Developing an Emergency Response Plan for Events

You may not be able to predict when emergencies will strike, but you can plan for them by having an Emergency Response Plan. In fact, detailing emergency preparedness procedures is one of the most important strategic decisions a business can make. Knowing how to manage risk and navigate uncertainty is essential for event planners to keep attendees safe. Historically, emergency management has been reactive. However, there has been an evolution in the development of emergency preparedness for events as a result of increased weather catastrophes, heightened security risks, technology breaches, and newly identified health threats such as COVID. In this episode, our host, Jeff Naue, Special Projects Marketing Lead, talks with Connie Nau, CMP, CRP, our Senior Director of Talent Engagement of Meetings & Incentives Worldwide. In Connie’s experience, most organizations have not updated their emergency preparedness plans recently to account for all the different scenarios that can and most likely will, occur on-site. “Our primary goal is to prevent incidents before they happen. But, if one does occur, the actions taken in the initial minutes of an emergency are critical. Preparedness is the process of turning awareness into action to improve your event team’s capability to respond and recover,” says Connie. Truth be told, it can be time-consuming and intimidating to formulate a comprehensive emergency response plan that prepares your organization for the extreme or unknown. Understanding that no two events are the same, you might wonder how you even begin to develop a plan for the safety of all event attendees? Or, maybe you do have an emergency response plan, but wonder if it is comprehensive enough to mitigate your risk and equip your team. Tune in for our interview with Connie Nau to learn more about what’s involved in developing and updating your Emergency Preparedness Plan for events. Or, if you are interested in working with M&IW, please visit https://meetings-incentives.com.