the public, political? Is a speaker controversial? Has this event had protests or past problems? Additionally, says Cambridge, you can monitor social media to get a sense if trouble could be brewing. In Toronto, Melissa Deslauriers, director of sales and marketing for bb Blanc, also stresses the need for careful research. “And don’t have tunnel vision for your event only,” she says, advising planners to consider what else is happening in the host city, and at your venue. CREATE AN EMERGENCY PLAN Based on assessed risks, Deslauriers advises crafting a detailed emergency plan. “Let’s hope we don’t have to use it. But if we do, this is exactly what you do.” With emergency plans, Cambridge says, communication is key. “How is the team communicating with each other? With attendees? Who’s speaking to the media?” Planning, then ensuring participants know about event communications tools, such as apps, says Cambridge, can pay off in an emergency. VET SPEAKERS To lessen the chance of speakers going off- message, Deslauriers recommends meeting with them beforehand. “Even if it’s a twenty minute conversation, just to give them a feel for who is in the audience…the style of the event. That, in my mind, should happen with all presenters going on stage.” Codes of conduct can help too, says Deslauriers. “Whether for a presenter or your suppliers, it’s saying, ‘Hey, this is what our conference is all about. This is how we expect you to conduct yourself onsite.’” TAILOR YOUR SECURITY Security is not one-size-fi ts-all. Determine the degree, visibility and level of security required, says Cambridge. “I think if the security risk is high enough, you bring in an executive protection team.” And also prep security on the event objectives and emergency plan. DESIGNATE A POINT PERSON (OR TWO) Finally, inaction can make bad situations even worse. In cases where staff are milling about, where security isn’t called or interlopers aren’t dealt with, Deslauriers says a key planning item was likely omitted: “No one was told ‘It’s your job to fl ip the switch if you see anything go wrong.’” And the fi x? Deslauriers says you need to authorize two people to make the tough calls as per your emergency plan—“who have that ability, who can stand up and just do it.” Event Safety Alliance Canada esacanada.ca Event Safety Alliance eventsafetyalliance.org Sample code of conduct from Mortgage Professionals Canada mortgageproscan.ca/events/ participant-code-of-conduct The Stay Safe Project thestaysafeproject.com FURTHER RESOURCES FURTHER RESOURCES Fall 2022 | Ignitemag.ca | 41
