RESEARCH REPORT by Meeting Professionals International

Security:
Supplier
Resourcesfor Planners
By Alan Kleinfeld, MTA, CMM, CMP
Sponsored by

Event safety has a broad scope, and it’s common for

meeting professionals to feel overwhelmed. The bombardment of news on deadly incidents and weather disasters on any
number of media—from television and radio to Internet, socialand push notifications—can be distressing, especially for meeting professionals whose No. 1 job is keeping participants anddelegates safe.
Before cable television, these types of stories had only minutes of air time. That isn’t the case anymore, and this increased
exposure to safety threats actually impacts viewers’ wellbeing.
Research shows the human brain doesn’t know the difference
between legitimate threats and illegitimate ones. It just knows
fear—an innate sense of fight or flight that’s kept Homo sapiens
alive for millennia. So, as people watch TV or browse news sites
online, they expose their brains to things that scare them—fromweather forecasts to food contamination to disease outbreaks.
While these reports don’t necessarily reflect day-to-day realA Research Report: Supplier Resources for Planners | Page 1

“Planners have alegal duty to take careof their attendees. To
ity for most people (or meeting professionals), it is rare for an event to playout without some kind of incident thatnegatively impacts people, property or
experience. It could be a minor incident
like someone tripping on a rug or loose
cable or a minor illness (either of which
could become more serious), or it could
be more consequential like a false fire
alarm or brief power outage. More significant incidents could range from weather
emergencies or even active shooters.
As a meeting professional, you must
be as prepared as possible for incidents
that might occur, from the trivial to thetitanic. Following is an overview of some
types of threats, emergencies and risks.
At this paper’s conclusion are resources
for meeting professionals to become better prepared.

THREATS | EMERGENCIES |PREPARATION

There is much to consider when investigating the steps necessary to prepare
for negative incidents onsite at meetingsand events. Start with just one and build.
Here are some threats to consider whenplanning your next conference.
• Crisis Communication. In addition to
managing (or delegating managementof ) social media, meeting professionals need to determine and direct acourse of action to connect, contact
and correspond with an abundance ofother people and organizations before,
during and after an emergency—fromvenue, staff and delegates to media,
first responders and sometimes evenemergency contacts.
• Cyber Security. Online security andlive up to this duty,
they need to use
due diligence whenplanning and managing
a meeting, including
choosing a safe facility
and suppliers.”
data breaches trend often on social
media and in news cycles, especiallywhen information and corporate giants
discover failures. What if your organization’s data mine cracked and yourmember or attendee data was stolen?
What if the breach occurred during
your meeting, while onsite. While IT
sometimes sits apart from the meeting
planning process, meeting professionals recognize the importance of data
security. #Eventprofs don’t necessarily need to know how to program orpurchase anti-hack software, but these
are items that belong on their to-checklists.
• Emergency Planning. Some emergency prep can be primed by venues(but don’t assume so) for threats suchas fire or power outage. Assessing
weather events, medical illness, active
shooter and other threats is sensible,
though it requires more time (and possibly money, delegation or outsourcing).
• Environmental Safety. Environmental

safety consists mostly of geographical area, political climate and othersettings, situations and backgrounds.
Is your conference city safe to walk atnight? Have there been uprisings orprotesters nearby? Is there a major
sporting event in a neighboring area?
Consider your office situation, work
place violence or disgruntled employees, as well.
• Physical Safety and Security. A tenet of
meeting safety and security is ensuring
the space, facility or venue is free fromharm and offers components and measures that keep it free from harm. It’s
easy to overlook this element, because
many facilities have safety and security plans and mechanisms in place.
Regardless of the perception of safety(bell staff, soft music, guards), not allplaces are safe, and meeting professionals should always ask themselves,“Is this a safe place?” Ask if the venue
has security cameras and whether andhow often it trains staff on safety. Look
for well-lit outdoor spaces and keycardsecured indoor places and check forthe assortment of other items on yoursafety and security list.
• Reputation/Public Relations. When an
incident occurs at a meeting or event,there can be reputational risk associated with it. Meeting professionals andtheir brands have a fiduciary responsibility to manage communications withattendees and media and should haveplans in place for protecting the message associated with any incidents that
occur onsite.

