When participants disrupt or derail an event, the perfect response is not simply to remove them. Photo Credit: iStock/Ulyana Eliseeva
Protests around events have been well documented in recent times, from activists who disrupted last year's COP30 climate talks in Brazil to the protestors who stormed the stage during a pre-conference session at the International AIDS conference that took place in Rio de Janeiro in June.
But what happens when disruptive behaviour stems from the event participants themselves? This was the situation the American Diabetes Association encountered in June, when a number of delegates were forcibly removed from its Scientific Sessions event, for distributing material deemed to be controversial.
The Association has since apologised for its handling of the affair, with its CEO issuing a statement that said “regardless of the circumstances that led to those events, I recognise the impact that experience had on each of you. I am deeply sorry for the hurt, frustration, and the pain that resulted”.
Such incidents have highlighted the importance of having a robust code of conduct in place.
Make the rules known; know the rules
As Catherine Chaulet, president and CEO at Global DMC Partners points out, specificity is what gives a code force.
“Write the code in plain language, publish it where people register and require acknowledgement [of the code] as a condition of attendance,” she says. “Name the behaviours covered, state the consequences including removal without refund, and extend the policy to exhibitors, speakers, sponsors, contractors, and staff rather than delegates alone.”
She adds that alignment with the venue contract and with local law deserves a legal read in each market, since authority to remove someone from a licensed premises varies considerably across the region.
Establish escalation procedure
Manpreet Bindra, regional leader, Asia at FCM Meetings & Events says that organisers should also establish an escalation process in advance, with clear roles and responsibilities for who intervenes, when an issue is escalated and how it should be handled.
“Have a trained team whose role is specifically to de-escalate situations and enforce the code of conduct, supported by clear escalation procedures and defined responsibilities,” she says. “Most situations are much easier to manage if they are identified early before they escalate. When that is in place, organisers can respond consistently and professionally, while minimising disruption for everyone else attending the event.”
Planning considerations
Approaching a code of conduct as part of the wider risk and duty-of-care plan, alongside medical, weather and security planning tends to produce a stronger policy than treating it as a standalone compliance item.
“When intervention becomes necessary, move the conversation to a private space, keep two staff present, stay factual about the specific behavior and the policy it breaches, and offer the person a route out with dignity intact,” suggests Chaulet. “Documenting contemporaneously, revoking credentials in the registration system and holding a short prepared statement for media or attendee questions protects the organiser afterward. Where a delegate attends under a sponsor or employer, agreeing in advance how and when that organisation is informed saves difficult improvisation later.”
Placing trained team members at back and side doors, agreeing on quiet hand signals with the stage manager, and giving the AV lead a rehearsed plan for microphones and screens means an incident stays contained while the programme continues.
“Empowering junior staff to act early is the single biggest factor, because a quiet word at minute one avoids a stage intervention at minute ten,” says Chaulet. “Run a short tabletop exercise on two or three plausible scenarios during the pre-conference meeting, and the on-site response looks measured rather than reactive.”