Scheduled meetings and events are already dropping off the calendar in response to multiple (and multiplying) reports detailing rapid worldwide developments of an outbreak of swine influenza A, or H1N1. The outbreak originated in areas of Mexico, including Mexico City, Oaxaca and San Luis Potosi, and it has spread into various parts of the United States and Canada, along with a few reported cases in other nations. In response, fears about the potential for a pandemic flu are already spreading like wildfire.

On Saturday, Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), stated, “The current situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.” On Sunday, WHO confirmed 20 cases of swine flu found in the United States and 18 in Mexico. This afternoon, the WHO’s count of United States swine flu cases doubled to 40.

Early today, the first European case appeared in Spain, prompting the European Union’s Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou to caution travelers against visiting the United States and Mexico “unless they have serious reasons to go.”

In an official statement released this afternoon, Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, cautioned against premature claims and fears, calling upon the travel community to "address the situation with measured, pragmatic responses so as not to cause panic."

"Travelers, like all citizens, should heed the advice of experts when determining how best to manage health concerns," Dow stated. "According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, swine influenza (swine flu) should not discourage people from traveling to or within the United States."

President Barack Obama has also gone on the record to assure the public that the current situation is “not a cause for alarm.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other monitoring organizations, the virus is spread by human-to-human contact, and it is making people sick, including symptoms that are similar to normal human strains of flu. The Associated Press has reported that as many as 149 deaths in Mexico could have been caused by the virus, although only 20 are confirmed to be swine flu-related.

So what should industry professionals do in response to this or other widespread dangers? The current public health situation has dealt swift deathblows to some meetings and events that were to be held in or near the affected areas. While many people are taking a “wait-and-see” approach, others have been forced to make immediate decisions about whether or not to meet.

For instance, the first Latin America Medical Tourism and Health Tourism Congress was supposed to commence in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon this morning, following Saturday updates from organizers that acknowledged the news of swine flu but stated the conference would go on.

However, early this morning, conference participants received an email from Jonathan Edelheit, President of the Medical Tourism Association, stating, “We regret to inform you that the Latin America Congress has been cancelled. We have been advised by Monterrey HCC officials on behalf of the Governor of Nuevo Leon and Ministry of Health that this is a preventive measure in accordance with Mexico's government protocols.”

Also in Mexico, Tim Neill, technical production manager for Opus Solutions, reports that a client event scheduled for Thursday in Mexico City was canceled this morning, ending his travel plans for this week. The half-day event was an element of a multi-city road show, previously held in the United States and Canada, and this was to be its first and only time in Mexico. Neill’s team has been monitoring the influenza outbreak since Friday.

“On Saturday, it became apparent that there would be concerns for the health of our team, should we decide to go through with the event, but, ultimately it is the client's decision whether to cancel,” Neill says. “On Sunday, we took action to prepare ourselves for traveling to Mexico City, if necessary, including purchasing face masks approved for use against influenza and antibacterial wipes. We also made the decision to recommend to our client to cancel, not only due to the health concerns for all of us, but also because it is highly probable most attendees would not risk coming to the event. This morning, our client concurred, and we canceled.”

Neill’s team is now in the process of contacting vendors to work out the details of the cancellation, and he says they all have shown understanding and cooperation.

Some individuals say planners and other industry professionals should already have plans in place to deal with emergency situations like this. MaryAnne P. Bobrow, CAE, CMP, CMM, of Bobrow & Associates, recommends that industry professionals visit PandemicFlu.gov, which was originally created in response to the bird flu scare of a few years ago. The site now contains information specific to swine flu, as well. Provided on this website, Bobrow says, “There is an emergency preparedness guide that we all should use!”

The “Pandemic Influenza Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Guide,” which is available for download as a pdf, contains information about creating a plan for continuity of operations, partnerships and information sharing, and public and media relations, among other aspects of emergency response coordination.

Many industry professionals say having a contingency plan in place before a meeting or event is the best defense, and those who have not heeded this advice in the past might need to deal with the consequences now. Situations such as the swine flu outbreak have forced some event organizers to make cancellation decisions on the spot or within a very short period of time. When you must make the call to cancel or not, what factors should you consider?

“Decision-making about canceling or continuing a meeting [or] event in light of a pandemic or other crisis should depend on three key areas,” says Brad Goldberg, owner and CEO of TriGold Consulting, LLC, which provides contingency planning and risk management solutions for meeting professionals.

Goldberg offers the following areas of decision-making focus to consider in light of a public health emergency.

1. Cognitive, rational thinking based on factual data, not media hype.

“The World Health Organization, United States Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC are all entities that should be a meeting professional’s primary sources,” Goldberg says. “The media, while a valuable asset, is a business entity that wants to obtain viewership or readership.”

2. Impact on meeting attendees, to include speakers, exhibitors and hotel or venue staff.

“Using Item #1 above, provide them data and ask a wide sample of all whether they still wish to proceed,” Goldberg explains. “Once you have that data, share that with the client and the venue to formulate a sound strategy.”

3. Financial and public relations impact on the client, the venue and the meeting planner.

“In this era of economic struggles and the impact of negative publicity, these two areas are very important in any decision-making process,” Goldberg says.

When it comes to personal health and prevention against contraction of swine flu, the CDC recommends the standby precautions: avoid close contact, stay home when you are sick, cover your mouth and nose, wash your hands frequently, etc. The organization provides several printable illness prevention resources for download from its website. To help to assuage fears or questions about personal health, meeting professionals might consider distributing these materials to attendees prior to an upcoming conference or event.

Most of all, meeting professionals should keep a cool head and consider all options and alternatives before deciding to cancel a conference in response to a widespread emergency situation.

“While the current crisis is one that should not be taken lightly, it is imperative that we as meeting professionals not exacerbate the issue with rumors or unsubstantiated commentary,” Goldberg says. “Many people feel that it is necessary to cancel meetings or events based on a crisis such as this. I would suggest that many events happen at venues that might be moved to other environments–[for instance,] a hotel in another city from the same chain. A key issue is not over-reacting but thinking of alternatives instead of immediately giving in to fear.”

Serenity J. Knutson is the Editor in Chief of PlannerWire.com, the News, Information and Community website for meeting and event planners. Contact her at Serenity@PlannerWire.com.

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