OBLIGATION, AND BEYOND

Meeting professionals must act to keep
participants and delegates safe.
“Planners have a legal duty to takecare of their attendees,” says attorney
Tyra Hilliard, CMP, an assistant professor of business and hospitality at theCollege of Coastal Georgia. “To live up to
this duty, they need to use due diligencewhen planning and managing a meeting,including choosing a safe facility andsuppliers.
To create a safe space, Hilliard says
meeting professionals don’t need to havean absolute obligation, but they must
do “what a reasonably prudent meeting planner would do to ensure that themeeting and attendees are safe.”
Can the same be said about suppliers? Yes, according to Hilliard. “Suppliers
have the duty to keep their premises safe

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and secure, as well as keeping the people
invited onto their premises for businesspurposes reasonably safe from harm,”
she says.
However, what’s reasonable for a
supplier may vary. A venue’s responsibility can alter for guests or attendees, as
opposed to someone who has merely
wandered into the lobby to take a respitefrom outside, for example.

WHERE DO WE STAND?

What meeting professionals do regarding
safety shuffles across a wide spectrum.
Some do little to nothing and some haveif there’s a situation, she will defer to thehotel and they will take point.
“I don’t think this is the correct approach any further and am working on amethodology for approaching safety andsecurity more proactively in the future,”
she says. But should her emergency planshould take precedence over the hotel’s?
“I work with smallish groups of 100 to
500 mostly, so going to a property and indicating that we have a plan in place andthat they need to follow it doesn’t seem
quite appropriate either.”
The concern, in part, comes from lackof communication between planners and“The challenges regarding safety issues
with venues is getting them on board witha full event emergency response plan.”created well-written, fully-structured
plans. Many meeting professionals learn
as they go, which isn’t optimal, but does
prompt action.
Consider a recent event in San Francisco, where the planner hadn’t createdan emergency plan for an earthquake.
When one occurred, the group had noplan in place. Nothing of consequence
happened, but the planner learned avaluable lesson: Be prepared.
“Generally speaking, I ask the hotel
for their plans,” says Jennifer Cummings,
CMP, president of CONCENTRA ConferenceManagement Services. “The hotels often
tell me they have one, but they don’t
share the details, and that in all cases I
should contact hotel security if there are
any issues.”
Cummings says she doesn’t press theissue and operates under the notion thatvenues. Planners might not think to ask
about safety while venues might believe
the planner sees no value since they are
not asking about it.
“The challenges regarding safetyissues with venues is getting them onboard with a full event emergency response plan,” says Nancy Zavada, president and founder of MeetGreen. “Theywill often tell us that they will handle any
emergency situations but are hesitant todisclose what their actual protocol is.”To close the circle, planners and venues need to work together.
“Communication is key. Planners may
not ask about sustainability or security
expecting suppliers to offer this information,” Zavada says. “Conversely, suppliers are expecting planners to ask andwhen they don’t, they assume there is nointerest. Remember to enroll your sup-pliers. They are an important part of yourplanning team and not your adversary.”
The onus is on the meeting professional, as venues may believe or assume
the planner doesn’t need or want morethan a glossing over of emergency planning. “A planner who wants to have an
emergency response plan that integrates
the venue’s plan needs to know what
the venue’s internal protocol is,” Zavada
says. “Planners and venues need to dig
deeper and become more comfortableworking on this together. After all, bothparties have a stake in the game.”
In searching out actual feedback andinput from meeting professionals regarding safety plans, few are willing to go “onrecord” and volunteer information. No
planner wants to be judged or look foolish for not having a safety plan—or nothaving an effective one.
Matters don’t improve with so muchdiscrepancy in putting something together for safety and emergency planning.
Where to start? What to include? Who’s incharge? A common thread among industry professionals is simply not knowing
the first step.
In most cases, meeting professionals
do the minimum by asking venues a few
simple emergency-leaning questions:
Where should groups shelter in place?
Where should groups gather offsite?
Where are the best exits? Are AEDs available? Where are house phones, and what
number is best to dial in case of emergency?
These are important to ask, but far
from complete, and leave rifts in information and communication between plannerand venue.
That’s changing. Many industry
organizations, like Meeting Professionals
International (MPI) and the International
Association of Exhibitors and Events(IAEE), are taking those first strides inproviding solid resources for planners
and suppliers.
At IAEE, President & CEO David DuBois, began the trek for safety about three
years ago, when he was approached byseveral industry leaders and asked tofocus on safety and security. “We pulled
together a committee called the Industry
Safety Council (ISC),” he says.
“This group of industry individuals
represented convention centers, event
planners, show organizers and security
professionals,” DuBois says. “It’s a partnership with our industry and convention centers and the U.S. Department ofHomeland Security/Safety Act Office.”

