Planning Is the Key - a synopsis from the recent ABTA Crisis Management Seminar.

s the year draws to a close, it’s time to take stock, reflect on lessons learned and consider how best to plan for the future.  In recent months the travel and hospitality business has continued to suffer a number of incidents, some fortunately minor but others serious and involving injuries and fatalities.   

In each case, great stress has been caused not only to those directly involved, but also to those on the fringe, like the office staff coping with the aftermath, dealing with relatives, working with the media and ensuring business continuity. 

In response to requests from members, ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) organised in November another Crisis Management Seminar at its London headquarters.  It was well attended by representatives of some 25 organisations ranging from tour operators and travel agents to hotels, transportation companies and law firms. 

docleaf’s Chief Executive, Dr David Perl, was introduced by ABTA’s Keith Betton as Event Chairman, and set the scene in a half-hour talk in which he identified what is meant by crisis management, how to set up systems to deal with it, and some do’s and don’ts.  He reminded the delegates that while accidents and incidents in the business environment simply cannot be avoided, crises can.   

Every organisation should have a “crisis manual”, a team of trained staff members and an up-to-date contact list.  As the holiday period approaches, where does your company stand with this list of absolutely minimal requirements?

 The seminar continued with an excellent presentation by docleaf Associate Rosie Murray on Human Aspect Training and Awareness Raising for Staff. Rosie is Chair of the Emergency Planning Society’s Human Aspects Group, and is very experienced in the human aspects of disasters; she has been involved in the aftermath of many disasters ranging from the Kegworth air crash in 1989 to the Red Cross Helpline following the terrorist attacks in America in September 2001. 

Rosie emphasised that often the carers themselves needed caring for, that care and compassion had not only to be felt, but shown, and that the caring would often need to continue for a very long time after the event.

 Handling media interest after an incident is an essential part of Crisis Management for as one speaker observed, “the benefits of getting it right are incalculable whereas the costs of getting it wrong may be incredible.”  The next two speakers shared their considerable experience with the audience. 

Debbie Hindle, MD of bgb communications, gave valuable advice to delegates about how to handle print journalists, what they need, what they want and don’t want, and how to get the best out of media interest.  Debbie has many years’ experience of dealing with the media on behalf of a very wide range of travel-related organisations and is a member of the World Tourism Organisation’s Crisis Action Team.

 A different style is needed when dealing with the broadcast media, and there are few people as experienced in this area as Kathryn Holloway of Press Alert.  Kathryn is a radio and TV presenter, has worked as a national and international news reporter, and has covered many major news stories from plane crashes to the fall of the Berlin Wall.  Kathryn’s presentation was entertaining and thought-provoking: what would you do if a television news crew turned up on your doorstep demanding to interview your managing director only minutes after a major crash involving your company?

 ABTA’s Public Relations Manager, Frances Tuke, put the last year’s incidents into five categories: natural disasters, epidemics and disease, terrorism and wars, major accidents and lastly domestic issues.  Given brief examples of each, delegates were generally astounded to realise how many newsworthy events the travel industry had endured in 2004, from hurricanes and political coups to rail crashes and airport strikes.  Frances also outlined what ABTA could do to help and put the problem in perspective. 

After lunch the delegates split into two groups for hands-on sessions; each group worked through a crisis simulation exercise devised with as much realism as possible by docleaf’s David Perl and Lesley Scorgie.  This focused participants’ minds wonderfully as they were faced with the minute-by-minute problems raised by a fire in a Barbados hotel containing 68 of their clients, and a tour operator’s bus crash in Austria.  Both events were based on the docleaf case-book. 

All those who attended felt that the seminar was very worthwhile, and resolved to ensure that their organisation benefited from the lessons learned.  One thing was clear: in the difficult and often painful circumstances of having to cope with a crisis, nobody should be afraid to ask for help. 

The expertise of docleaf is available 24/7 and our skills and experience are second-to-none.  Why not call us now on 01923 681224 or visit us at www.docleaf.com to take the first steps towards getting the help you hope you’ll never need. 

And with 2005 approaching, why not make a resolution to attend the next seminar and ensure that your company will definitely be able to cope when the unthinkable happens?

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