StephanieMacNameraPodcast.mp3 [00:00:04] Welcome to the How Great Events Happen podcast. I'm Brooke, I'm Cody and we are your podcast hosts coming to you from the CVENT podcast studio in beautiful downtown Portland, Oregon. [00:00:13] Now, before we get to today's topic, you can read about today's episode on the CVENT blog at CVENT dot com slash podcast. [00:00:20] And you guys, we love getting e-mails from you. [00:00:23] So e-mail us at podcast at CVENTCOM. That's right. Now, duty of care can appear like a seemingly dry topic, almost like a to do list. Talk about duty of care checkmark. But when you've got someone like Stephanie McNamara, the entire topic takes on a new life. [00:00:38] Seriously, Stephanie is our favorite CVENTER. And she leads this RAD team and our client success department. This episode, we're going to cover duty of care in the face of events outside of our control. So think about fires, natural disasters, that kind of thing. Now, for us, this is a total nightmare. But for Stephanie, it's one that she's left. All right. So that's enough of us. Let's get to our conversation with Stephanie. [00:01:03] Stephanie, thank you so much for joining us. Our fellow sea venture and duty of care experts, we're so glad to have you on the podcast again. [00:01:12] Thanks, Brooke. Thanks. Cody, I'm enjoying being back with you both today. [00:01:17] Well, I wanted to just dove right in here. So, Stephanie, can you tell us, how did you get into the events industry? [00:01:22] It actually seems like a lifetime ago now. Cody, it's funny you should ask. I actually have been in the industry now nearly 20 years and I still pretend I'm in my twenties, which leads to it confusing that matters. But nevertheless, I actually started I'm one of those few people that intended to be in the events industry. I graduated with a degree and hospitality tourism management from Purdue University. So a shout out to my boiler's out there. [00:01:51] And with that, you know, really, my initial start was in the hotel world. So the operations side of hotels, people danced a little bit on resort destinations and properties at first and realized I really didn't want to work where everyone else was on vacation. And during my experience, the hotels that actually connected me with a woman that was in the meetings and events industry was kind of an interesting entry point. I initially did meetings that were revenue generating meetings that were really focused on medical device and diagnostic emerging technology that would change the face of medicine. And it was matching that entrepreneurs with venture capital and trying to get products into the market place, many of which here we are 20 years later, we're using today a commonplace. So that was a little bit about my first entry point into the meetings and events industry. And then I want to spend a bow and goodness at that point, another 10 years doing pharmaceutical meeting and events for a variety different companies and really would do everything from health care, professional meetings which were more thought leadership and research to the kind of fun side of things as you do more national sales meetings and then sometimes you added incentive trips are where it's at. [00:03:16] Right. [00:03:17] They are going to go online. [00:03:20] And all of that brought to you here with us at sea. Events are one of our favorite colleagues and duty of care expert. [00:03:28] Like I said, what it actually does duty of care mean really duty care is really taking care of your attendees as it prepares for the events during the event and after the event. [00:03:40] It's really making sure that that end to end experience, that everything everyone will be safe coming to you and meeting you and making sure that ultimately your meeting will be a success. [00:03:52] So like, what would we need to do to ensure that we're being in alignment with studio care? [00:03:57] Well, it's the duty of care of a couple of different factors that you want to consider. It's always on the front end is really looking at those risk assessment and taking a big step back and thinking about what what are the potential risks or they'll see that. And this could be a variety of different things. Anything from natural disasters to political unrest and just climate and this are in the area. So there are definitely things that we consider in terms of how successful is a meeting or event going to be interesting. [00:04:30] So you're like almost trying to predict the future. Are you not predicting the future? [00:04:36] I guess? Amalgamated risk. Calculated risk. Yeah. Right. Right. Okay. [00:04:43] So with all of your years planning and executing events, I have to imagine you have a couple pretty good stories when it comes to duty of care. [00:04:52] Things that have happened, maybe fires, natural disasters, anything good you want to tell our audience? [00:04:59] Well, you know, there's really one as I look back that always stands out for me. And I have to thank Cody goes to that incentive trip. We love the incentive trips. Nonetheless, that's one of the things that that really comes to mind for me. You know, looking back, I had one he advanced that was an island destination in the fall and we were hosting two hundred couples. So it was big. It was a lot a lot of eye. And I shouldn't say just couples, because