This document discusses crisis management for events and provides guidance on crisis planning. It notes that the organization plans up to 30 events per year with 100-150 attendees on average. It defines a crisis as a difficult decision that must be made. Effective crisis planning can help avoid and react to problems through contingency planning and learning from other organizations. A crisis plan should outline operational response procedures and communication strategies. The key stages of crisis management include pre-crisis planning to minimize risk, managing the actual crisis by appointing a coordinator and response team, and post-crisis evaluation and communication. Effective communication during and after a crisis is also emphasized.

1. Keep calm and
carry on
Kay Miller

2. Kay Miller
• BS organizes up to 30 events per year
• Many events are joint
• UK and overseas
• Conferences, workshops, training days, hot topic events, careers
events…
• Generally 100-150 attendees, and historically 1000+

3. Crisis Management
• What exactly is a crisis?
Fire? Death? Norovirus outbreak?
• Something you can’t prevent or control?
• Dictionary definition:
“a time when a difficult or important decision must be made”

4. Crisis Management
• Why plan and prepare?
– Anticipate - Plan for emergency situations that are likely to happen
– May help you to avoid trouble
– Will help you react appropriately
– What will delegates expect of you?
– Protect your reputation and your budget

5. Crisis Management
• How vulnerable are your events? What could possibly go wrong?
– Fire
– Snow
– Volcanic ash
– Terrorism
– Epidemic illness
– Food poisoning
– Speakers do not show (really a crisis?)

6. Crisis Management
Be prepared

7. Crisis Management
• Why write a crisis plan?
– do NOT attempt to ‘wing it’
– Do not assume that your team, or the venue, will know what to do
• What should a plan include?
– Operational: what do we do, who does it, when is it done?
– Communications: what do we say, who says it, how do we get the
messages out?

8. Crisis Management
Planning for a crisis – key stages
•Pre-Crisis Planning
– All about minimizing risk
– Put in place contingency plans
– Benchmarking – how have other organizations handled crisis?

9. Crisis Management
Planning for a crisis – key stages
•Managing the crisis
– Identify the crisis – is it really?
– Appoint a crisis manager to coordinate. Assign authority as appropriate
– Identify the crisis management team
– What needs to be done, by who, when - the first hour is the most
important
– Identify the cause of the crisis – will there be a repeat?
– Will the effects of the initial crisis escalate?

10. Crisis Management
Planning for a crisis – key stages
•Post-Crisis
– Communicate what has happened and why, this needs to be scripted
(should create a standard response for all situations)
– Evaluate the effects
– Was there a clear cause?
– Repair

11. Crisis Management
Communication
•Richard Branson Virgin Train Crash in Cumbria
•BP CEO