AS RECENT events have once again highlighted, there is a fundamental truth at the heart of the business events industry: our most valuable commodity is not space, infrastructure or technology – it is people.
– People moving.
– People gathering.
– People connecting.
The entire business events ecosystem – conventions, exhibitions, congresses and corporate meetings – depends on the uninterrupted movement of people across borders, cities and venues. When that movement is disrupted, the system begins to fail.
This may seem obvious, yet it is worth restating, because the moment this condition is compromised, everything built around it is immediately exposed. In recent years, we have seen how quickly and profoundly the environment in which we operate can change. Situations once viewed as unlikely or even unthinkable have become part of our shared experience.
Crisis management can no longer be secondary
Large-scale geopolitical events tend to dominate headlines, but they represent only part of a much wider risk landscape.
Natural disasters, pandemics, civil unrest, infrastructure failures, cyber incidents and localised operational disruptions can all have immediate and significant consequences for our industry.
What unites these events is not their cause, but their impact: they introduce uncertainty, undermine planning assumptions and test our ability to deliver.
For venues and destinations, this has long been a concern. For event organisers, however, the exposure is often even greater. Events are temporary by nature, built around immovable dates, complex supply chains and concentrated financial risk within narrow timeframes. When disruption occurs, there is rarely space to delay decisions or absorb the impact gradually. The consequences can be instant – financially, operationally and reputationally.
Despite this vulnerability, crisis management and business continuity or disaster recovery planning are still too often treated as secondary issues. They exist as documents, compliance requirements or theoretical exercises rather than as practical capabilities embedded in how organisations think and operate.
From incident response to strategic preparedness
One of the barriers to effective preparedness is a persistent misconception: the belief that it is possible to plan for every possible scenario. It is not. The range of threats organisations face is simply too broad, complex and unpredictable.
Attempting to develop detailed response plans for every conceivable situation is unrealistic and can even create a false sense of security. A more effective approach begins elsewhere – with mindset.
At executive and senior management level, there must be clear acceptance that disruption is not an exception but an inherent feature of today’s operating environment. This requires a shift from viewing crisis management as a reactive function to recognising it as an integral part of strategic and operational leadership.
Organisations that navigate crises successfully are rarely those with the most detailed manuals; they are those whose leadership is prepared to make decisive decisions under uncertainty.
This mindset must be supported by an honest and structured assessment of risk. Not a generic list of threats, but a clear understanding of where the organisation is most exposed. This includes dependencies on key markets, critical suppliers, infrastructure systems, regulatory frameworks and stakeholder groups.
For event organisers, this may involve analysing delegate concentration by region, reliance on specific contractors or the rigidity of contractual obligations. For venues and destinations, it extends to infrastructure resilience, accessibility and governance arrangements.
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Once these exposures are understood, attention should focus on scenarios that are both likely and high impact. It is neither necessary nor productive to plan for everything, but it is essential to be well prepared for events that are realistically expected to occur. These may include recurring natural risks, known political sensitivities or operational weaknesses observed in the past. Planning for such scenarios creates readiness that is practical and actionable.
Importantly, scenario planning is never wasted, even if the precise situation never arises. Working through potential disruptions strengthens organisational awareness, clarifies decision-making processes and builds confidence under pressure.
Teams that have rehearsed difficult situations tend to respond faster, communicate more effectively and adapt more confidently when the unexpected occurs. In this sense, preparedness is less about prediction and more about developing resilience.
At the same time, no framework can fully capture what has not yet been imagined. What distinguishes resilient organisations is not their ability to foresee every crisis, but their capacity to respond when something entirely unanticipated occurs. This requires a clear structure for general crisis response: defined decision-making authority, clear roles and responsibilities, effective communication channels and the ability to mobilise resources quickly. When established plans no longer apply, speed, clarity and coordination often matter more than certainty.
Venues as critical infrastructure
Venues themselves play a role that is frequently underestimated. They are not only places of assembly, but critical civic assets. Large convention and exhibition centres are designed to manage thousands of people, complex logistics, food and beverage operations, and high levels of redundancy in power, water and safety systems.
In times of crisis, these characteristics make venues uniquely suited to serve as shelters, coordination hubs or support facilities for emergency response. We have seen venues repurposed as medical facilities during pandemics, evacuation centres during natural disasters and logistics bases for relief operations. This dual function should be recognised as integral to how such assets are designed and operated, not incidental.
Designing and running venues with this capability in mind – through flexible layouts, backup systems and coordination protocols with public authorities – enhances resilience not only at venue level, but across the destination as a whole.
The business events industry operates as an ecosystem. Venues, destinations, organisers, suppliers, authorities and partners are deeply interconnected. A disruption affecting one part of the system will inevitably affect others. Effective crisis management therefore depends on alignment, shared understanding, coordinated action and transparent communication across stakeholders.
There is also a growing commercial dimension to preparedness. Clients – associations, corporations and exhibition organisers alike – are increasingly risk-aware. Their expectations are evolving, and the ability to demonstrate preparedness, flexibility and reliability under challenging conditions is becoming a differentiator. Resilience is no longer only about protection; it is about trust.
Ultimately, crisis management and business continuity are not about eliminating risk. That is neither possible nor realistic. They are about building the capability to operate in an environment where disruption is inevitable, and ensuring that when plans are challenged, organisations are not left without direction.
The industry will continue to grow, innovate and evolve. New venues and destinations will emerge, and new formats will be developed. But alongside this growth, the need for resilience will only intensify. The question is no longer whether disruption will occur, but when – and how prepared we are when it does.
Mark O. Schloesser is a senior venue consultant with Gaining Edge. He has a 25-year background in Architecture and Real Estate Management, and is an expert in MICE venue development, consulting and operations. This article is an edited version one that appeared in the Gaining Insight series