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The project evolved into what has
become the Academy for Venue Safety
and Security (AVSS), which is managed
by the International Association of Venue
Managers (IAVM).
Meanwhile, MPI began working with
the National Center for Spectator Sports
Safety and Security (NCS4) to develop its
Essential Guide to Safety and Security:
Meeting and Event Best Practices anda 6-hour, intensive certificate course
in incident management strategies asneeded for the prevention, preparedness,
response and recovery from all-hazard
emergency incidents. MPI also introduced
a certificate in Crisis Communication withexpert Alex Plaxen.
“We partnered with NCS4 because
they were already creating best practices
with sister industries, like marathon
organizers (who have many of the same
concerns as citywide event organizers)
and sports tournament organizers (whomight struggle with some of the same issues that small meeting managers face),”says Kristi Sanders, CMP, CMM, MPI director of community.
“We convened roughly 80 meeting
professionals at the Risk Management
Conclave and discussed six main areas ofconcern,” she says. “Afterward, NCS4 vetted those suggestions, compared them toexisting governmental resources and bestpractices and allowed the participants
to review and provide feedback on thestandards.”
Sanders also points out that The Essential Guide is a compendium of nearly
400 best practices on everything from
how to conduct bag checks to strengthening an event’s cyber security. “It’s meant
to be a resource that planners can use
to customize their plans for each event,”
Sanders says. The Essential Guide also
references global safety guidelines, too.
Still, by and large, the feeling in
the industry is most planners don’t doenough on event safety. Some will download a free outline to have on record for
liability, but never really include safetyas part of the planning process, where it
absolutely must be included.

CLOSING THE GAP

Many meeting professionals understandthe need to be prepared for a crisis but
fall short on completion. Do venues andpartners who contract with planners havean obligation to help, share emergency
plans or help planners design their own?
“That’s a difficult question,” Hilliard
says. “If suppliers truly believe that byproviding their plans to planners, they are
creating more risk rather than less, thenthey are not under any legal obligation toshare them.”“If suppliers truly believe that byproviding their plans to planners, they
are creating more risk rather thanless, then they are not under any legal
obligation to share them.”

A supplier’s obligation is to keep theirfacilities and the people in those facilities
safe, she says. If they reasonably believethat helping a planner create a plan may
ultimately interfere with the hotel executing its own plan, then they may reasonably decline to help the planner create aplan and perhaps instead, just reiterate
what the planner should do if the hotel
must execute its plan.
Hilliard notes, though, that there
is a strict legal answer and a businessanswer. “From a business standpoint, I
think it’s important that the parties discuss this and help each other. I think it’s
important that the CVB, as an example,
help provide community-wide oversightand coordination in case a crisis becomes a city-wide disaster, à la Hurricane
Harvey, U.S. Northeast blackout, etc.”
Hilliard says.
To clarify, this is not just because ofa legal obligation, but to ensure that all
parties are better prepared, better informed and ready to act in sync, and not
at cross-purposes.
At IAVM, they understand that sentiment, too. “The liability comes fromdoing absolutely nothing to elevate thesecurity posture of any event,” says Mark
Herrera, director of education/life safety
at IAVM. “When it comes to sharing bestpractices as it pertains to event safety,
planners and suppliers should be sharing
as much information as possible.”
He points out that some organizations
hesitate to share these best practices
as it pertains to preparation, planning,
execution and recovery in fear of giving
away the playbook. “However, based on
the current threat landscape, the threat
already knows the playbook, and we justneed to share this information with all
those involved in event planning in order
to expedite and execute an immediate
response to crisis,” Herrera says. “Failingto collaborate and share this information
will delay the response and, ultimately,risk the possibility of losing lives as aresult.”VENUES AS A RESOURCEAt the Anaheim Convention Center (ACC),
Richard Groscost, CPP, safety and security
manager, agrees with Herrera.
“In our post-9/11 lives, everyone haschanged their attitudes toward having
a safe and secure environment. Prior to
9/11 most events did not want a uniformed police presence, as they thought
this might invoke a fear with their attendees that there was a threat,” he says.
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“Now it’s the opposite. People want tosee visible security operations, including police, at the events and that does
not invoke a fear of a pending threat, butshows that the event is thinking about
safety. This is our new normal.”
ACC staff have emergency plans inplace that serve as a baseline, since they
are housed at the facility and provide
convention center guidance in case of an
emergency. “Once an event occupies theconvention center, we now have booths,
equipment, registration desks, display,equipment, etc., in the facility,” Groscost
says. “Every event brings in different
setups and is unique, so we work witheach event to ensure that they build on
our emergency plans, so there is consistency.”
To deal with the uniqueness of each
event, ACC has a distinctive tool at its
disposal. “Our Security Control Center
is our 24/7 security operations center,”
Groscost says. Here, security staff monitor radio traffic; access control doors,
closed-circuit TV, fire and other emergency systems; and dispatch staff. “This is a
day-to-day, go-to hub regardless of show
activity,” Groscost says.
ACC also houses a security command
post activated during large shows or highsecurity events. It’s located in a secured
area and usually staffed with convention
center security, show security, police,
fire and other public safety personnel.
“This area is not rentable space for shows
but is made available by the building(security manager) as needed,” Groscost
says. “This area also has access to thebuildings’ CCTV system separate fromthe Security Control Center. This setup iscomparable to a Unified Command Centerin the police/fire realm.”
If the command center wasn’t enough,planners have other options at ACC, too.
The center has a variety of local resources
and in-house staff. “The Anaheim Police
Department has a Resort Policing Teamthat works with the convention center
on a day-to-day basis,” said Groscost.
That team can be available to attend
pre-planning sessions to provide law
enforcement perspective. “There is also
an assigned fire inspector from Anaheim
Fire and Rescue and we have access torigging experts, nurses and a variety ofother services.”
Organizations like ACC, IAVM andothers are leading the way in suppliersupported event safety for planners andgroups. That’s not to say planners don’t
have a role. They still need to do their due

