Nobody wants to use an emergency response plan, but lacking one is a risk no exhibition organizer can accept. Emergency readiness is a mandatory foundation, not an optional item added at the end of the operations plan.
What emergency readiness is
A thorough threat assessment and risk analysis are the foundation of an emergency action plan specific to each event. This document sets out the steps for responding to emergencies such as medical emergencies, fire, bomb threats or terrorism, or natural disasters. The plan must match the venue's own emergency response procedures and be distributed to every member of the core team as well as the emergency response team.
Who should be on the emergency response team
The emergency response team usually covers many different roles, not just the security team:
- Senior leadership, the official service contractor
- Event management, all on-site staff
- Representatives of the host or sponsoring organization, the public relations team
- IT and technical support, HR, finance, legal
- Insurance advisors, risk analysis advisors
- Security advisors or contractors, the venue representative
- An off-site communication contact (staying at the office)
This long list shows that emergency readiness isn't the job of the security team alone. It needs coordination from nearly every department in the organization.
A communication network is essential
A communication network is an essential element for every exhibition. Key people need to know each other and make sure plans are being carried out properly and problems are resolved in time. A facility can be very large, so key individuals must be able to reach each other whenever needed.
A master staff information guide needs to be reviewed and updated regularly, and should include:
- All staff contact details
- Mobile numbers of contractor representatives
- Emergency contact information for the venue and the area
- Hotel addresses and phone numbers; staff arrival and departure schedules
- Dress code and meal times for staff
- Radio-use rules and emergency procedures
- Dates and times of staff meetings that are mandatory to attend
The guide can also add event orders and room layout diagrams.
Prepare beforehand, don't improvise afterward
Emergency readiness only delivers value if it is prepared before the event, not drafted in a hurry after an incident has happened. The organizer should treat reviewing the emergency response plan and the staff information guide as a mandatory step right before each move-in, just like checking the floor plan or contractor contracts.
Coordinate with the venue's own safety team
The organizer's emergency readiness plan can't be built apart from the venue's existing safety procedures. Every exhibition center or conference hotel has its own emergency response procedure, including assembly point locations, evacuation routes approved by the local fire authority, and its own in-house safety team. Before each exhibition, the organizer should sit down directly with the venue's safety team to compare the two plans and make sure they don't conflict, for example the assembly point the organizer picked overlapping with an area the fire trucks need to reach.
A short drill before move-in, not just handing out documents
An emergency readiness plan that is neatly printed but never rehearsed risks failing when a real situation occurs, because staff aren't familiar with their specific roles. A short 15-20 minute meeting right before move-in, in which each role on the emergency response team restates its duties and confirms it has all the contact information it needs, is worth far more than just emailing a PDF and treating the preparation duty as done.