It’s a situation no event organizer wants to face. But the team at RISKWORLD 2023 was forced to deal with the reality of an active shooter in the city, which put their crisis management plans to the test.
In this episode, Gary LaBranche, CEO of RIMS, the risk management society®, shares the story of what happened at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. Learn behind-the-scenes details of:
- How the situation rapidly unfolded and the team responded
- Which communication methods worked and the challenges they faced
- How event organizers need to think beyond the convention center itself (especially for a city-wide event)
- Why a written crisis plan alone isn’t enough
Related links:
- Active Shooter Threat at Events: “It’s Not a Matter of If, It’s a Matter of When” from PCMA Convene
- When Riskies meet Swifties (overlapping events; mentioned during the interview)
- RIMS, the Risk Management Society
About Gary LaBranche
Gary LaBranche, FASAE, CAE, has been chief executive officer of RIMS, the Risk Management Society, since June 2022. RIMS serves risk management professionals who work for companies, universities, hospitals, governmental agencies and associations. Risk management professionals make the world safer, more secure and more sustainable. RIMS produces RISKWORLD, with 9,000 attendees and 300 exhibitors. A 42-year veteran of association management, LaBranche was the 2007 ASAE Key Award winner, the 2012 Association Executive of the Year, the 2019 Association Forum Samuel Shapiro award for CEO Excellence winner, a member of the US Chamber’s Association Committee of 100 and past board chair of ASAE Business Services.
(transcript coming soon)
