Emergency Preparedness and Resilience Planning for Event Organisers: Lessons from Real Incidents

Emergency Preparedness and Resilience Planning for Event Organisers: Lessons from Real Incidents

Hosting an event, whether it’s a music festival, a corporate conference, or a sporting match, is a major undertaking. While attention is often focused on logistics, entertainment, and ticketing, a critical aspect is sometimes overlooked: emergency preparedness and resilience planning.

In today’s world, with risks ranging from severe weather and medical emergencies to terrorism and crowd-related incidents, robust planning can mean the difference between a contained incident and a tragedy. For event organisers in the UK, preparedness is not just best practice — it’s a legal duty.

In this article, we explore what emergency preparedness involves, what the law requires, lessons from past incidents including the Manchester Arena bombing, and how event organisers can build resilience into every stage of planning.

The Legal Responsibilities of Event Organisers

Event organisers in the UK have a legal duty of care to ensure the safety of everyone involved, attendees, staff, contractors, and the general public. This is set out in several key pieces of legislation:

1. Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

This legislation places a general duty on employers and organisers to ensure the health and safety of all people affected by their activities, so far as is reasonably practicable.

2. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

These regulations require organisers to carry out risk assessments, implement necessary control measures, and plan for foreseeable emergencies.

3. The Civil Contingencies Act 2004

While primarily aimed at public authorities, this act highlights the broader responsibility for emergency planning and business continuity, reinforcing the expectation that private organisers contribute to a resilient response network.

4. Protect Duty (Martyn’s Law) – Proposed Legislation

Following the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, Martyn’s Law is a proposed piece of legislation that will place legal requirements on venues and event organisers to consider and mitigate terrorist threats. The law is expected to include mandatory risk assessments, staff training, and emergency response planning.

You can read more about the upcoming Protect Duty on the UK Government website.

Case Study: The Manchester Arena Bombing

On 22 May 2017, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the end of an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena. Twenty-two people were killed and over a thousand injured.

The public inquiry into the bombing highlighted several failures:

• Poor coordination between venue security, police, and emergency services
• Lack of visible security presence in public access areas
• Inadequate emergency medical provision for mass casualties
• Insufficient communication systems to manage crowd safety

One of the most tragic findings was that several victims might have survived if medical care had reached them sooner.

This incident became the catalyst for Martyn’s Law and serves as a sobering reminder that preparedness is not optional, it’s essential.

What Should Emergency Preparedness Include?

Robust emergency planning for events includes a wide array of considerations. Here’s what every organiser should prioritise:

1. Comprehensive Risk Assessment

Identify all potential hazards, from medical emergencies and severe weather to fire, crowd surges, and terrorist threats. Use guidance from the HSE’s Event Safety Guide and the Purple Guide to support this process.

Helpful link: The Purple Guide to Health, Safety and Welfare at Music and Other Events

2. Medical Cover and First Aid Planning

Ensure you have appropriate medical cover for the scale and risk level of your event. This includes:

• Onsite first aid responders
• Paramedic-level care
• Mobile medical units
• Evacuation plans and casualty collection points

Partnering with a trusted provider like Halo Medical Group ensures rapid, professional response in any medical emergency.

3. Emergency Response Plans

Create detailed plans for each type of incident, including:

• Evacuation procedures
• Lockdown protocols
• Communications strategies
• Roles and responsibilities

Ensure all plans are clearly documented, tested, and shared with all relevant stakeholders.

4. Staff Training and Briefing

Even the best-written plans will fail without proper training. All staff, including stewards, security, and volunteers, should be trained in emergency response procedures, including crowd management, first aid, and communication protocols.

5. Coordination with Blue Light Services

Early engagement with police, fire, and ambulance services is critical. Submit your Event Management Plan (EMP) to the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) for review, especially for large or high-risk events.

Building a Culture of Resilience

True resilience comes from more than just compliance, it comes from a culture of safety. Here’s how to embed resilience into your event planning:

• Embed emergency planning into every stage, from venue selection to ticketing
• Regularly review and rehearse emergency plans with all staff
• Conduct post-event debriefs to learn from every experience
• Foster strong relationships with local authorities and medical providers
• Invest in quality medical cover, not just the minimum required

At Halo Medical Group, we specialise in helping event organisers prepare for the unexpected. From risk assessment support to professional medical teams on the ground, we bring both expertise and reassurance.

Preparedness Protects Lives and Reputations

In an age of increased risk and public scrutiny, event organisers cannot afford to treat emergency planning as an afterthought.

But with the right approach, tools, and partnerships, it’s possible to deliver safe, successful events that inspire confidence and trust. Emergency preparedness is not just a legal duty, it’s a professional responsibility.

Need help planning your event’s medical and emergency response?

Contact Halo Medical Group today to discuss our end-to-end support for emergency planning, first aid, and resilience.