Managing a Crisis

The key to preparing for a potential crisis at a meeting is to develop strategies for fast, accurate communication, says Nancy L. Elder, CAE director, meetings and expositions, American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C. Here are the lessons she learned from postponing the Interscience Conference on AntiMicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy from October to December 2001, after the September 11 terrorist attacks: