WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE WHEN THINGS DO NOT GO AS PLANNED?

I love to plan and manage meetings, events, and travel for my clients who are busy c-suite executives, entrepreneurs, and start-up founders. Events such as board and shareholder meetings, sales kick-offs, team building and roundtables, industry conferences, annual conventions, small group or private dinners, panel discussions and charity golf tournaments. Any kind of gathering that brings people together for a special purpose or celebration and having specific goals or objectives to be met.

I also enjoy putting together complex domestic and international travel logistics. If you do any travel or logistics planning, you are keenly aware of how flight delays or cancellations, a positive Covid test or car service no-show at the correct location or time can wreak havoc on the schedule and your meticulous planning.

Over the past two and a half years, we have endured the ever-changing health and safety requirements brought about by a global pandemic and the impacts these requirements have

had on planning and managing events as well as dictating when and where we were allowed to travel. We have also experienced the devastating effects from weather due to climate change. More and more we need to monitor weather forecasts that could drastically impact travel, events, and lives. Often, helplessly watching the radar as the worst-case scenario becomes reality bringing the stark realization that there is no amount of planning that will change the course of a hurricane, tornado, snowstorm, flood, or fire.

While we have no control over the weather, nor many other outside forces that may affect our plans, there are things we can do – ways to manage the things we cannot control. I would like to share with you my strategic approach to planning any event or travel itinerary.

Begin the planning process by understanding the reason/purpose for the event or travel by asking the following questions:

• Why are we holding the event? Why do we need to travel?

• What are the goals or objectives to be accomplished and the desired outcome for the business and/or executive?

• What does success look like?

Spend time to brainstorm worst-case scenarios, and research resource and contingency options to address the issues you identify.

Determine what action or contingency plans to put in place and determine how and when they would be executed.

Compile these contingency plans and all resource information and share widely so that it is readily available when needed. This will save time, money, and stress when things do not go as planned.

The following are questions and scenarios to consider in your strategy, action and contingency planning:

• During the venue and location selection process, research the locations under consideration to understand seasonal climate.

• Once selection is made, continue to closely monitor local weather forecasts.

• If the weather could be an issue, is there an alternate location? Will attendee travel be impacted?

• If an event needs to be cancelled, will you need to reschedule or will you employ a remote attendance option? How and when do you communicate alternate plans to attendees?

• Your venue has a fire, is damaged by storm or flood, has no electricity or air conditioning and you learn just days before your event. Is there an alternate venue being offered or suggested?

  • Are you aware of any other properties in the area that could work?

  • What are the implications if you need to cancel?

  • Can the event be done remotely and what would it take to switch to a remote format?

• If a meeting is critical:

  • Do you book flights with multiple airlines? Do you travel to arrive 1-2 days earlier? Is attending remotely an option?

  • If flying via commercial airline, can you use private aviation as a back-up if commercial options are no longer viable?

• Your executive is robbed or has lost their ID/passport/visa/wallet/credit cards/mobile device.

  • Do you have a copy of all the travel/ID documents?

  • Do you know how to get documents replaced in each location on the itinerary?

  • How do you reach each other and/or any local resources for assistance?

  • What are the local resources you may need to contact?

• There is a family emergency and your executive needs to get home from overseas.

  • Can you reach him?

  • How do they get homevfrom where they are in the itinerary?

• Your executive becomes ill and is quarantined, gets injured or worse, is killed or dies while out of the country. Many companies have policies and contingencies in place for executives and employees in these situations.

  • What do you need to know?

  • What needs to be done?

These and so many other scenarios can affect the most carefully planned events or travel. Take the time to develop strategies during the planning process to insure you are prepared with contingency plans when things do not go right. Knowing what to do when things do not go as planned is what Success looks like.

Feel free to share your experiences and suggestions on how to be prepared for when things do not go as planned. I would love to hear from you!