Speaker attacked at lecture
Here’s an interesting risk management scenario: What would you do if one of your general session speakers was stabbed by an attendee after his presentation? That’s what happened at the 10th International Conference on Science and Consciousness held earlier this month in Santa Fe. Read more about it here.
I don’t think there’s much a planner could do to keep this from happening. Fortunately, it sounds like there were plenty of medical folks in the audience, and the paramedics showed up quickly, but sheez.
Related Topics: Strange but true, Meetings and conventions
April 13th, 2008 at 8:57 am
This made me think of the meeting we did a few years back at a major city’s convention center. The client did not want us to do a risk management plan bec. there would have been a cost. We did one any way and told the client’s (large) staff that if they wanted to be trained and informed, to join us in the briefing. Two incidents that remind me of this: a woman came to the reg. desk, dressed professionally, to register. She inquired about a few people and asked if they were in attendance. One of these people was a prominent member of the judiciary. Long story short: the reg. staff person was suspicious about the questions and radioed us and we in turn, security. They came to talk w/ her - she had a gun in her briefcase and they dealt w/ her. At the same meeting, a judge (who we later learned was in anger management sessions) tried to choke an exec. staff of the client…the same one who didn’t want the risk plan. Luckily someone who had been to training knew that when this staff person was even a min. late, it was unusual and went out to search and found her. Life saved.
This incident is not unexpected. Meetings are generally public places. We don’t know the backgrounds of those who register. Could it have been prevented? Probl. not and yet, as I read the quotes of the people who had seen this man at the conf., they were clearly concerned. ALL people should be told to report any ’suspicious’ activity - it doesn’t mean it’s always a terrorist as the US govt. would like us to believe. It can be someone who has some mental or other problems who may want to do harm to her/himself or someone else.
We have to get more involved.
Thank goodness this person survived.
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