Gather the Facts and
Communicate
The hotel quickly confirmed the
property would be unable to host the
meeting and was helpful in determining whether other properties within
the Gaylord brand were available.
Unfortunately, none could accommodate the meeting. It also was quickly
determined that other facilities within
Nashville would not work because of the
300,000-plus square feet of meeting
space required.
All possible options, including
cancellation, rescheduling for a later
date, relocating or even conducting
the meeting through a virtual platform
were reviewed with the HFMA executive team and executive committee. The
event cancellation insurance also was
reviewed so staff could better understand the range of options. With input
from all concerned, the only acceptable
option was to relocate the meeting over
the established dates.
HFMA’s team quickly moved into
high gear, focusing on three priorities:
• Preserve the ANI experience for
attendees, faculty, leaders and
exhibitors.
Secure an Alternate Location
During the next several hours, HFMA
sent an RFP based on the existing program to a broad group, including past
venues, national hotel sales partners,
and convention and visitors bureaus.
Within 12 hours, three viable options
had responded and the Sands Expo
Center and Venetian/Palazzo Resort in
Las Vegas was selected. This option
would require minimal program rework
in an attractive location that had a convenient layout for attendees and exhibitors. Additionally, HFMA already was in
contract negotiations with this facility
for future programs, so staff was confident it would provide the needed ambiance and flexibility.
The recommendation was confirmed
by the HFMA Executive Committee.
Within 48 hours of the disaster, an
initial agreement was reached and communicated to the members, and the
hotel began accepting reservations. With
close to 1,000 registrants at this point,
a $100 hotel gift card was offered to
offset travel plan changes. Coupled with
a lower room rate, the impact of the
change to registrants was minimal.
In addition to timely updates to the
website, personalized e-mails went to
each registrant asking them to click
through to a separate page to ensure
everyone had received the venue change
information. For non-responders, phone
calls were followed by a letter to ensure
all had been contacted. Information
about the new location was highlighted
in regular e-mail and other planned
marketing messages. All planned print
materials for the meeting also were
updated.
Logistical Management
During the first week, an internal contingency planning team was established
so all key HFMA departments were in
communication with each other. Daily
meetings were held the first week, then
weekly meetings thereafter. The template (on page 36) was used for weekly
updates and was circulated to the entire
organization to ensure all were informed
of the program status. Leads were identified for each functional area and were
the primary contact for follow-up.
As the weeks went by, new issues
were added or modified, such as the
addition of identifying overflow properties and revising exhibit floor plans.
Implementation
After the initial chaos, the typical frenzy
of implementing a meeting plan continued. Long-term relationships with other
meeting vendors, such as audio/visual,
exhibit management and production
companies, were critical to the success
