Convention Readiness Playbook

Workstream checklist

Workstream	Minimum planning evidence
Venue and facilities	signed scope, capacities, accessibility route, utilities, loading, evacuation, contacts
Programme and content	room grid, owners, technical needs, code-of-conduct review, contingency content
Registration and attendee experience	canonical tiers/inclusions/add-ons, queue model, accessibility needs, signage, privacy review
Dealers Den, exhibitors, guests, sponsors	terms, allocation, electrical/network needs, load-in/out, deliverables, dispute path
Staffing and volunteers	role descriptions, roster demand, training, safeguarding, breaks, escalation, backups
Safety, security, and public health	all-hazards assessment, medical/security plan, lost-person process, incident communications
Production, AV, and IT	equipment list, signal/network plan, power budget, test schedule, spares, recovery owner
Logistics and assets	AMS-linked demand, transport, custody, storage, consumables, return plan
Marketing and communications	message calendar, approval owner, public facts, crisis holding statements, accessibility
Procurement and budget estimates	quotes, selection record, approvals, dependencies; posted truth remains in Finance
Permits, insurance, privacy, accessibility	obligation owner, authority/source, due date, evidence, renewal/expiry, legal escalation
Sustainability	material, travel, waste, accessibility, supplier, and community impacts with measurable targets

Step 1 — Assess hazards

Use an all-hazards approach: identify the event context, people exposed, credible scenarios, existing controls, residual risk, trigger thresholds, and owners. Probability × impact is a prioritization aid, not a substitute for professional judgement.

Step 2 — Exercise the plan

Run tabletop and practical exercises for medical response, evacuation, severe weather, crowd surge, harassment/safeguarding, missing person, payment/network outage, equipment failure, and communications compromise. Record objectives, injects, observations, corrective actions, and due owners.

Step 3 — Pass gates

Recommended gates are feasibility, venue commitment, attendee sales, programme lock, staffing readiness, production readiness, safety readiness, rehearsal, and handoff. A gate passes only when required criteria have evidence. Exceptions must record risk acceptance, approver, expiry, and corrective action.

Step 4 — Handoff

The handoff package includes the canonical event version, approved public configuration, open risks and exceptions, contact tree, final schedules, staffing responsibilities, evidence references, rehearsal findings, rollback paths, and receiving-team acceptance.

Standards basis and limits

The playbook is informed by ISO 21502 project guidance, ISO 20121:2024 sustainable event management, the WHO all-hazards mass-gathering risk tool, the WHO simulation exercise and after-action review guide, and FEMA IS-15.B special-event contingency planning. This is guidance mapping, not certification or legal advice.

Completion check

Each critical workstream has one owner, dated evidence, exercised contingencies, and an explicit accept/stop decision at handoff.