Ever had that nagging feeling about what could go wrong at your next event? You're not alone. That's why HopSkip brought together two of the hospitality industry's leading legal minds — Kelly Bagnall and Barbara Dunn — to tackle the tough questions about event disasters and how to handle them. Here's a brief summary of what was shared, and what we learned.
Want to dive straight into the webinar? Watch the full recording here. But if you're short on time, key insights are summarized below.
Our interactive poll revealed that security incidents top the list of planner concerns (40%), followed closely by natural disasters and weather events (29%). No surprises there — we've all seen how quickly a weather event can throw a wrench in even the most meticulously planned meetings and events.
Here's the thing about weather — it's not just about having a solid force majeure clause (though that's important!). Both Kelly and Barbara emphasized that it's about being smart and prepared. Here's what you need to know:
You know that lengthy legal language in your contracts? It needs two key elements:
Kelly shared a story that really drove this home — two groups canceled their Dallas events because of storms in Beaumont, Texas (seven hours away!) and ended up owing cancellation fees. Ouch.
"Common sense overrides everything. When thinking about scenarios like hurricanes, you have to consider the practicability of bringing a whole group of people to a city."
— Barbara Dunn, Partner, Barnes & Thornburg LLP
When weather threatens your event, keep track of:
"Don't have a knee-jerk reaction and end up owing a cancellation fee because your knee-jerk reaction didn't come true." — Kelly Bagnall, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP
Let's be real — data security isn't the most exciting topic, but it's crucial. Here's what our experts want you to focus on:
Think beyond just data breaches:
We can't stress this enough — your event is only as secure as your least secure vendor. Before signing those contracts:
"You're only as strong as your weakest link. When the data comes in the door, it needs to be clean, meaning we have permission to do with it what we need to do and then pass it down the chain." — Barbara Dunn
See what Barbara said above about being only as strong as your weakest link? That definitely applies to technology. Here's what you need:
Let's talk about something that's becoming increasingly important: labor issues. Both Kelly and Barbara had some thoughts here:
Labor impacts can come in many forms:
Here's something interesting: Kelly recommends keeping labor issues separate from your force majeure clause. Instead:
You already know something is going to happen, so have a plan for it:
We get it; emergency planning isn't the fun part of event planning. But as our experts emphasized, it's absolutely critical to protect your even, attendees and company. Here's how to make it manageable:
Think of this as your emergency planning foundation:
A plan is just a document until you practice it:
Remember Kelly's point about annual updates? Here's what that looks like:
"If you're not updating your emergency plan annually, you're probably behind."
– Kelly Bagnall, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP
Our experts recommended some great resources to help you develop or improve your plans:
Found this article helpful? There's even more to learn from the recording. Watch the complete webinar for in-depth insights from our legal experts.
We know this is a lot to take in. That's why we've built tools into HopSkip's platform to help you manage contracts and protect your events more effectively. Want to see how we can help? Let's talk.