diligence and make sure emergency management is handled, even if the planner
isn’t taking the lead.
Progressive safety action is in theworks, as well, at the Georgia World
Congress Center (GWCC) in Atlanta, which
hired an Emergency Preparedness Manager in 2017. Though the idea had beenin play for a while, the Route 91 Harvest
music festival active shooting was a stark
reminder about the needs of venues andplanners. Marc Vincent was selected toserve in this capacity, and he’s eager towork with clients to highlight the safety
features of the GWCC.
“The services provided by the GWCCA
Department of Public Safety are predicated on the event make-up (size, demographics, type of event, etc.),” he says.
“We work with each event planner prior totheir event to ensure they have adequate
resources for the event. We do have a process in place for event planners to ‘order’
additional services through our Contracted Public Safety Services process.”
The Emergency Preparedness Divisionof the Georgia World Congress Center
Authority (GWCCA) creates plans and policies related to natural and/or man-madeemergencies/disasters, provides technical guidance on the Incident Command
System, ensures compliance with state
fire ordinances and NFPA code, activatesthe campus Emergency Operation Center(EOC) as needed and serves as the main
point of contact with law enforcement
partners on the federal, state and local
levels as it relates to intelligence andthreat data.
Back in Anaheim, Groscost makes
a point that savvy planners will want toknow—something Tyra Hilliard indicatesas key. “We take safety and security very
seriously. It’s much more than a legal
requirement, it’s just good business,” hesays. “Every event we have at the convention center is an event that we want to be
successful. Part of making that successful
is working with the event to create a safe
environment for everyone.”
Meeting professionals can’t sit on thesideline and hope the safety to-do list
gets done for them. As much as it’s goodbusiness for venues, the same goes forplanners’ members, associates, delegates and other stakeholders.

can be closed when there is a collective
integration among planners, suppliers
and all key stakeholders involved in theevent planning process,” Herrera says.
To illustrate his point, IAVM currently
provides live training within the industry
inclusive of planners, suppliers, venue
operators, emergency responders andanyone tasked with event planning andexecution. “This allows everyone tounderstand the different roles everyone
performs as part of the emergency planning process and as a result, amid crisis,
the response is expedited with an end
goal to protect the No. 1 asset—people,”
Herrera says.
Herrera agrees planners aren’t doing
as much as they could be doing, but at
IAVM, they are working to narrow thesafety disparity. “Two of the most common problems with emergency response
planning include meeting and event planners not knowing what actions to takein an emergency and the lack of training
and practice for those who have been assigned duties,” Herrera says.
All event staff, volunteers and personnel play a role in an emergency action
plan, he adds, and they must be provided
with proper training, since all have an
integral role in the emergency planning
process of an event.

