Before the holiday break, Julianne Minuto, YC&E Event Planner, had the opportunity to attend a half-day education program called Hope is Not a Plan: Legal Clarity for Event Professionals, hosted by Meeting Planners International CT River Valley Chapter, at Mohegan Sun.
Steve Adelman, of Adelman Law Group PLLC, proved to be an engaging and dynamic speaker for the 40 or so event professionals in the room. He led the half-day program on contract reading, writing, and negotiation. He had a knack for one-liners that seared into the brain, making the technical legalese digestible to a lay audience. “A contract is not a document, a contract is an agreement. The paper is just a record of that agreement, because not having a record makes a contract difficult to enforce.” “The record of an agreement can be written on anything, even a basketball.” “The purpose of a contract is to transfer liability to the other party and to come to an agreement that is acceptable to both parties.”
His second session focused on emergency management. Steve helped draft the American National Standards for event and parade safety and has testified as an expert witness in the 2011 Indiana State Fair stage roof collapse and the 2021 AstroWorld crowd crush. His key lessons were “We are all first responders. Everyone has a moral responsibility to act if they notice a dangerous situation. Sound thinking and quick action saves lives.” “Deputize a second—whether another staff member or a charismatic attendee to help lead people out.” “Lead and people will follow.” Steve left planners with the parting thought: “Reasonable event plans will acknowledge that even in an emergency, guests will remain guests, so people who know the venue and how it works will have to lead.”
Event managers often think of themselves as people who manage plans and logistics—Steve shifted that thinking to include the tremendous responsibility of being leaders and protectors of property and lives.
