Event CEO: Recent Episodes
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Linda Lindamood, VP of Safety & Logistics at Linder Global: Creating a Health & Safety Plan for Your Event—ECEO0056
The way we think about safety at events changed dramatically in the aftermath of 9/11. Security moved to the forefront, and emergency response became an integral part of event strategy. But developing a security plan for our events is not just about preparing for a worst-case scenario. It means considering things like weather, traffic, crowds and threats to ensure the overall health and safety of our guests.
Linda Lindamood is the Vice President of Safety and Logistics at Linder Global Events. With 30-plus years of experience in the events and hospitality industry, she has developed expertise in logistics, operations, transportation, security and crowd management. Linda spent 12 years in leadership at the Walt Disney Company, where she was responsible for the safety, movement and magical experience of hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. She has been with Linder Global since 2009, planning and managing notable large-scale events such as the National Cherry Blossom Parade and the Apollo 50 Festival on the National Mall, an outdoor celebration of the first Moon landing attended by more than 500K guests.
Today, Linda joins guest host Megan Cumming to discuss how the landscape of event security has changed since 9/11 and explain why it’s crucial for every event to have a health and safety plan in place. She walks us through the questions we should be asking to assess an event’s unique security risk, sharing the components of an effective health and safety plan and the best way to communicate that plan to the venue, local law enforcement, contract staff and volunteers. Linda also describes the role attendees and vendors play in making an event safe and the value of sequential timelines for loading in AND out. Listen in for Linda’s insight into the tech tools we can use to ensure health and safety at events and get her list of free resources for designing an effective security plan!
Topics include:
- How the landscape of safety and security has changed since 9/11
- Why it’s crucial for every event to have a health and safety plan
- The questions planners should ask to assess an event’s security risk
- The components of an effective health and safety plan for an event
- Sharing your safety plan with the venue and local law enforcement
- How to convey the safety plan to contract staff and volunteers
- The role vendors and attendees can play in making an event safe
- Why a sequential timeline of the OUT is as important as the IN
- Leveraging tech tools like WeatherOps, crowd management apps
- Linda’s top free resources for developing a health and safety plan
Mentioned in this podcast:
Organizations
Linder Global Events
Apollo 50 Festival
Mayor’s Special Events Task Group
WeatherOps
National Museum of African American History and Culture
United States Park Police
Nixle Alerts
Federal Emergency Management Institute
Department of Homeland Security
National Park Service
Event Safety Alliance
International Festivals & Events Association
People
Linda Lindamood
Megan Cumming
Resources
FEMA Free Training Courses
DHS Planning & Managing Security for Special Events
National Park Service Event Planning Guide
DC Special Events
Natalie Evans Harris on Event CEO EP050
Linda Lindamood Linda Lindamood, Vice President of Logistics Management Services, brings over twenty years of experience from the transportation industry with expertise in logistics, protocol, and security. For several years, she held leadership roles at Walt Disney World, as event operations manager and Magic Kingdom Park Duty manager, responsible for the safety, movement, and quality of experience for thousands of guests. Linda also worked for UPS and was Vice President of Transportation and Logistics for one of the Washington area’s premier transportation companies. She successfully directed individual and large-scale event transfers, tour groups, and shuttle bus services for intimate, elite groups as well as large-scale events for thousands of people. At Linder, Linda’s thorough knowledge of vehicle options, air transport, traffic patterns and group flow strategy ensure that event participants arrive and depart safely and comfortably. Essential to event strategy, Linda ensures smooth production for some of Linder’s largest events
Linda’s LinkedIn
Megan Cumming Vice President of Operations, Megan Cumming, has been an asset to Linder for over a decade. Megan is a vital part of strategy with a capacity to handle extraordinary challenges for both clients and the Linder team. With a professional background in catering, she worked for several years as Manager of Special Events at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, one of the most popular events venues in the Washington area. Megan worked diligently with corporate contacts, donors, event planners, and museum goers. There she developed the ability to produce dynamic solutions for all stakeholders. At Linder, Megan played instrumental roles for the Smithsonian Latino Canter, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, CoreNet, the Institute of Medicine, and American Farmland Trust.
Megan’s LinkedIn
What Event Professionals Should Do Now During COVID-19—ECEO Rebecca Linder, Regan Lamb, Megan Cumming & Linda Lindamood Producer’s Note: In keeping with social distancing, our team recorded this podcast in their respective homes. Our apologies in advance as you’ll hear some noises throughout the recording. Just like you, we’re adjusting and rolling with it!
