At an expo held in 2005, one of the booths in the exhibit hall served free ice cream samples to passersby, as an alternative to the typical chatchkes most people collect. After the fact, event organizers learned that one of the servers had been infected with Hepatitis A. They used the attendee list to immediately broadcast a detailed warning advising everyone to see their physician and get tested.

Half a world away, an incentive group lollygagging at a South Pacific island resort, with little more to worry about than which SPF to slather on, found itself dead center in the middle of a bloodless coup. Everyone in attendance was told to take shelter inside the hotel until the political situation stabilized, and people could be safely evacuated.

Those are just two horror stories from the repertoire of author, consultant and educator Julia R. Silvers. They illustrate the importance of risk management and emergency action planning for event sponsors and planners. "Doctors can only kill one patient at a time," she says, "but event planners may put hundreds of lives at risk." Harsh words, perhaps. But creating events is a serious business with serious responsibilities.

Event professionals must provide a safe and healthy environment for everyone who comes together to create, install, operate, participate in and attend events, Silvers says. "People want to focus on what makes an event fun and stimulating. They're looking at making the event happen, not at what else might happen. And that's where the problems start. Only a very small percentage of planners pay serious attention to the risk management side," she says.


How to protect yourself
First, conduct a thorough risk assessment. "It's absolutely the most critical thing you can do," Silvers says, "and that's true even if you conduct the same event year after year -- because everything changes."

A good risk assessment starts with a "40,000-foot view of your event, with good goggles on," Silvers says. Think about everything in your program -- the type and nature of your event, the type and nature of your audience, and the kind of environment you will be in. Then think about everything that can possibly go wrong.

Generally, threats fall into three categories:

	Natural threats like hurricanes or tornadoes.
	Accidental threats, like the power going out along the Eastern seaboard.
	Intentional threats, such as bomb threats or protests.

Once you get your arms around all the things that possibly could go wrong, take the time to rank them according to whether or not they're likely to occur, and if they do, what the consequences will be. Think of this as a three-step process: Rank each event according to (1) possibility, (2) likelihood and (3) consequences.

If a threat is likely to occur, but doesn't have severe consequences, chances are, you can eliminate the risk entirely or mitigate it. For example, to prevent slip-and-fall injuries, icy sidewalks can be salted down. Alternatively, if a risk is low on the likelihood scale, but the consequences are life-threatening, dig deeper and look at strategies you will use, and put together more formal contingency plans.

As Silvers puts it, "I'm in New Mexico, so I won't worry about a tsunami. But if I am in Florida, I will keep my eye on hurricanes and have a contingency plan." In the same vein, if you travel into a foreign country, be aware of the political situation, so you aren't caught in the middle of a coup, like the planners mentioned earlier. "You have to be pessimistic, in a very optimistic way," Silvers says. "Saying, ‘I didn't know,' or ‘I had no idea this could happen,' will not help you in the boardroom -- or the courtroom. Your job is to be aware of these kinds of things, and have a plan in place to address them."


Develop emergency action plans
Make sure the venue's management has an emergency action plan in place. In the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires one for any place of business, but especially for those that accommodate public events.

Key questions to ask:

	When was your emergency action plan last tested?
	When was your last training exercise, drill or simulation?

"Coordinate with on-site management to define how they will handle things and the role you will play," Silvers says. For example, you as the planner or organizer won't be in charge of an evacuation -- the venue or the police or other emergency responders will make that call. "But you need to know what is going on, to coordinate your piece of it," Silvers adds.

Silvers recommends that planners call city authorities to find out about emergency response plans in place. Ask about what they are capable of handling, their average response time and the best way to coordinate with them. "If your event involves elaborate décor items or pyrotechnics, talk to the fire marshals," Silvers says.

In addition to coordinating emergency action, take time to inspect the facility and satisfy yourself that management has thoroughly addressed the more prosaic aspects of event safety. Checklists are handy for this. You should be able answer questions like:

	Are defibrillators handy if someone has a heart attack? Where are they located, and who is trained to use them?
	Are defibrillators handy if someone has a heart attack? Where are they located, and who is trained to use them?
	Are power cords taped down so no one can trip and fall?
	Where are the fire exits, and what's the evacuation plan?
	What's the plan if crowds become too dense in the exhibit hall?
	Is everyone involved with food and beverages licensed?

Have a communications plan in place
The third major element in overall risk management is a well-thought-out communications plan. As part of front-end planning, Silvers recommends getting answers to these questions, and more:

	How will you handle communications?
	Who do you need to advise if you have an emergency?
	Do you have a contact list for all the emergency responders in your location?

Consider identifying other local hotels where you might need to send attendees in the event of, say, an outbreak of Legionnaire's disease. Or, connect with a local travel agency you can work with to get people out of town as fast as possible. "Put together a contact list of local resources, with specific names of people to call," Silvers says.

As the hepatitis scare mentioned earlier shows, it's critical to capture and maintain in-case-of-emergency contact information in your registration database. With this information on hand, you will quickly know whom to contact if someone gets ill or injured. "That manifest also allows you to account for missing persons in the event of a significant disaster," Silvers says. You probably want to keep that information confidential in your system, with limited access -- and dispose of it after your event is over, to address attendees' privacy concerns.

"You should also have a dedicated spokesperson," Silvers says. "If something bad happens, you want to tell your story before the media tells it for you." It's best if your message comes from a single, credible source, preferably someone in a leadership position in your organization. Tell everyone to refer media inquiries to your spokesperson. "You want to tell the truth," Silvers says, "but you don't want rumors or speculation. Be proactive so you can be reactive -- quickly."

A new core competency
The job of event management, whether for a meeting, exposition or sports event, is a huge one. It requires expertise in a lot of different areas. But risk management needs to become a core competency. As Silvers puts it, "Risk management, insurance and security amount to only one line on the CMP competency blueprint -- but a lot of attention gets paid to how to set up a room list or arrange for food service."

It's important to think about what might happen, so that if a crisis develops, you are prepared and can respond calmly and professionally. As Silvers is fond of saying, "Hope is not an action plan."