October 2005
From the Editor: Lessons learned from Katrina

As we go to press, it’s been nearly a month since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, and Hurricane Rita has luckily just grazed Texas and Louisiana. Hurricane Katrina’s impact on our industry has been greater than anyone imagined. According the 2005 Center for Exhibition Industry Research Census, there are 333 exhibitions (with more than 3,000 square feet) held annually in New Orleans.

And everything scheduled in New Orleans for the next seven months has been cancelled. In addition, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention Center has been severely damaged and isn’t expected to re-open for six months to a year (Read our Five-minute Interview with Steve Richer, Executive Director of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention Bureau, on page 12).

To date, dozens of trade shows and conventions have had to reschedule in another city or cancel altogether. For example, the National Association of Convenience Stores is moving its annual convention from New Orleans to Las Vegas in November; the National Electrical Contractors Association has cancelled its 2005 show that was to be held in New Orleans; and the Golf Industry Show is moving its annual convention from New Orleans to Houston in February 2006. (For a complete list of affected shows, go to www.expoweb.com.)

Fortunately, there were no shows in either destination during the hurricane. But the situation did bring to light just how vulnerable we are and how dependent we’ve become on instant communication. What would you have done if your show was in New Orleans during the hurricane or even a week later?

Would your crisis management plan have stood up to this difficult test? Do you know what you would do if you couldn’t communicate via cell phone or e-mail? If you had to move or cancel your show, do you have a checklist and timeline to address all the details?

As a show organizer, a crisis management plan is critical. We rely on a wide array of variables — weather, airlines, hotels, electricity, etc. — to align perfectly for just a few days out of the year. A few days that can affect your bottom line for a year or more. The odds are pretty good that you’re going to have to deal with at least one disaster or emergency during your career.

But it’s not easy to plan for disasters. Most experts agree that successful plans require a robust communications and decision-making system that will be able to quickly identify and respond to problems. In addition, they suggest you identify potential risks, prioritize the threats, develop a plan and test it.

You may think you don’t have time for this, but imagine if you were one of the affected shows. Where do you begin? You can start by meeting with your suppliers — especially contractors and convention centers — to review their contingency plans. Most have extremely detailed plans, so you can get some ideas and take your cues from them. Because like it or not, Katrina has taught us that even the improbable can and does happen.

Danica Tormohlen, Editor
dtormohlen@ascendmedia.com

P.S. If you launched a show in 2005, enter EXPO’s Best New Show Awards. For more information, go to: www.expoweb.com.