Even before the terrorist attacks in London on 7 July this year, terrorism had long been a major concern to those working in the exhibition and live events industry - whether on a personal level or worrying about the potential impact on business. Of course, the threat of terrorism is a worldwide issue; it is not unique to London or Britain.
The risk of a direct attack on any one event is relatively low, although the level of risk will vary dependent on the individual show and industry sector. However, this does not mean we should not consider what we could do to prevent or deter an attack.
There is a myriad of sources to gain advice and guidance on this issue, so much, in fact, that you can end up floundering among a dozen different pieces of work advocating the best way to ensure business continuity.
To take the issue back to basics, the Metropolitan police have issued short guides on protecting your business, some of which are highlighted here:
Think about the threats you may face and the risks they pose:
This may range from demonstrators to a potential terrorist attack.
Develop contingency plans, ensure that all staff are familiar with them and practise them:
Don't just write the plan then file it away; it will only work if staff are fully familiar and can act on the plan when the incident occurs. Make sure you review and update your contingency plans before every event.
Do not develop your plans in isolation. Check that your arrangements are compatible with those of the emergency services and your neighbours:
For this, instead of 'neighbours' read 'the venue'. The venue will have its own crisis-management procedure, so liaise with the staff who are in charge there.
The basis of these plans should be a risk assessment, which will then be developed into a security plan. That security plan should include a method for searching the event if the risk assessment warrants it.
In addition, you should have an evacuation plan. This will have been developed by the venue but as part of the risk-assessment, consider the customer profile and how that will affect any evacuation. Then, liaise with the venue to agree arrangements for your show or exhibition. The venue will help you through the security planning process and have a great deal of expertise and experience from which you can benefit.
The far greater risk is that your event will be affected by a terrorist attack elsewhere that deters visitors form visiting your event.
In the past, a crisis-management plan would include actions and arrangements for deterring or preventing people from attending the show or arriving at the venue. However, in the case of a terrorist attack elsewhere you want to do exactly the opposite. You will want to reassure people and tell them that you are open for business.
Having a plan in place to do this could be the difference between success and failure of the event.
The other burning questions regard insurance. Is it included in my policy as an event organiser? What does it cover? Do I need it?
September 11 meant that insurers are cautious about the potential impact of a terrorist attack. This has been thrown into sharper focus with the attacks in London on 7 and 21 July.
There is no statutory requirement to have this cover in place. However, you should check your contractual requirements and you may have to pay an extra premium.
Guidance from the Association of British Insurers indicates that coverage for terrorism in a big city could add an additional 0.5% to your premium.
But the amount of cover for major events and exhibitions will be considerably more and premiums will rise if there is a lot of equipment to be moved.
Terrorism is a reality we have to deal with in both our personal and business lives. We can't eliminate the risk but we can prepare for it and reduce it.
Hopefully, all the preparations will prove unnecessary and your crisis-management and evacuation plans will not need to be used. It is not often that we want all our hard work to end up being for nothing but in this instance, we do.