Association event management encompasses a lot of moving parts. Marketing your event, securing a venue, engaging members—there are so many elements that go into planning a memorable experience and making your event a smashing success.

In addition to these considerations, you must be proactive about potential situations in which things don’t go as planned. While it’s not enjoyable to think about unexpected challenges or setbacks, you must prepare for any scenario. That’s where crisis management plans come in.

Creating a crisis management plan ensures you can easily pivot and provide the best attendee experience possible—from when the first attendee checks in. Here are the four key steps your association should follow to develop a solid plan that keeps your team and event on track.

1. Create a crisis management team.

Start by forming a team responsible for crisis management. These individuals will help you create and enact your crisis management plan, allowing you to incorporate different perspectives and maximize assistance amid sudden disruptions.

This team may comprise a combination of:

• Leaders to govern the process
• Staff and volunteers to offer their input and help out on the day of the event
• Security staff to ensure attendees are safe
• Medical personnel to attend to any medical emergencies
• Technical support specialist to fix any technical issues

Work with this team to identify potential crises, such as natural disasters, medical emergencies, technological malfunctions, or security threats. Then, define each team member’s responsibilities so they know exactly what they must do in each risk situation.

2. Establish communication protocols.

In a crisis, proper communication is vital—both for resolving the issue itself and keeping attendees informed. As such, have your crisis management team create plans for:

• Internal communication. Determine which channels you’ll use to communicate with your team during a crisis. Select methods that allow for quick communication, such as text messages, group messaging apps, or even walkie-talkies. Additionally, establish communication standards so everyone is on the same page. For instance, you may create different code names for different crises and have team members keep their phone ringers on to encourage quick response times.
• External communication. Figure out how you’ll stay in touch with attendees and update them on crisis situations. EventMobi recommends using an event app to easily “distribute important information, answer questions, and follow up post-event.” Encourage attendees to download your event app to stay in the loop. Additionally, you may email registered members and post contingency plans on your for inclement weather or technology failure.

No matter how you choose to communicate with internal and external event stakeholders, what’s most important is maintaining transparency. Be open about the situation to build trust with everyone involved. Provide updates as soon as possible so people can make informed decisions about their participation in your event.

3. Develop emergency response procedures.

Next, develop your emergency response plans for each scenario. For example, let’s say you’re planning for an onsite medical emergency. You may outline steps like these for your team to follow:

1. Assess the severity of the issue.
2. Go to the nearest first-aid station or medical personnel.
3. Notify emergency services if necessary.
4. Clear the area and ensure all entry points are accessible so emergency responders can reach the individual in need.
5. Notify the individual’s emergency contact if they’ve provided one.
6. Report the emergency to the rest of the crisis management team via walkie-talkie.
7. Send a notification through your event app explaining the situation to attendees to assuage their concerns while still protecting the privacy of the affected individual.
8. Provide any updates to the crisis management team.
9. Document the incident.

Additionally, identify and secure any resources you’ll need to respond to different scenarios. In this case, you would need to make sure you have first-aid supplies and easy access to attendee registration data, so you can quickly assist the individual and leverage their emergency contact information.

4. Update your plan as needed.

After a crisis, debrief the situation and outcome with your team. Evaluate the effectiveness of your crisis management plan by posing questions like:

• Did team members understand their specific crisis management roles?
• Were team members familiar enough with the crisis management plan?
• How effectively did the team communicate internally and with external stakeholders?
• Were all necessary resources available during the crisis?
• Is there any additional training or resources that could improve the team’s emergency response in the future?
• Are there any other ways to improve the crisis management plan?

Then, identify the lessons learned and note them in your customer relationship management system (CRM) so you can easily access this information when planning your next event and adjust your crisis management plan as needed.

Additionally, survey attendees to obtain their feedback on your crisis management plan. Assess whether they felt safe, well-informed, and prepared for the situation, and ask them to identify areas for improvement to offer a better attendee experience.

While crises can disrupt your association’s events, having a plan takes some of the stress out of crisis management and helps you work through treacherous situations as a team. Develop a comprehensive crisis management plan to help your events run smoothly—no matter the scenario.