Forum - November 2008

If the unexpected happens, roll with the punches. Some emergencies are unavoidable!

against the hotel and a lockdown of the a mistake. Working together, they arranged building would occur until further notice. a trip to the local Home Depot and pur-

An hour later, the officer returned to chased the correct color to repaint the set. say that a bomb had been found in a After the event, the planner wrote to the suitcase in the parking garage and had company’s president and praised the team been destroyed. At the client committee for their valuable efforts asking the presi-meeting later that night, the client had dent to personally thank everyone involved. heard through the grapevine that a bomb _LESSON:_If _a _planner _builds _good^threat ^had ^been ^avoided. relationships with the vendors, the

On the final day of the meeting, a event will be a success because fire started on the hotel’s second floor. ^everyone ^feels ^they ^have ^a ^stakeIt was extinguished after 20 minutes, ⁱⁿ ^making ^things ^right.but in the meantime all the attendees had to evacuate onto cold streets with no coats. They returned a bit chilly, but happy that no one had been hurt and teased the planner that she must have created all of these weird scenarios to entertain them during the meeting.

LESSON: If the unexpected happens,
roll with the punches. Some emer-
gencies are unavoidable!

As team players and professionals, these stories illustrate how it takes many players performing together to make meetings and events successful. Remember, whenever people are working, no matter how talented, a chance exists for human error. True professionals know how to quickly manage an error and turn it into a touchdown instead of a fumble or interception.

7. BUILD POSITIVE
RELATIONS WITH YOUR
CONTRACTORS
A Wisconsin planner was managing an
event in her area and hired contractors
from Chicago to complete the arrange-
ments. As the crew was setting the stage,
she stepped into the room and immedi-
ately noticed the façade was the wrong
color. Taking a deep breath and laughing,
she mentioned this fact to the crew’s
team leader. He agreed that it had been