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the airport for taxis. Others just messaged to say they were in Madrid and wanted to know if the event was going ahead as planned.
I decided to message everyone who had tried to contact me late that evening( 28 April) and inform them all that the event was going ahead as planned. I said that if they were an exhibitor they could set up before the event started at 8:30.
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EW – How did you deal with the power outage? Did you have a plan in place to deal with it, or was it a case of responding in the moment? MH – Although it was more about responding in the moment, we did have a plan in place if there was no power for the event. We would ask each speaker to present their PowerPoint slides directly from their own laptops on a high table / cocktail table, and we would change the layout of the room to allow everyone to see the screen.
The meeting rooms we had booked had natural light, so darkness would not have been an issue. Hotel doors weren’ t opening to the rooms, but there was an outside entrance. It would have been challenging but we could have made it work.
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EW – In terms of how attendees, sponsors and exhibitors reacted – it must have been quite chaotic. How did you handle communications? MH – This was the hardest issue. No one could contact me and I couldn’ t contact them. I always say no news is good news, so I was hoping that all the participants would be going ahead as planned.
When the power came back on in the evening my phone started pinging away with missed calls, emails and WhatsApp messages. Two speakers had their flights cancelled so I replied to say they could do their presentations remotely( we had power at the hotel). Both agreed.
Some participants messaged to say there was a five-hour queue at
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“ Many people were looking for an ATM. Only two were working in the city centre. When I finally got there, there was an hourlong queue to get cash out”
“ One of our participants told me that she was completely lost and it was getting dark, so two young students walked with her to the hotel”
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EW – Will you now be reconsidering the host destination of Spain, or perhaps southwestern Europe in general, as a result of this? MH – Not at all. The hotel staff were excellent – they stayed so calm. Together, we came up with an alternative solution in case of the power not being restored. On the evening of the 28 April many people were at the hotel, as it was advised not to head out due to the darkness and no streetlights. The hotel were handing out nuts and crisps, and they also managed to provide a limited dinner service for everyone as well.
The people of Madrid were also extremely good. There was no panic. In the city centre, the tourist board was handing out free paper maps for tourists. Ice cream shop owners were handing out free ice creams to children and anyone who wanted one.
Many people were looking for an ATM. Only two were working in the city centre. Local residents were helping to direct me and others to find them. When I finally got there, there was an hour-long queue to get cash out.
A few of our participants were advised to take the free shuttle bus
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Issue 3 2025 35 |