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the events industry in ways we never imagined. And while live events have either been cancelled or postponed, maintaining human connection remains incredibly important. As the events industry pivots, new ways of convening virtually are unveiled each day. So, what can we do as events professionals to adapt to this new normal?
On this episode of Event CEO, Linder Global COO Regan Lamb hosts a conversation among her colleagues, Rebecca Linder, Founder and CEO, Megan Cumming, VP of Event Operations, and Linda Lindamood, VP of Safety and Logistics, to discuss what event professionals should be doing to navigate the Coronavirus shutdown. They explore how emerging health concerns will shift what an on-site experience looks like, what we can do to adapt as consumer spending habits change, and why much more collaboration with clients and vendors will be necessary moving forward.
The Linder leadership team goes on to explain why it’s crucial for events teams to digitize their processes and get ahead of advancements in technology, applying innovation to produce hybrid events that seamlessly integrate in-person and virtual participation. Listen in for insight on pivoting to an online environment in the near-term and learn how WE event professionals have the extraordinary opportunity to be the creators of how the world functions tomorrow.
Topics include:
- When the Linder Global team realized the gravity of the pandemic
- How health concerns will change what an on-site experience looks like
- How the events industry has come together + the conversations we are having
- Rethinking what fundraising looks like in a virtual environment
- How current circumstances allow us to connect in an authentic way
- Our responsibility to adapt as consumer spending habits change
- The need for more collaboration with vendors and clients moving forward
- How event budgets will change in light of the Coronavirus crisis
- Why it’s crucial for event teams to digitize their processes
- The opportunity we have to create how the world functions tomorrow
- The potential around hybrid events combining virtual and in-person attendees
- What event professionals should do to get ahead of advancements in tech
- How tech innovation is likely to expand our access to content + people
Mentioned in this podcast:
Organizations
Linder Global Events
The Olympic Games
SXSW
Microsoft Events
Zoom
DC Events Coalition
BlueJeans
Rebecca Linder, Founder + CEO Rebecca is a leader and an innovator. Her focus has always been on the goal of providing unmatched customer service. That, and her commitment to organizational and production excellence, has led Linder Global Events to the top of the event planning business, producing national and international events for many of the world’s largest and most prestigious non-profit institutions, corporations, government agencies, and membership associations.
Rebecca’s LinkedIn
Regan Lamb, COO Regan is a mission-driven leader with a demonstrated talent for advancing organizational and business objectives. Regan brings to Linder over two decades of experience in collaborative leadership, project management, community engagement, marketing, strategic communications, program development, business growth, and organizational and team development.
Regan’s LinkedIn
Megan Cumming, VP of Events Megan Cumming has been a true asset to Linder for the past fifteen years. As Vice President of Events, Megan is a vital part of event strategy, responsible for leading a dynamic team and overseeing a full roster of cutting-edge events. Methodical, tactical, and efficient with an extraordinary ability to think on her feet, Megan continues to solve even the most complex challenges for both clients and the Linder team.
Megan’s Linkedin
Linda Lindamood, VP of Safety & Logistics Linda has distinguished herself as a leader in the special events industry, as well as a subject matter expert in, logistics, incident management, transportation and crowd management, security and agency liaison. She continues to lead Linder’s liaison efforts with local and federal agencies, law enforcement and emergency managers to the design and development and operational testing of emergency management plans, including transportation, crowd management, safety and security strategies, disaster prevention, evacuation, response and resilience plans, for day to day operations and large-scale public events.
Linda’s LinkedIn
Event CEO Darren J. Gold
Leading an Extraordinary Life Under Extraordinary Circumstances with Author Darren J. Gold—ECEO Darren J. Gold
We’ve been led to believe that leadership is about motivating, inspiring and influencing other people, which is particularly challenging in times of uncertainty. But Darren J. Gold contends that to effectuate real change, we have to focus on ourselves first and lead by BEING, not doing. So, how do we learn to be present in the midst of chaos? And how do we lead our families and organizations through the extraordinary circumstances we’re experiencing right now?
Darren J. Gold is a Managing Partner at The Trium Group, a management consulting firm based in San Francisco, California. He is one of the world’s leading executive coaches for CEOs and leadership teams, serving companies like Disney, Lululemon Athletica and Paramount, among many other globally renowned organizations. Darren is also the author of Master Your Code: The Art, Wisdom, and Science of Leading an Extraordinary Life.
Today, Darren joins Rebecca Linder to offer insight on how to lead effectively in highly uncertain times, discussing the leader’s role in lowering the anxiety in an organization. He shares strategies for showing up strong and centered and leveraging physiology to optimize your team’s performance. Listen in for Darren’s advice on choosing the beliefs that serve you and shaping your own experience in this extraordinary time.