What steps can you take to create a crisis communication plan for your event?

1) Establish an event day checklist 5-7 days before the event. 2) Convene a Production Meeting at least 48 hours prior to the event with all key players to discuss & review the checklist with your team. Have everyone identify the worst possible thing that could happen so response scenarios can be discussed. 3) Have available an emergency contact list on-hand compiled in advance that contains up to date contact info for anyone & everyone you may need to contact in an emergency situation.

Identify potential crisis scenarios specific to your event, and your audience once you have done this establish a crisis management team with clear roles and responsibilities whilst developing a communication strategy that includes key messages and target audiences, and the most effective communication channels to reach attendees, stakeholders, and the public. lastly, Prepare pre-approved statements and templates to respond swiftly and consistently during a crisis and monitor social media and news outlets for any mentions or developments related to your event.

Actually you shouldn’t wait for a crisis to happen . Every event should be strategically planned from the food to events happening on the same time frame, attending size, speaker, content and of course AV equipment … thats why is a profession.

I remembered when I worked at Kering, a french luxury group home to Gucci, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta and other 14 brands, there was constant monitoring happening either in house and through our agencies. You have to be highly sensitive to the culture of your target audience and know what are considered as taboos in their local market.

Don't forget to refer to your learnings from the last experience - see step 5. Too often organisations ignore past mistakes because the team has changed or the stakeholders are different this time. Steps 1-5 form a circle, not a list.

In the event of a crisis, it's very normal for many teams to run on adrenaline and emotion which in most cases leads to creation of more crises that could have been avoided. Assigning roles and responsibilities including various departments makes it easy to not only contain but also fix a crisis.

Establish a Crisis Communication Team: Form a team with representatives from key departments (e.g., public relations, legal, operations). Clearly define roles and responsibilities for each team member. Choose individuals who will provide valuable information that would mitigate a crisis. Also, consider individuals who can contribute to the ideation process during the early stages of your event.

Every person on your team should know who handles what. When there is a crisis, there should be no time spent wasted on trying to figure out who to turn to for support. In the case, people may forget, have a go-to destination that is easy for them to utilize as a resource. The less accessible resources are to your team, the more of a headache you are prone to having when the time of a crisis occurs. I have seen many opportunities where crises could have been avoided if leaders were in tune with their team's wants and needs.

In my experience it’s been very helpful to assign roles and responsibilities. Sometimes we need a clear cut set of duties and a path in order to get the job done. Not everyone is equipped to go with the flow or just “figure it out.” That’s your job as a leader, but you need to be clear with those you are managing.

Identify the key members of this group and assign the responsibilities. There should be a correlation between the assigned roles and their field of work, but make sure to have 2. options trained in case of tasks colliding or sickness. All events are fragile in this, but make sure to never be without people ready to join the chrisis management team when called.

As part of this, prepare a carefully considered statement should journalists want a comment from your organisation. Journalists are usually on a tight deadline, so having something pre-prepared is essential. Providing a 'no comment' reply or the journalist writing 'we asked xxx company for a comment, although we have not received a reply' can be detrimental to your organisation, so having a pre-prepared statement (which can be updated, as needed) ready to give to a journalist helps to protect your organisation's reputation.

Prepare to take accountability for all things that occur at your event. That is the nature of the game, even if you or your team did not directly cause a crisis. The more upfront and transparent you are about details that will eventually come out in the open, the better. People appreciate authenticity and it will naturally create a more trusting environment between you and your audience.

During this step, identify your channels and how to best reach the major part of your audience. Take into the account the possibilities of no internet or electricity and make plans for those scenarios as well.

Prepare Key Messages and Templates: Draft templates for crisis communications. This includes press releases, social media posts, and announcements. Having templates ready ensures that messages are disseminated quickly and consistently. Identify Key Stakeholders and Audiences: Determine who needs to be informed during a crisis. This includes attendees, sponsors, local authorities, and the media. Understanding your audience helps tailor the communication effectively.

Any PR executive would agree, you will need to develop a key message with a few points when issuing crisis resolution announcement. When journalists ask tricky questions, a good spokesperson will need to bridge those lines and stick to the developed messages.

It’s always a great idea to test out a plan. In my experience, testing is how we find the best fit solution to a problem. If something is off, you still have a chance to tweak and make it better!

We do from time to time test this plan with different "scenarios" preparing our staff on how to conduct themselves in situations that may occur during events. These are practical and vocal tests and we allways end up updating the plan afterwords.

Indeed your initial plan might not work! Working in crisis management in real life means there is constant change. It really takes a good PR manager that is highly logical and solution-driven to adapt efficiently and effectively to sudden changes.

Mais importante; tenha um organograma de crise disponível para toda sua equipe, de maneira que saibam a quem recorrer ou a quem contatar em diferentes cenários. Não existe nada pior que, durante uma crise, ter uma equipe incapaz de agir por não ter as informações adequadas.

Communication is key! Honest feedback and productive criticism help to make anything better. In my experience, it’s the follow-up that has helped us be better and gain loyal customers.

Mensure todas as plataformas e meios de comunicação. Elabore um report e acompanhe em tempo real os desdobramentos. Agir rápido é vital para que a crise seja revertida ou suavizada.

Develop a Monitoring and Alert System: Set up a system to monitor any signs of a crisis before it escalates. This could include social media monitoring, weather alerts, or security briefings. Training and Rehearsals: Train your team on the crisis communication plan and conduct rehearsals to ensure everyone knows their roles and responsibilities. This training should include scenario-based exercises.

I find that having online platforms where you can make last minute changes and updates to an event as soon as possible is important. And always make sure to collect everyone's phone numbers prior, for reminders also.

Creating a crisis communication plan involves several steps: Analyze possible risks & vulnerabilities. Consider all potential factors. Assemble a team of individuals who will be responsible for crisis management. Determine key messages to convey during a crisis. Proactively create templates for different scenarios. Identify effective communication channels. ie: social media, text, website or dedicated hotlines. Proactively compile a comprehensive list of all relevant stakeholders. Ensure it’s regularly updated and easily accessible and available. Designate spokespersons who’ve proactively been media trained. Practice. Conduct regular drills and exercises to test the effectiveness of your plan. Be flexible and adapt.

The guidelines cover what to do in a crisis, but being proactive is key. A well-trained team, and an understanding of protocols, are crucial. Collective understanding and thorough training matter. If someone forgets what to do, remembering the protocol helps. Despite protocols, oversight is possible, so guidelines are important. Regular training, especially for big events, ensures readiness, reinforcing protocol adherence and improving crisis navigation.