Crisis Preparedness and Meeting Planners’ Perceptions

Abstract

The hospitality and tourism industry is like no other economic sector when it comes to being challenged by crisis events. Crises pose a serious threat to companies’ reputations and physical and financial health. This study explores meeting planners’ perceptions of the need for crisis planning. The data were collected from meeting planners utilizing a web survey. The results reveal little difference in the perceptions among the various types of planners, but did identify different levels of training among planners. Training and professional development activities were found to be a key predictor in the characteristics of meeting planners who have a written crisis plan.