COMING FULL CIRCLE

IAVM, part of the original committee with
DuBois and IAEE on the safety council,
has made leaps in getting both planners
and venues on the same page. “All gaps
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RESOURCES
Meeting professionals who feel they don’t know where to begin, or who havestarted their safety plans but don’t know how to continue, have a bevy ofways to find assistance. Don’t overlook the obvious, such as peers or industry
organizations like MPI. There are also online resources like the U.S. Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Homeland Security or Prepared
BC, Gov.uk and the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, for instance.
More importantly, build inroads with venues and suppliers.
MPI offers the aforementioned Essential Guide to Safety and Security: Meetingand Event Best Practices and two certificate courses. The first, Emergency Preparedness for Meetings and Events, introduces meeting professionals to techniques to 1) prevent and respond to crime, violence, terrorist attacks, natural
disasters and ordinary incidents such as fights or drunkenness; 2) ensure thesafety and security of all attendees; and 3) limit damage and restore services
in the event of emergencies. (https://www.mpiweb.org/the-essential-guide-tosafety-and-security)
The second MPI certificate program is in Crisis Communications and helps
meeting professionals in the development of a communications plan that includes auditing vulnerabilities, training spokespeople and establishing meansof communication.
IAVM oversees the Academy of Venus Safety & Security, the brainchild of
the Industry Security Council. It’s a resource to help battle the changing andevolving industry environment. Emergency plans and protocols leading into an
event should be consistently reviewed and updated.
“This takes a coordinated effort among all those involved in the planning process of an event to include the meeting planner, security detail and the venue
operator/manager,” Herrera says.
IAVM has a working relationship with the U.S. Department of Homeland Secu-

Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is the largest meeting andevent industry association worldwide. Founded in 1972, the organization
provides innovative and relevant education, networking opportunities
and business exchanges, and acts as a prominent voice for the promotion and growth of the industry. MPI has a global community of 60,000
meeting and event professionals including more than 17,000 engaged
members and the Plan Your Meetings non-traditional meeting planneraudience. It has more than 90 chapters and clubs in 24 countries.

rity and its safety training and resources are complimentary. Planners can takeadvantage of all free available resources provided including the following.
• Security and Resiliency Guide Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (CIED) Annex for Outdoor Events Stakeholders: https://s3.amazonaws.com/
iafe/website/documents/DHS/IEDOutdoorEvents.pdf• Active Shooter Page-Resources: https://www.dhs.gov/active-shooterpreparedness• Homeland Security Information Network (https://hsin.dhs.gov)• Commercial Facilities Sector Specific Agency (www.dhs.gov/commercialfacilities-sector)• Hometown Security Initiative (www.dhs.gov/hometown-security)• Soft Target Resources (https://www.dhs.gov/publication/securing-softtargets-and-crowded-spaces)• Bombing Prevention (www.dhs.gov/obp)• Unmanned Aircraft Systems (https://www.dhs.gov/uas-ci)• Insider Threat (https://www.dhs.gov/human-resources-or-securityprofessional)• Natural Disasters and Extreme Weather (https://hsin.dhs.gov).
Resources outside of the U.S. include the following.
• Prepared BC (https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergencypreparedness-response-recovery/preparedbc)• Emergency Response Coordination (https://ec.europa.eu/echo/what/
civil-protection/emergency-response-coordination-centre-ercc_en)• Disaster Preparedness (http://www.metro.tokyo.jp/english/guide/bosai/
index.html)• Emergency Response and Recovery (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/
emergency-response-and-recovery)
Alan Kleinfeld, MTA, CMM, CMP, LEO, has over 25 years’ experience in meeting
management combined with over 15 years in public safety, much of it done
simultaneously. He’s a seasoned speaker, writer and educator and his safety
topics have included site selection, safety overview, emergency operations
and event safety. He can be reached at alan@arrivemanagement.com

Visit Anaheim prides itself on the level of service that it provides as
an extension of every meeting professional’s team. Whether you areplanning a meeting for 10 people or a large-scale event for 50,000
or more in Anaheim or Orange County, Visit Anaheim has the righttools and knowledge to improve the planning experience. Plus, its
advanced meeting planning services are free.
Visit meetings.visitanaheim.org for more information.

For additional information, visit www.mpi.org.

Meeting Professionals
International Headquarters
2711 LBJ Freeway, Suite 600
Dallas, TX 75234-2759
tel +1-972-702-3000
email: feedback@mpiweb.org

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