While the spread of H1N1 has waned in much of the United States, the crisis has hardly been resolved. Health officials are warning the public about the dangers of complacency, and they fear that the number of outbreaks could rise again in the coming months.
Pandemic scares are still top of mind for many meeting professionals. Last fall, 83 percent of planners polled by M&C said they were concerned about an outbreak affecting future events, yet only 52 percent had a formal crisis strategy in place or were in the process of developing one. Following is critical advice on how to create an appropriate pandemic response plan.
Assess risk First and foremost, says Vicki Hardwarden, vice president of knowledge for Meeting Professionals International, "planners should be informed of the risks involved in a pandemic -- how it can affect their organization, their ability to meet their objectives, attendance and the attendees themselves."
Julia Silvers, author of Risk Assessment for Meetings and Events, advises planners to look at the scenario as they would for any type of risk that they assess for events. For example, when a meeting is held during the summer in a hurricane-prone destination, planners need to consider issues such as evacuation plans, alternative destinations, postponements, and all the costs and affects on business that a storm could present.
When conducting a risk assessment for a pandemic, Silvers says, "take the fear and panic associated with an outbreak out of the equation and think strategically" about the different ways it could affect the meeting. For example: attendees getting ill beforehand and canceling (or worse, she says, attending anyway because they've paid and don't want to lose their investment); attendees getting ill on-site and needing medical attention; healthy attendees leaving early if illness breaks out; the company and sponsors losing money and not getting return on objective if the event is canceled or poorly attended, and how an outbreak should be addressed in contracts with suppliers.
Involve top brass Silvers urges planners to involve their CEO or other high-level executive when conducting a risk assessment. Find out what that person's objectives are for the event. "In the C-suite, it's all about the bottom line," she notes. "The trick is to get them to come up with numbers for their expectations regarding attendance, money raised, message delivered, increased sales, etc."
Once those numbers are on the table, weigh the costs -- in dollars and business results -- that a pandemic might engender, using scenarios such as the event needing to be canceled, rescheduled and/or changed in format from, say, face-to-face to virtual.
Work with suppliers In addition to
crafting their own pandemic plan, meeting professionals should query
their suppliers on the plans and protocols they have in place,
recommends Jonathan Spero, M.D. and CEO of InHouse Physicians, a
Chicago-based health-care firm that provides medical support for
meetings, events and travel.
During site inspections, for
example, and again during pre-con meetings, ask vendors what guidelines
they are using, obtain copies of them and share your own plans.
For
meals, ask hotels and venues to provide staff at buffet stations, so
the number of people who handle food and serving implements is limited.
As an additional precaution, consider asking properties or
meeting venues to install hand sanitizer dispensers in rest rooms.
(Some, including the Hilton Grand Rapids Airport in Michigan, also have
added them to guest rooms, notes Sue Walton, an independent planner
based in Evanston, Ill.)
If the venue doesn't supply the
sanitizers, Julia Silvers suggests offering this as a sponsor
opportunity. The sponsor's name or logo can appear on the dispenser,
or, if you opt to provide individual bottles of sanitizer, logos can be
printed on the outer label or sleeve. (One good source for such items
is handsanitizerstore.com.)
Prepare attendees
When it comes to protecting attendees prior to the meeting, Jonathan
Spero says, "The most powerful tool is communication; tell people with
symptoms or those with sick family members to stay home."
Spero
advises using government websites for news and prevention tips. For
example, the Centers for Disease Control (cdc.gov) features updated
warnings on outbreaks and lists of symptoms. Include such information
in pre-event communications and post it on the event's website. Be sure
to include advice on what attendees should do if they become ill while
on-site during the meeting. A smart strategy: Stress that they should
go to their hotel room and stay there until medical help arrives.
Julia
Silvers says planners should avoid sharing too much information. "You
don't have to tell them your whole pandemic plan," she notes. "It helps
to just let them know you are thinking about it and are prepared to
deal with it."
For planners concerned that some attendees who
are ill to begin with might come because they don't want to waste their
registration or hotel fees, Silvers recommends reviewing the attendee
refund policy or attrition clause, so attendees don't make potentially
critical health decisions based on avoiding financial penalties.
On-site protocol
In the event a pandemic strikes during the meeting, planners should be
prepared for two main logistical considerations, says Spero.
First,
be sure to have a medical back-up plan in place. "You may be in a
situation where major metropolitan health-care systems [e.g., hospitals
and emergency rooms] are overburdened, so make alternative
arrangements," Spero advises. He also suggests you ask your hotel
partner or destination management firm to recommend a local physician
or urgent-care facility, and pre-arrange to have attendees treated
there or on-site at the property if medical care is needed.
The
other logistical must for a pandemic plan is communications. Issues
include circumstances that will prompt the plan into effect (see
below); how will attendees be notified (phone, e-mail, Twitter, live
during keynote sessions); how often they will be notified, and who will
release/deliver the information. Spero recommends coordinating the
wording of notifications with your firm's human resources and/or
security departments, and to share and coordinate your plan with the
hotel and meeting venue prior to the event.
At what stage is it
necessary to launch the communications plan? One or two attendees
falling ill is not reason enough, says Spero. But if a pandemic affects
more than a handful of attendees -- as well as the guests/staff at the
hotel or venue and possibly a sizable swath of the local population --
all attendees should be notified.
"Tell the truth, give the
facts and reassure them by telling them the steps you've taken to
mitigate the situation," Spero says. The International Association of
Exhibitions and Events has an excellent crisis communications plan
template that can be downloaded at tinyurl.com/ya5scl5.
Extra steps For
planners who want even more protection for their attendees and events,
check in with the organization's insurer, says Julia Silvers, to
determine the inclusions and exclusions in insurance policies and what,
if any, additional coverage is necessary, available and affordable.
Also,
when drawing up contracts with suppliers, consider adding language that
addresses what would happen in the event of a pandemic. See M&C's
legal column, "Force Majeure vs. Swine Flu," at
mcmag.com/article_ektid26314.aspx?terms=*pandemic.
Web Exclusive For more resources and information on dealing with a pandemic, go to mcmag.com/webexclusives