app on her phone that let us know that the park was being evacuated,” Reaser said. And “as soon as the band [we were watching] had finished their song, an announcement came on over the loud speakers and told everyone to leave immediately, and to look for Lollapalooza staff and police offi- cers for directions.” That’s where another one of Fisher’s crisis-
management best practices comes into effect. When it comes to picking emergency meeting spots, he said, “Use places where everyone knows what they are and where they are. These things can really make a difference.” Reaser and her friends, while seeking shelter at a friend’s apart- ment, ended up following the Lollapalooza hashtag on Twitter for more information, which is how they found out that festival organizers were letting people back into Grant Park at 6 p.m.
‘What we recommend is to develop the plan and conduct an exercise to test it.’
DRESS REHEARSAL “A major critical component,” Fisher said, “is not to develop the plan in a vacuum. ... Rely on your local first responders — police, firefighters, EMS. They should be involved in helping you develop your plans, and specifically understand what they have to do.” Even if something is implied in your emergency
plan, it’s vital to write it down in detail, especially if it’s an inaugural event, or if you haven’t worked with a particular organization or in a particular city before. Specific wording was key in Lolla- palooza’s emergency plan. “It’s stated that there is a joint decision between the various partners,” Robinson said, “but that OEMC can take any steps necessary to ensure the safety of the city of Chi- cago. That’s spelled out in the plan.” A huge downfall of the Indiana State Fair’s
emergency plan, according to Fisher, was its lack of detail. “What we found in the Indiana State Fair, prior to the stage collapse, was that they had a plan, but it wasn’t very detailed, not very robust,” Fisher said. “More importantly, they didn’t use it when they had a situation occur.” Which is why practice makes perfect. “What
we really recommend,” Fisher said, “is you need to develop the plans along with your partners and then train your staff — especially people who have a specific role — on what their roles are and what the plans are all together, and to conduct an exercise and test it. Test knowledge of the plan. Those exer- cises usually result in minor tweaks to the plan.”
THE SHOW MUST GO ON “The re-entry back into the park was very quick,” Reaser said. “Primarily because they were not checking bags and scanning wristbands. I’m guess- ing there were several people without tickets who were able to get in that night because of the lax security after the evacuation, but given the situation, I was fine being able to have immediate access back into the park.” Because of the suspended schedule, Lolla-
palooza canceled some performances, pushed others back, and shortened others. To make up for lost time, the city allowed the festival to run a half-hour past curfew. Shows continued until 10:30 p.m. that evening, at which point organizers shut things down — right in the middle of some sets — so as not to overly disturb city residents. “It seemed like they made every effort to reschedule bands for new times,” Reaser said. “I definitely think the Lollapalooza team made the best deci- sion they could have given the circumstances, and once we were back in the park, everyone seemed to be having a great time, even with all of the mud.” And, in some cases, because of the mud. News
sources and bloggers reported that the spirit of attendees returning to the festival was jubilant. Some people embraced the weather, dancing in the rain and sliding in the mud once shows began again. Others kept a safer distance, no longer able to access front-row seats because of deep pools of water and muck. The show went on into the night with great performances by acts like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Frank Ocean. “I think the most important thing they did,”
Fisher said of Lollapalooza’s organizers, “is they had a bad-weather forecast and they made the decision to shut down the show, which is a tough thing to do. But they made a decision in the inter- est of safety.” Robinson added: “Mother Nature will do what she wants to do. In the end, we agreed upon the evacuation in the safety and best interest of the public.”
. Sarah Beauchamp is an assistant editor of Convene.