New Safety Concerns Present Complicated Challenge for Event Organizers
Skift Take
Agencies and venues have stepped up to the plate to meet rising safety and security concerns among meetings organizers. The challenge is to fulfill duty of care obligations without impacting the delegate experience.
Safety and security has been a key consideration in event planning for decades, but new threats from acts of terrorism, extreme weather, and pandemics are increasing the need for diligence.
Experts note a widening of scope surrounding security, which can at times present a complicated challenge to meeting planners as they work with event stakeholders to safeguard attendees and stay informed on emerging safety issues.
In a world now increasingly defined by economic and political instability, the process of event design has become entangled with risk mitigation. While incidents like 2017's Las Vegas shooting and Manchester Arena bombing are rare, the strategies of event planners have been influenced by the reality that unpredictable threats seem to have proliferated in recent years.
“What was simply focused on numbers of passengers per flight and company drug and alcohol policies has now become much more specific and encompassing,” said Fernando Lonergan, senior director of Australia and Regional Sales and Solutions at BCD Meetings & Events, citing factors such as the political stability of potential destinations, health of bilateral government relationships of the custo