it certainly wasn't set of trips. [00:05:31] People will definitely I I always loved when people would bring their parents as their death star or avoid. So what, thereabouts spread? [00:05:37] Yeah, I'd bring you guys first. Right. You're welcome. Let's figure out how we get that happening for you. Yeah. [00:05:47] And so with that, you know, bringing in two hundred couples to a destination. And that's kind of interesting because the destination was already selected. When I came in as the planner for that particular event. [00:06:01] So, you know. Think about that risk assessment. [00:06:05] I probably would have raised my hand to say September and the Caribbean. We do have a chance of a hurricane. [00:06:12] There's a chance that kind of picking up, meaning planners and events. LEONARDS Typically, do you kind of work with the cards that you've been dealt? And ultimately we drove right into the site. Is it? We were able to go down and meet with the hotel and all of the vendors that we were going to be using for that trip in the fall. And I think that is such an important piece. [00:06:35] Thinking back in terms of the preparation for that particular and fun trip, well, I think you said something interesting where you're like, I came in and the destination was already chosen for me. So, I mean, there's like a whole process that you go through that you're even choosing a destination. [00:06:54] You're taking these things into account, it sounds like. [00:06:57] Exactly. And, you know, there are different different options that you might choose. [00:07:03] So with a site visit itself, what was so helpful with the site as it is going down, really understanding the property, the vendors that we were going to be using and what was going to be available to us? And then in the traditional checklist world of of a planner going through what their emergency plans are for this particular property, we felt pretty good about our chances, knowing that the risk of hurricane season in the fall, because ultimately we were it was one of those locations that was a federal location. So it was know people from the island would actually come to that particular property. So ultimately, we felt really good about the risk assessment. Vendors were in line. And one of the things that we did, we came back, we debriefed with a client and everyone was pretty positive about our plans. Obviously, we're focused on fun. We had no reason to believe that we were going to have issues. Even though Mother Nature has her own plans in mind and what we ended up doing and part of one of the things we talked about last time was always having that go no go call prior to any events just to make sure, hey, is there any reason why we shouldn't all get on our airplane to go and have this incentive trip here the next week? So we did see the storm brewing out there. We didn't have any reason to think that we would be affected. The park was still a little bit unchartered and we decided ultimately to go. [00:08:38] So pack our bags and everyone was heading to the island. [00:08:42] I see where this story is go. [00:08:46] So ultimately with that, it was great. You know, the rivals went nice and smooth. Everyone came in. We had a beautiful beach day. [00:08:56] Wonderful welcome reception out on the beach, watch the sunset, great local entertainment all of the day. One activities went off without a hitch. We're still watching the news that night. Let me get back to our room and in the morning just to see what might be going on out there. So next morning we wake up and we had actually a winners breakfast and everyone was feeling so excited because they were getting their fabulous Maui Jim sunglasses. [00:09:26] Yeah, that's always in my eyes. [00:09:28] Now I always, always a mess. And right before that actual activity, my contact at the hotel had said, well, we we think the storm's coming. We think that if your group wants to leave, that would be OK. [00:09:46] Oh, my gosh. Right at that exact moment. How did that make you feel? Can you walk me through, like what was going on in your brain when you heard that conversation? [00:09:54] It was a little panicky. I'm not going to lie. [00:09:58] So as a planner, you're always credited for your grace under pressure. But you think, OK, I just had 200 people and their guests arrive. They are some of them had many connections to get to this island. They are having a wonderful time. They worked so hard to earn this trip and we now need to send them home. So that was that was a little bit to digest all at once. [00:10:24] I have to ask you, Stephanie. Were any of the actual attendees concerned and approaching you, too? [00:10:29] Because I feel like there's always that group of people that have like the radars up and can see the storm coming, too. [00:10:37] Totally. You know, it was interesting. That was one of those areas where it had been a very active hurricane season. Up to that point. So, you know, ironically, I had people that needed to get back to their homes to deal with insurance adjuster from earlier in the season and things like that. So there was definitely was a heightened sensitivity and wanted. So actually, that led us right into the breakfast and talking to the main point of. Tax, what we ultimately ended decided to do was to offer to anyone if they wanted to leave, that we would