If production is about control, contingency planning is about acceptance. No matter how well you rehearse, virtual and hybrid events have variables you simply can’t lock down—connectivity, power outages, device issues, human error.

As a producer, your job is to design for smooth delivery and prepare for disruption.

Contingency planning doesn’t mean assuming the worst. It means having a calm, well-rehearsed response when things don’t go to plan. The more prepared you are behind the scenes, the more confident the event will feel on the surface.

Here are some practical tips to build resilience into your events—so you’re ready when reality deviates from the run sheet.

Start with Scenarios

Every event is different, but common points of failure tend to repeat. Build a short list of “what if” situations based on your event format and platform.

Consider:

• What if the main speaker drops off mid-session?
• What if breakout rooms fail to open or participants can’t return?
• What if a screen share doesn’t work or crashes the platform?
• What if the facilitator loses power or audio?

These aren’t doomsday scenarios—they’re realistic bumps that every producer should have a plan for.

Design Redundancy into the Event

A strong contingency plan is proactive, not reactive. Set up your event with buffers and backups built in.

Some effective strategies:

• Backup facilitators or co-hosts: Always have someone else with full platform access and permissions.
• Spare screen sharers: Don’t rely on one person to run content—ensure others can pick up the flow.
• Pre-sent materials: Send critical decks or worksheets to speakers and team members in advance.
• Parallel comms channels: Use WhatsApp, Slack, or a live backchannel to coordinate behind the scenes without interrupting the flow.

SmartLab Tip: SmartLab’s co-host and shared control features make it easy for multiple producers to take over activities or guide transitions without interrupting the session.

Create a Plan B for High-Stakes Moments

Map out specific alternatives for the most critical points of your agenda. For example:

• If a poll fails, pivot to a chat-based pulse check or silent input board.
• If breakouts glitch, reframe the activity for plenary discussion or async input.
• If a speaker’s audio cuts out, step in to read their key points from the deck.

Have fallback phrasing and time-fillers ready so transitions feel deliberate, not frantic.

Example:
“If the breakouts don’t open, we’ll shift to a group brainstorm using the sticky board. Give us one minute and we’ll launch it.”

Communicate the Plan (Without Spooking the Team)

Contingency plans work best when your team knows them—but your audience doesn’t have to.

Share the plan quietly during your pre-brief or rehearsal. Cover:

• Who takes over if the lead drops
• What to do if the session freezes or lags
• How to communicate in the backchannel
• When to call for a reset or break

Clarity breeds calm. When people know what to do, even glitches feel manageable.

Debrief the Disruptions

After the event, run a short review focused on what went wrong—and what went right in how you handled it. Log what worked, what felt shaky, and what to adjust in the future.

Contingency planning is never “done.” Every session makes the next one stronger.

Calm Isn’t Luck. It’s Preparation.

Most participants never notice a Plan B being used—because it was built in before anything went wrong. That’s the gold standard.

SmartLab was designed to give producers the flexibility to adapt live: from switching hosts and launching backup activities to reshaping the session flow in real time. Because good production isn’t about perfection. It’s about resilience with structure.

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