Be Prepared for the Unexpected

Recently, Chris Rowley, Executive Director with the Mount Pleasant Area Convention and Visitors Bureau spoke with Mary Estrada with the MichiganNon-profit Association about being prepared for the unexpected meeting situation.  

What steps do you take to plan for a possible crisis happening during a meeting?

“Luckily, this hasn’t happened to me very often in my many years of planning meetings and events.  Everyone thinks it’s not going to happen to me.” Says Estrada

Have you had something happen during a meeting and how did you handle it? 

We had a meeting scheduled to be held at Central Michigan University (CMU) in Mt. Pleasant and were expecting 300+ attendees when a snowstorm hit the area and CMU closed its campus.  We were able to work quickly with the Comfort Inn & Suites Hotel and Conference Center down the road to continue the conference in a small form for those who had already drove in the night before.  Luckily, I had staff that was able to update everyone of the change via email and social media. 

The staff at the Comfort Inn did a fabulous job of finding space, finding food and making an amazing meal that they hadn’t been expecting.  Once the weather cleared up, the Governor was even able to come up and still speak as originally planned and the conference was a success in the end.  CMU and the Comfort Inn & Suites in Mt. Pleasant were both great to work with. 

Any suggestions for meeting planners based on this experience?

Mary says “Keep a plan B in the back of your mind.  You hope you don’t have to resort to it, but have an idea of what you are going to do if something changes your original plan.”  Be prepared for the unexpected. 

Any suggestions for suppliers based on this experience?

Everything was able to come together based on the relationships I have built with different facilities.  I knew the team at the Comfort Inn and called them and they bent over backwards for me.  “I would recommend Mt. Pleasant to anyone based on this experience.” Says Estrada 

Recently, the Michigan Chapter of SGMP held a meeting on Emergency Preparedness.  Here are some resources when planning for the unexpected:

Have a plan.  Include items such as:

• Contact information of the attendees, exhibitors, venue, staff (Both work and personal contact information)
• Map of the venue
• Map of the City
• Floor plan of escape routes and where to meet in case of emergency
• Local hospital and pharmacy contact information
• Roles and responsibilities of the staff and venue – You’ve called 911, now what?
• Communication (Staff, attendees, facility, media)
• How to respond to medical emergency
• How to respond to weather emergency
• Security

Always think not “What if, but when…..”