A key performer falls ill right before your event. How do you ensure the show goes on smoothly?

Having your little black book of performers is always a safe practice to have when producing events that center on live performances, whether it's a speaker, comedian or musician. As it is unfortunately semi-common for performers or speakers to cancel last minute. Being ready with back-ups will always save time and energy. If the backup lives farther away be prepared to anticipate cancellations and begin routing the new act quickly. Another good practice is to always have a strong relationship with agents. Most agents don't want to lose their booking fee, so if you are cordial they are more likely to help you scramble to replace the performer.

While it's tempting to orient an entire event around a single star performer that draws a huge audience, it's also important to have contingency plans in case that individual cannot attend. There is plenty of aspiring talent who would be thrilled to accept second and even third billing for a chance at additional exposure and an opportunity to headline the event if something happens to the top talent. It is important to arrange this in advance, however, as last-minute desperation will not lead to more acceptances.

Inform your team and stakeholders about the situation and your plan to address it. There should be no surprises on the day of the event. Aim to be transparent, reassuring, solution-oriented, and mindful of filling the gap with something that aligns with the event goals.

Sometimes you may have a back-up performer on-call, however, sometimes they need time to mobilize and get to your event, especially if there is a reasonable distance involved. Being prepared to fill gaps and delay the engagement can buy your replacement time to get to the event. It also can help you navigate the gap in a way that still provides a seamless engagement for the audience. A good practice is to find activities that require the audience to focus or engage as this will take their attention away from the clock and pondering the delay. This will allow you to redirect what could be negative energy into positive experiences.