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How to Prepare the Company in Moments of Crisis Caused by an Emergency

Workshop Description:

The tourism sector is made up of over 17 industries, which are greatly affected during a crisis caused by an emergency, and are usually among the first to recover, if they are prepared. The speed of recovery of a company - large or small - depends on the level of training of its managers and its work team. This course will help to identify a diversity of types of crises and how they could impact a company in the tourism sector; to prepare a contingency and emergency plan; and to develop strategies for its rapid implementation, before, during, and after the crisis. The course will help the participant to identify and analyze the possible effects of a crisis from multiple areas of an operation, and to prepare the support team and facilities to minimize damage and obtain a faster recovery.

General Objective

It is expected that, at the end of the course, the student will be able to:

  1. Identify the most common types of crises that affect companies in the tourism sector.
  2. Identify the current and potential risks of a company.
  3. Prepare an emergency plan and identify the people responsible for implementing it.
  4. Develop an emergency training plan for company personnel.
  5. Develop an emergency communication plan, internal and external, for before, during and after an emergency.
  6. Establish strategies for a rapid recovery.
  7. Recognize the various agencies, organizations, and programs that could assist the organization in a speedy business recovery.

Thematic Content Distribution

  • Introduction to Crisis Management.
    • What is a crisis?
    • What are the most common types of crises caused by emergencies that can affect a tourism business?
  • Preparation for Moments of Crisis.
    • Identify company risks.
    • Insurance Policies and their importance. 
    • Identify those responsible for preparing the company to handle a crisis.
    • Develop an Emergency Plan, adjusted to each possible crisis.
    • Establish an Emergency Training Plan.
    • Establish a Drill Plan for crises that warrant it.
  • Operation during a crisis.
    • Recognize alerts of a possible emergency.
    • Activate the Action Plan.
    • Protect the work team and the company.
    • Establish an Internal and External Communications Plan.
  • After a Crisis.
    • Strategies for a quick recovery.
    • Identify programs available to help businesses recover and continue operating.
    • How to use the available insurance.
    • Marketing strategies to recover the operation.

Educational Strategies

The course will be divided into:

  • Discussion of past emergency events in Puerto Rico, the world, and their effects.
  • Participant experiences.
  • Discussion of tools available for preparing for moments of crisis.
  • Research papers and short readings.
  • Topic of the class material assigned for each day.
  • Possible special guests.

Workshop Procedure

The content of this syllabus, together with the experiences of all the participants, will be discussed in class and each student will develop their own strategies to follow in the event of a crisis affecting their company.

Bibliographical References