FESTIVALS WITHOUT BORDERS

WITH ROBERT BAIRD

CONFERENCES – WHEN THINGS GO BAD

I am back attending fall conferences and became aware of the many aspects of a conference that need creative planning and military-like precision in making sure that events work out as planned. But what happens when the “best-laid plans of mice an’ men, gang aft a-gley”? (Or, as we might say, go off the track). When something unexpected arises, we need to have a Plan B in place and “pivot” to ensure a modicum of success if not a completely acceptable alternative to deal with the crisis.

The Speaker is a No-Show

We were all anticipating the Key Speaker at the Conference. Her reputation preceded her, and the topic was of interest to many people attending the conference. Imagine our dismay when we were notified that, due to border crossing issues, the Speaker would not be able to make it. Here is what the Festival did:

1. No one went ballistic or freaked out. When something beyond your power happens, you can only accept it and move on.

2. The Festival contacted the Speaker and asked for a recommendation for a replacement. Unfortunately, the replacement was not available at such short notice.

3. The Festival asked one of the other scheduled speakers to do double-duty to fill in.

4. This was a win for everyone. The fill-in speaker was used to doing corporate events and threw in a bit of appropriate comedy with the audience disappointment in mind. The audience learned a few things, were entertained and the whole experience was enjoyable.

5. The Festival also arranged to have the Speaker’s address recorded and sent out to anyone attending the Festival who wanted it.

The Tech Threatened to Destroy the Presentation

We knew there was a problem when the presentation was running late and there were people scurrying around with cables and replacement computers. The PowerPoint was not working, and it was crucial to the presentation. Here is what the Festival should have done:

1. Have a technician test the equipment immediately before the presentation and be on hand to ensure that it works when the presentation is starting

2. Have the tech staff on call and let the presenter know how to contact them, if there is a problem.

3. Let the audience know what is happening.

4. Have handouts in lieu of a PowerPoint if necessary.

5. Perhaps switching rooms if feasible. Everything needs a contingency plan and when you don’t have one it can be disastrous.

There weren’t Enough Chairs

No one expected the workshop to be so popular, but it struck a chord, and it was obvious that the room was too small and there weren’t enough chairs. Here is how this was solved:

1. The Conference staff on hand contacted the venue staff, told them what was needed and the staff responded immediately.

2. The room divider was moved back to create a larger space and an adequate number of chairs for participants were quickly put out.

Obviously, they could have moved the workshop to a larger space or broken participants up into several smaller groups if smaller rooms were available.

A Hurricane Almost Came to Call

No one expected the weather to deteriorate so rapidly, and the conference participants were understandably nervous when weather reports indicated the possibility of severe weather at the site, including a possible hurricane. Here’s what happened:

1. The Festival alerted all participants to the possibility of inclement weather.

2. The Festival let everyone know via email, social media and the Festival app the impact of the weather might have including cancelling events, cancelling the rest of the festival, safety precautions and procedures.

3. The Festival had required cell-phone numbers on the registration form and they were able to send out text messages as well.

In the end the storm was not as severe as anticipated and there was virtually no impact on the Festival, but everyone felt that they had been well served by the Festival’s primary concern for attendee safety.

As the late American author and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar said, “Expect the best: Prepare for the worst and Capitalize on what comes”. With a bit of precaution and contingency plans, our best will be good enough.

Robert Baird is President of BAM! Baird Artists Management Consulting in Toronto, Canada and an acknowledged expert in international touring including visas, withholding and taxation. He offers free advice to artists, agents, managers and venues and has an international clientele. He served for many years on the Executive Board of Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO) and is a former Vice-President of that organization. He can be reached at: P: 1-800-867-3281 E: robert@bairdartists.com or for more information go to: www.bairdartists.com