help rearrange their schedules for them to leave the choice up to them. Correct. At that point, that hotel said, you know, certainly they were going to waive cancelation and really work with us on the horse measure part of the contract. But ultimately, they also did anticipate that it was not going to be. It ended up being a Category 2 storm. So we felt like there would be pretty decent continuity of resources to actually extend to the guest. [00:11:42] So it all worked out in the end, it sounds like. Did you have many people take you up on the offer to go home so no one left early? [00:11:49] We all stayed. What was interesting? [00:11:53] You know, I think it's the only time I have been viewed as an event planner. We were addressing the group of breakfast that morning. You know, we had to explain to them that in the afternoon the hotel was going to star operationalising for the hurricane. [00:12:10] So we would be taking beach chairs away from them as the day went on. [00:12:14] You know, the entertainment that was scheduled for that night was not going to be coming so that they couldn't, you know, take care of their families and put priorities in place. [00:12:25] Oh, my God. You like logit got booed by everybody. I did get booed. [00:12:29] They were really they really took it out on you, of course. See? Was sure they just wanted to keep partying. You know, it's their well-deserved incentive trip. But so, I mean, you came at this with a plan, right? We know that you've done this before. You had your go no go call. Can you imagine what that experience would have been like if you hadn't had a plan? [00:12:50] I really can't. And there you know, the plan is so important. And I think what's great about the plan is it really does allow you the flexibility to simply just insert crisis in the moment, how you deal with certain things. I think it's important to just have that chain of command. And I think that's the other thing is that each time you're planning your client, contacts tend to be different. So there is a little bit of a difference. And the personality side of things, too, are managing through that crisis. [00:13:22] And I have to imagine maybe I mean, maybe not. You tell me if it's an incentive trip versus a corporate conference. I mean, you have a plan no matter what type of event it is. But maybe the reaction from the attendees is a little bit different. [00:13:41] I would say so. I would say so. [00:13:44] Yes. There is always a level of seriousness when it is one of those crises. But I think this particular circumstance, because of the isolation of being on an island, that also changes things a little bit. [00:13:59] You know, in the past I've had where people have access to their own vehicles or more control over their own arrangements. You definitely see some variation. And there's a free market that really can change things, too, in terms of making those check ins with your attendees. So much more important to know who's here, who's gone. Who do we need to account for? [00:14:24] Wow, that's such a crazy experience. But what's the one thing that you learned from those experiences? [00:14:30] It would certainly be the practice of grace under pressure and definitely, you know, trusting your gut to knowing that the chain of command is so important. So no decisions are made singlehandedly. [00:14:45] And I think that's a really important piece for me would be to not take it personally when you get booed. [00:14:53] But as I learned. Right. Yeah, that's so true. [00:14:56] So we know the plans important. How do planners know how to make the plan? [00:15:02] Lots of resources out there that are available. And I always say, you know, the NPI resource is great. There are a lot of resources there. Mentioned Industry Council as well. So plans are super important. And most if you are doing corporate events, your global security departments usually have excellent templates to fill out as well. [00:15:26] Is there anything else you think that our audience needs to know when it comes to duty of care? [00:15:31] I think it's always, always prepare. So no matter what is coming that were where your attention might be going. And the success of the event taking the time to make sure that your plans are in place. [00:15:44] I love a good plan. Well, thank you so much, Stephanie, for joining us. It's always great to hear from you. And for our audience, we can link to some resources to help you make sure you're prepared for anything, including a hurricane and a destination beach location. [00:16:03] We always enjoy having you on the podcast, so thank you so much, Stephanie. Thanks, Cody. Have a great weekend. Thanks, Stephanie. Bye. [00:16:13] Oh, my gosh. I bet Stephanie has so many more insane event horror stories. [00:16:17] Totally. But also, she's just really good at considering duty of care. So are they really horror stories? [00:16:23] Mm hmm. I think may be a really good point there. Maybe she keeps the chaos at bay. [00:16:29] All right, Lauren. Well, thanks for joining us this week on the How Great Events Happen podcast to get more episodes and exclusive content head on over to CNN dot com slash podcast. [00:16:38] And as always, Brooke and I would love to connect with you. So shoot us an e-mail at podcast at sea WSJ.com and we'll see you next week for another great episode by.