VIP Event Crisis Management Strategies

The 2024 Paris Olympics launch in 4 days, and something WILL go wrong. As VP of Technology, here are 3 specific ways I prepare for the unexpected during a major event: 1. Establish a clear operational plan 2. Randomize incident rehearsals 3. Create options 1. Operational Plan During any major event, things will go wrong. Even with the best preparation, something will always go against our best efforts. The operational plans I have created include a clear shift leader, active monitoring of all components, and a triage/response process. If these plans aren’t clear, they become just another thing that can go wrong. The focus needs to be on open and active communication. If anyone sees something that looks wrong, they let the shift leader know. As engineers, we often think primarily in terms of metrics and system monitoring. But as leaders, we have to consider a variety of sources for our information. One of the more interesting sources is the customer- Is someone watching reports from customers and reading the messages in social media feeds? Nobody wants the customer to find issues first, but invariably they will find something your monitoring is not telling you about. Side note: Be mindful of false positives from internal sources. Some executive on the other side of the globe is always trying to VPN in to take part in the launch and they see something strange, but it is on their end and NOT the official feed. Have someone trained in QA validate their configuration, installation, and network before raising the severity level. I have seen this too many times to count. 2. Random Rehearsals You should be rehearsing for the event. One of the challenges with rehearsals is accounting for only expected issues. While it is good to rehearse these too, it is important to throw in some chaos. Like, what happens if all your Windows servers get stuck in a reboot loop? (Too soon? 😂) Do some research on Netflix’ Chaos Monkey or similar mechanisms for testing your service’s resilience. 3. Give Yourself Options When there is an issue, what can you do about it? If you haven’t built your systems to have options, there may not be much you can do without the infamous “hot fix.” This is nothing more than debugging and deploying code in production. Every time you do it, it should feel like a failure…because it is. Your systems must have options built in ahead of time to give you controls during the event. These could be feature flags, circuit breakers, or any number of manual and automated safety mechanisms. However, the focus must always be on getting the customer to their primary experience. Make sure you have the tools to do so. What else do you do to handle the unknown? 💡 Olympic Countdown - Day 4: Handling the unexpected! 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

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