VIP Guest Handling Procedures

No matter how much you plan, there will always be things that happen that you didn't anticipate. This really happened at our client's conference on Day 2! The venue pipes suddenly burst out and water sprayed everywhere on the expo floor, on furniture, and attendees #eventprofs, HOW would you respond? Our team was in shock. How did we solve the problem? -- We evacuated everyone from the show floor and quickly pivoted the sessions to outdoors. -- Called the fire station to help shut down the sprinklers -- Quickly called all the vendors to relocate the evening reception to outside. -- Send out mobile notifications a part of the expo floor was closed and redirect guests to other areas -- Held a meeting with the venue to discuss damages, insurance, etc. -- By the end of the day, file a report and claim to capture all of the damages and costs incurred (including loss of opportunities) with the venue's insurance. Can an event planner be prepared for something like this? Yes! 💯 Here's some recommendations: -- Ask the venue to conduct maintenance checks (of all the water systems, pipes, and elevators) before the show starts. -- Review insurance clauses to make sure the venue's insurance will cover damages -- Meet with the hotel and their maintenance crew to discuss possible scenarios and contingency plans. Did you have a similar experience? I'd love to hear your stories. Story time! #eventmarketing #b2bconferences #b2bevents #b2bmarketing #eventmanagement

I was the VP of technology for the 2020 Olympics. 175 million + people watched. Here are 5 steps I took when something went wrong: When something breaks and 175 million people are watching, it should immediately be brought to the attention of the event's shift leader. From there, an incident leader must be chosen and will need to: 1. Determine the scope and scale of the issue 2. Investigate the cause of the issue 3. Take corrective action 4. Communicate 5. Repeat Scope and scale ⬇️ 🔹 Is this widespread and affecting all customers? 🔹 Is it limited to customers in a certain country? 🔹 Is it pervasive or only when they first open your app? It is better to assume that the issue is widespread until you can prove with certainty the specific conditions under which it happens. As the scope and scale are refined, the shift leader and senior executive staff should be updated. Investigation ⬇️ Investigating the root cause should take place as quickly as possible and with the correct people involved. During any live event, this is especially critical. Getting the right people to evaluate the problem is a best practice. It is better to have too many people engaged than to have too few and miss something. Corrective Action ⬇️ Once the cause is known, corrective action should be taken. If there is anyway the correction can be made through configuration or server side controls, the process will be relatively easy. If correction requires code changes or other “hot fix” deployments, that painful process will need to be started immediately. In almost all cases, it is advisable to inform the shift leader and senior executives before taking action. Even if they are not necessary for a small change, any change must be communicated to the broader team. Communication ⬇️ I’ve listed communication as step 4, but you can see that it is scattered throughout all of the steps. As the incident leader, you must communicate early and often. Updates should be occurring at least every 10-15 minutes and more frequently as causes and options are identified. This is not a time to be quiet. Tip: Try to avoid your updates becoming a “stream of consciousness” by quickly summarizing where you are and what you are doing to the group. Repeat ⬇️ These steps are continued until the incident is resolved. Once resolved, there will likely still be follow-ups and debriefs after the event. How do your incident leaders operate? 💡 Olympic Countdown - Day 3: Incident Leadership. Follow along for my countdown posts every day leading up to the launch of the Paris Olympics! I will share insights on launching large-scale events gathered over my 30+ year career delivering many large events.

When a major crisis strikes your event—such as a serious injury, death, significant security threat, or major public health emergency—the situation typically unfolds through predictable stages. Being prepared to communicate effectively at each stage is crucial. Here's a clear framework to guide your messaging: Stage 1: Triage & Information Fans urgently need clear, factual updates. Without prompt communication, misinformation spreads fast. • Fan Messaging: Immediately provide clear, factual updates and instructions. • Managing Media: Journalists initially focus on speed, prioritizing facts to publish quickly. Being first with accurate, official information lets you control the early narrative. ___ Stage 2: Empathy & Solutions Fans feel emotional impacts deeply. They want acknowledgment and action. • Fan Messaging: Clearly express empathy and outline specific, actionable solutions. • Managing Media: Reporters seek deeper stories and personal impacts. Provide empathetic spokespersons and practical solutions proactively to shape coverage positively. ___ Stage 3: Optimism & Nostalgia Fans seek reassurance and positive perspectives to rebuild enthusiasm. • Fan Messaging: Offer hopeful, forward-looking content, highlighting past festival experiences and future plans. • Managing Media: Media shifts to stories of recovery and resilience. Proactively pitch positive narratives about your festival’s future plans and community solidarity. _____ Stage 4: Return to Normalcy Even after a crisis passes, accountability matters. Reflect transparently, share lessons learned, and changes made. • Fan Messaging: Share clearly what was learned, changes made, and improvements implemented, demonstrating transparency and accountability. • Managing Media: Investigative journalism typically emerges later, thoroughly examining accountability and preventive measures. Prepare detailed responses and engage proactively to positively influence the investigative narrative. Missteps in crisis communication—like delays, lack of empathy, or inconsistent messaging—can permanently damage your festival’s reputation. Adopting this structured approach helps safeguard and even strengthen your brand. Want to dive deeper? Read on here: https://lnkd.in/gdBNx-bD