The PR Shop

WITH DAVE BULLARD

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE CRISIS HITS?

I like to joke that my event, the Great New York State Fair, is the toy shop of state government. Our events may educate us, but we wrap it in fun. We are enlightenment and entertainment; a refuge from the rigors of our lives. Who could possibly object? And yet…

“5 people are dead and 40 injured after a driver speeds through a Wisconsin parade,” says NPR. “Crowd surge kills at least 8 at Houston music festival,” reports the Associated Press. These tragedies from 2021 join infamous events such as the sniper attack at a concert in Las Vegas, the storm-caused collapse of a stage at the Indiana State Fair, and the stampede at a Who concert in Cincinnati, among others. Search the internet and you can find many other examples.

Can’t happen at your festival? I sincerely hope it doesn’t, but the real question is this: What are your plans for communicating when something goes wrong and requires an urgent response?

My first tip appears in no guide on how to respond. First thing you do? Take a deep breath. Maybe two. Clear your thoughts before you act. When things are hot, you have to be cool.

Next, quickly add up the assets available to you. Do you have any staff, an intern or a volunteer? A photographer? In a serious event, you will need someone to cover the phones and monitor – but not post on, not yet – social media. Can the photographer start documenting the scene, if it’s safe to be there? Make those assignments. Get in contact with your bosses now.

At this point, if you haven’t got to the scene of the incident yourself, tell yourself this: I don’t know anything. Anything you do know is very early and third-hand. This is the time for verification. If a festival attendee or staff member, or a reporter asks you at this point what is happening, your best answer is “I don’t know yet but I’m on my way to find out. I will let you know as soon as I can.”

Know this: The minute police or fire personnel show up at the scene, it’s no longer your festival and you are no longer in authority. Find your contact in the emergency services agencies. Most police agencies plan for events like these and have already set up a process for communicating to the public and press.

If you don’t normally have a lot of press at your event, get ready. You soon will. Think about where you will set up for a briefing. It will usually be at some distance from the scene. If you have a building available, set up there.

Now you’re at the point of having something to say. Get something short and simple on your social media and give your phone person something to say, even if it’s only that there’s a briefing in 20 minutes with all the information. The three C’s are important here. Be clear, concise and consistent. Use strong, simple language and don’t change the way you explain things. Don’t ever wing it. Write down what you will say and say only that. In a serious situation, your police officials will work with you on messages and divide the responsibilities.

Things to say include expressing sympathy for those who were injured and assuring the community that their safety is your top concern.

What you say won’t make the crisis any better but it can make things much, much worse. Many mistakes have been made by spokespeople who go beyond the simple talking points. Understand what’s at stake here: The credibility of your organization is on the line. Do well and people will remember. Do poorly and they’ll remember, too, only you’re less likely to see them next year.

You’ve told the community, but there’s more communicating to do. What do you say to your vendors and sponsors, and how do you say it? What about staff and volunteers?

Communicating during an urgent situation is the biggest challenge a communicator can face. So, if you haven’t thought much about it, the best time to begin was an hour ago and the second-best time is now. When there are injuries or economic losses from an unforeseen event, legal claims are inevitable. How do you want to answer this question from the plaintiff’s lawyer: “Does the festival have an emergency communications plan?”

You can get started at Ready.gov, the federal government’s disaster preparedness site. There’s a detailed section on creating a crisis communications plan, here. Start the conversation with your local emergency services agencies, or, if you have a relationship, ask them to join you in creating the plan.

Chances are that something big and awful won’t happen to your event. Chances are that whatever negative things that happen will be smaller and easier to contain. But when you create the plan for the biggest and baddest events, you will know how to scale down to something smaller. And here’s hoping that your plan, like mine, sits in a binder collecting dust until after the event, when it gets updated for the next year.

Dave Bullard is the Public Relations and Marketing Manager for The Great New York State Fair in Syracuse, the nation’s first and oldest state fair, dating to 1841. He has spent his entire life in and around media, spending many years in print, radio, TV and online media in addition to running a solo PR, marketing and video production business and founding one of the nation’s first online-only local news publications in 1999.

Dave is also the moderator for the IFEA PR and Marketing Virtual Affinity Group every 2nd Tuesday of the month and welcomes you to attend their monthly chat! Dave can be reached anytime at dave.bullard@agriculture.ny.gov and is here to support the great people and events of our industry. Don’t hesitate to drop him a note with suggestions, thoughts or counterarguments anytime.

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