Crisis Management: How to Properly Handle an Event Crisis
Crisis Event Management Tips
Crisis management is defined as "the process of managing events that are deemed risky or potentially dangerous." This includes natural and man-made hazards such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, fires, terrorist attacks, civil unrest, large-scale accidents, power outages, transportation disruptions, infrastructure failures, and political crises. These events could lead to loss of life, property damage, financial losses, legal liabilities, reputation damage, public relations problems, and/or litigation.
Crisis management is essential because it helps you plan ahead for potential risks and minimize the impact of these events. You must prepare for the worst-case scenario and manage the situation effectively. Identify what risks exist and determine whether there are ways to mitigate those risks. If the risk cannot be mitigated, decide whether they want to cancel the event or continue with it.
Organizations should always plan for the worst-case scenario. However, you must ensure that they do not overreact and take unnecessary risks. In addition, you must know the steps required to deal with any emergencies that arise during the event.
Why it is important?
Do I really need to worry about emergency planning?Of course, you should always prepare yourself for the worst-case scenario. However, you shouldn't stress too much over something that isn't likely to occur.
Event marketing crises can happen at any time and anywhere. They're unpredictable, and they can affect everything from finances to reputation. Even though it seems impossible to predict every eventuality, being prepared for emergencies is key to keeping events successful.
The main reason why event managers must have a well-defined emergency management strategy is because the potential consequences of such situations can be devastating. This includes financial losses, legal liabilities, and even damage to reputation. If you don't take the necessary precautions, you could end up facing serious penalties.
What is a CEM (critical event manager)?
Critical events are those incidents that require immediate action and could potentially cause significant damage to assets or loss of life. These incidents include cyber-attacks, major accidents, terrorist acts, natural disasters, and large-scale public health emergencies. They can occur anywhere – in the office, factory, airport, or school. In fact, there is no one size fits all solution to managing a critical event.The goal of a CEM (critical event manager) is to reduce the likelihood of such an event occurring, if possible, then mitigate the effects of a critical event that does happen and ensure that you recover quickly and effectively.
In a critical event management plan, there are many components added to make sure you are assessing and handling the crisis correctly. Including risk assessment, emergency response plans, business continuity planning, mass notification systems, incident reporting, information security programs, disaster recovery strategies, legal counsel, and much more. They need to be prepared for any type of crisis that could come their way.
Benefits of a CEM.
We find that many companies don't realize the value of CEM because it is often overlooked. Of course, you want to think nothing will go wrong with your event, but you do need to be prepared if it does. Ignoring it will not make a crisis not happen and definitely will not help with solving the issue and its outcomes.Yes, many times their plans and everything they prepared for will not happen. But that's what we want right? We don't want to have to use our CEM but having them there gives us a sense of security and allows us to make sure we can focus on other aspects of the event.
First Steps to Crisis Management; Understanding the Crisis
Types of crises
The following are some examples of common types of crises that organizations face on a daily basis. These are just some of the many different types of crises that organizations can encounter. There are hundreds of different types of crises that could happen within an organization. Therefore, it is very important to understand what type of crisis you are dealing with. Once you know what type of crisis you’re facing, you can start thinking about how to resolve it.1. Natural disasters
2. Technical errors
3. Organizational misdeeds / Strikes / Workplace violence
4. Confrontations
5. Financial issues
6. Man-made disasters, Ex: Terrorist attacks, Riot
How it works
Prevention is the first step toward managing risks. In our daily work we are often confronted with situations where we must make decisions that could potentially affect us or others. We might face risks such as health issues, accidents, fires, fraud, etc. But how do we prevent those risks from happening?The answer lies in Risk Analysis. This process consists in identifying potential risks, diagnosing them, and building a roadmap to take action. A good example of this approach is the Crisis Management Plan.
How to build a Crisis Management Plan
A crisis management plan is a set of actions designed to manage a specific type of risk. For instance, it could be a fire emergency plan. Before starting to develop a crisis management plan, we should define the objective of the plan. Is it to avoid a disaster, or to prepare for it? How many people does it involve? Who will execute the plan?
Pre-crisis | Once we have defined the objectives, we can start analyzing the risks. First, we identify the different types of risks we want to address. Then, we analyze each of them individually. Finally, we combine the information gathered into a logical structure that allows us to build a roadmap to action. |
Post-crisis | When we are faced with a crisis, there is no time to think about what to do next. We react, we make decisions, and we take actions. But afterward, we often wonder whether we could have done better. Therefore, it is important to document the lessons learned and discuss the case with everyone involved. We must learn from our mistakes and avoid repeating them again. |
Cancel, postpone or go virtual?
Once you've identified impacted events, the risks, and the financial impact, it's time for you to decide whether to cancel, postpone for a later date, or go virtual. Here are some questions to help you make the best decision.1. What type of event is it?
There is a big difference between a small internal meeting with 20 people versus a large conference with thousands of attendees, so consider how much risk you're willing to take based on the size of your audience. A smaller event could mean less revenue loss, while a larger event could mean significant losses.
2. How important is the event to your brand?
If you don't care about the reputation, you'll gain from being open and honest about cancellations, then you might want to cancel the event. However, if you do care about your reputation, you might want to postpone the event for another day. If you don't care either way, then go ahead and cancel the event.
Postponing event 
In a crisis, be careful what you do with this extra time. If you are planning an event in April, consider pushing it out to June or July. You can always reschedule the event later, but if you wait too long, you could lose momentum and interest in your event.If you want to keep your event moving forward, you might consider changing the date. By delaying your event, you give yourself time to adjust your plan.
Also, remember that other event planners will think along the same lines as you if it is a crisis that is not just within your company. They may decide to take similar actions to yours, which will reduce the number of venues and suppliers available.
Virtual event
Going virtual is no replacement for in-person events but it is better than canceling. Whether the decision to go virtual is driven by cost savings, logistics, or some other reason, there are pros and cons to consider. Here are three questions to ask yourself:
1. Is the goal to share content?
2. Is the goal to gain leads/network?
3. Was the goal to gain exposure?
If the answer to any of those is "yes", then a virtual event might not be the best choice. If you're looking to connect with prospects, then a face-to-face meeting is still the most effective way to do it. On the flip side, if you want to build relationships with current customers, then having a virtual event will still be sufficient enough to continue to build relationships with customers, donors, or attendees you already have a background with.
Canceling event
The most common reason for canceling events is because of unexpected circumstances. A natural disaster, such as a hurricane or earthquake, can cause major disruptions and make planning impossible. Other crises, like terrorist attacks or political unrest, can make travel difficult. Even everyday problems, such as power outages, can disrupt plans.
If the benefits of the event aren't worth the costs associated with making an alternative plan, you may want to consider canceling the event entirely. This option could save money and avoid unnecessary stress for everyone involved.
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