Confessions of an Event Planner: Case Studies From the Real World of Events--How to Handle the Unexpected and How to Be a Master of Discretion (30 page)

CONCLUSION

The past 12 chapters have introduced various real-life situations that show the value of having company policies, procedures and protocol in place, and illustrate that having a thorough understanding of what can be done—or should not be done—in emergency situations will serve to protect all involved. For example, if Em had listened to DiamondDiva’s pleas not to let the crew see her when she was ill from too much drinking and not summoned medical personnel and if Diamond Diva had ended up having alcohol poisoning, or slipped and fell getting in and out of the shower, or choked if left on her own while still incapacitated, a lawsuit could have been the end result. The appropriate course of action was to summon professional help and to write up a report that would serve as legal backup.

There are times when you will be able to clearly assess the situation unfolding before you and follow the required course of action established by the agency and company lawyers, and there will be other times when you will not have a moment to think, such as when MrArrogance attempted to push his superior through a plate glass window. If emergency policies, procedures and protocol has not been established and discussed in advance around what needs to be done and where and why security had to be brought in to handle the situation, precious moments would have been lost and the situation could have escalated out of control in front of the guests. Had staff instinctively acted to physically stop the fight, they would have found themselves in the middle of it instead of moving into programmed crisis management control.

Sending staff out unprepared or allowing yourself to go out unprepared as to required company codes of conduct is irresponsible and can have serious legal, personal and professional repercussions. You can plan an event, you can anticipate all that can go right and wrong, and you can have a backup plan, but if you neglect to establish company policies, procedures and protocol and outline expected codes of conduct and crisis management courses of actions, then you have missed an essential step in successful event execution and in running a successful business that has the best interests of their employees, their suppliers, their clients and their guests.

You can never know what will happen when you combine people, personalities and a partying environment—and that combination is not limited to being on-site during an event. One event planning company, attending supplier functions at a trade show, took the right step in hiring a limousine to take them from party to party but they forgot they were still attending business functions
and
that they were not just partying with their peers but corporate clients as well. Their behavior, as company representatives, was so obnoxious that clients attending the event wanted to know which event planning company they worked with so that they could avoid doing business with them. That was a very costly event for the event planning company to find their employees displaying a total lack of professionalism. Establishing personal as well as company policies, procedures and protocol will elevate your company’s commitment to professionalism and should be regarded as an essential event element.

Final Assignment

Create a policy, procedures and protocol outline that will cover in office, client meetings, supplier presentations, fam trip and site inspections, and on-site codes of conduct expected from staff, clients, suppliers and participants.

Have an open discussion on what is expected behavior, what will require a lawyer’s input and when and where lines have to be drawn.