Written by Allison P. Kinsley, CMM, CMP

With over 10’ of river water in the lobby, the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center became part of the path of the Cumberland River on Sunday, May 2.

1,200 miles away, the Kinsley staff watched the news with dismay.  Our initial thoughts were for the friends we’d made at the hotel while on a site visit just two weeks prior.  Our next thought was for the meeting we were planning there this August.

As meeting professionals, the entire country is our workplace. We routinely have an eye on national and world events and are vigilant about potential effects on the events we manage.  The Nashville Flood changed the plans of our entire company for the next few months.  As we learned the extent of the impact on Nashville – and more specifically on the Opryland community – we knew that the planning we had put in place was temporarily irrelevant.  The question was, for how long?

As hard as it was to watch the news, we were impressed by what we were seeing from our partners at Gaylord.  They had an emergency plan in place and acted on it, quickly moving 1,500 hotel guests to safety.  In media interviews, their guests praised hotel staff for their care and efficiency.  “As a guest at the Opryland Hotel during the great evacuation, I want to commend the hotel management for the way they handled the situation. They made timely decisions and we were able to be evacuated by bus instead of by boat. They did everything they could to make the best of a horrible situation,” wrote one guest.

We were further struck by the hotel’s transparency in giving insight into the effects the flood had on their facilities. 
A video narrated by Pete Weien, Opryland’s General Manager, quickly went viral on YouTube, amassing over half a million views.  Calm and genuine, Pete showed the world the reality of the hotel’s situation and instilled confidence that, as soon as the water receded, the Gaylord team was ready to roll-up sleeves and put their hotel back to rights.

By mid-May, the hotel had assessed damage and projected a re-opening date in November 2010.  

Of course, our August meeting was officially postponed to 2011.  Anticipating this, we recalibrated timelines and prepared updates to the conference website.  And once the news was official, the planning team began contacting key stakeholders – including sponsors, exhibitors and vendors – and published updates.  The understanding from all parties involved in this event showed us the genuine concern of organizations nationwide for those in the Nashville area, and reassured us that the event would have support in its new timeframe.

We are back on track for a successful event in 2011 and have a few lessons to share with the Kinsley community:

1. Contingency planning matters

While a 100-year flood is uncommon, it is essential to know what to do when faced with a catastrophic event which potentially impacts the safety and well-being of guests.  The time for creating emergency plans is not during an emergency.

2. Direct, proactive, transparent communication can change perception 

By practicing real-time communications and disseminating information through conventional (e.g., email, phone, website) and non-conventional means (e.g., Facebook, YouTube), you can proactively define your media reality.  Recognize situations where you’re better off not waiting for someone else to tell your story…and tell it yourself.

3. The value of true partnerships

As the owner of a small business, the Nashville Flood, in combination with the past 18 months of economic uncertainty, has demonstrated the need to stay nimble and to remain diversified.  It’s also been an opportunity to demonstrate your company’s integrity by standing with your partners.  Short-term partnerships of convenience rarely stand the tests of time or stress.  Conversely, the value of true partnerships always pays off in the long run through earned reputation, repeat business and reciprocity.  You never know when your business will be underwater…and when you’ll be the one needing a helping hand.