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Tool 7 of 9 · Event Day · 15 min

Emergency & Backup Planner

Decide what happens when something does not go according to plan.

Writes the Emergency Sheet

The planning library

Everything experience has already learned about this part.

Tick as you go — your marks are saved on this device. Nothing here is required; it is here so nothing is forgotten.

Checklist

The emergency kit

One box, one person, kept in the room where people are dressing.

Checklist

Transport and access

Questions

The what-if conversation

  1. 01If it rains, who makes the call, at what time, and what happens next?
  2. 02If the power fails, what covers sound, lighting and the kitchen?
  3. 03If a key vendor cancels the week before, who is the replacement?
  4. 04If guest numbers rise by ten per cent late, where do those people sit and eat?
  5. 05If someone is unwell or the crowd surges, who handles it and where is the first-aid point?
  6. 06If the schedule slips forty minutes, which block gets shortened?
  7. 07Who holds the money, and who is allowed to authorise a spend on the day?

Checklist

Roles to hand out — by name, in advance

Adapted from a real delegation grid. Every one of these has saved a day.

Guidance

Closing the night without losing anything

  1. 01Decide before the day who packs up decor and where every item goes.
  2. 02The gifts and cards need one named guardian and one locked car or room.
  3. 03Prepare tip envelopes labelled by vendor before the morning; hand them to one person.
  4. 04Photograph the room at set-up — it is the only record of what you brought.
  5. 05Agree the tear-down window with the venue in writing; overtime is charged by the hour.

Checklist

The packing list — bags that leave the house