Not many things can completely derail a meeting—but a power outage that plunges the conference into total darkness, well, that’ll do it.

Although power outages usually can’t be planned for, meeting planners should include next-step strategies in their risk-management plans for when the situation does arise. Meetings Today talked with Paul Frederick, president of Hospitality Security Advisors, and Brenda Rivers, founder and CEO of Andavo Meetings, Incentives and Consulting and author of The Meeting & Event Risk Management Guide, about their tips for how to keep a meeting—and its attendees—under control in the dark.

Their number-one recommendation? Talk with the venue before anything goes awry. Frederick suggests working with the venue manager to set up an announcement system, while Rivers says to talk with him or her beforehand to understand the space’s generator lighting capabilities.

Giving Back at ASAE’s Annual Meeting & Exposition

Signage also doubles as giving back. Display is built from canned goods that will be donated to food bank. #asae18 @ McCormick Place https://t.co/42zTymzogl

— Jim Thompson, CAE (@thompiCAE) August 21, 2018

One of the best parts about the ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition is meeting and learning with new people. Arguably, the next best part is working with those new people to give back.

Charity and the ability to make the world a smarter, better place are what drives many nonprofits, and ASAE is doing its part in that mission. One way it’s getting involved: Some of the meeting’s art and signage was made from cans that will be donated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

The can donation program was done with the help of SmithBucklin, an association management company based in Chicago.

Other Links of Note

Association consultants can help bring in a new perspective, but you’ll want to make sure that they click with your organization. The MemberClicks blog outlines the seven questions to ask before teaming up.

What’s your personal leadership philosophy? If you don’t have one, you also don’t have a sound leadership plan, says Quartz.

Establishing a corporate partnership can come with many challenges. Bruce Rosenthal of Association Success explains the most common solutions.

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