is the ultimate authority, and you should take direction from his office.
Generally, the role of the meeting planner is to expedite the information-gathering process through a check of registration records and to assist with the notification of the next of kin. This process may go more smoothly with help from a trained counselor or clergy member. As an additional precaution, list contact information for counselors or clergy with your other emergency numbers. The planner may also be called upon to help arrange for the shipment of remains and personal items to the deceased’s home.
Odds are, you’ll never face a disaster more serious than that missing shipment. But, if the odds are not in your favor, a well-crafted crisis plan, developed along with the rest of the event’s details, will enable the meeting management team to function more effectively in a highly stressful situation.
