Manhattan Arena Crisis Communication Plan

1. SituationOn March 2, 2011, during a night concert by a wildly popular hard rock band called “The Argos,” disaster happened. A fire broke out in the arena and the jam-packed, standing-only crowd rushed the exits. The number of fans exceeded the fire code limits. Fifteen fans were killed trying to leave the arena, countless others were injured. Rick Scott, CEO, has ____ and several employees are____

2. AudiencesMedia – all relevant outlets.Internal – employees, clients, sister venues (i.e. Radio City Music Hall), and stockholders.Community – contractors/sponsors, shareholders, local/adjacent businesses, and Garden of Dreams (charity).Victims and their family

3. ObjectivesMedia – to inform 75 percent of the media of accurate details of the initial crisis situation within two hours and the remaining 25 percent within four hours. Check media every hour during the first 12-24 hours for accuracy and factual information.Internal – to inform 95 percent of employees within the first hour and remainder within 12 hours.Community – to increase awareness of the crisis and safety precautions relative to the crisis to the immediate vicinity within the hour and the remainder within 12 hours.Victims and Families – to inform 85 percent of victims’ next of kin/families within 24 hours of known identification of victims.

4. StrategyTo conduct an awareness campaign about the crisis and safety measures in place at Manhattan Arena.

5. TacticsMedia

● Media Information Center● News release● Press Conference ● CEO Statements● Follow appropriate media outlets for accurate and factual information

Internal● Emails● Phone calls/phone tree

● Text messaging – Manhattan Alert System● Social media notification● Intranet● Meetings● Employee hot line● Counselors, on-call

Community● Phone calls● Emails● Skype/VTC for organizers of Garden of Dreams

Victims/Family● Phone call initially● CEO letter● CEO visit in person if reasonable

6. CalendarSee Attachment

7. Budget

8. EvaluationsMedia - Track news stories in various media outlets such as print and television using date and time stamps on web updates while following major television and radio outlets to check if they received the information in a timely manner. Also request copies from media.Internal- Check computer and database systems for data regarding opened emails and whether 95 percent of employees were made aware in the designated time frames.Community - Check phone and email recordsVictims - Check phone records and gather information using focus groups (A focus group may not be the best idea...)

H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 W2

Media News Release E E E E E Press Conference E E E E E Social Media

NotificationE E E E E

Internal Emails E E Phone

Calls/Phone TreeE

Text Messaging E Loud Speaker E Intranet E E Meetings E E Employee

HotlineE E E E E E E E E E E E

Community Phone calls E E E Emails E E E Garden of

Dreams conference

E

Victims/Families Phone call E E CEO visit E

MemoTo: Committee Members

From: Heather Murray

Date: 4/14/23

Re: Grand Opening

Our second planning meeting for the Grand Opening will be March 14 at 5:30 p.m. in the Great Hall.

Please be prepared to discuss the following:

Dane Cook performance

Ice Cream Stand

Chic- Fil-A Free Sandwiches

NEWS RELEASE

University of West Florida 1100 University ParkwayPensacola, FL 32580Contact: Heather Murray(850) 865-2866 Cell/ (850) 729-2945 HomeE-mail: hmm10@students.uwf.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UWF is to open up a new Commons

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA (February 22, 2011) - President Judy Bense has decided to open up a new Common area for University of West Florida students on Mar. 1.

The new Commons will consist of a bigger auditorium, which will have a bigger stage and more sound equipment technologies. The Commons will have a new game center, which will consist of five pool tables, two poker tables, arcade games, three ping pong tables and two foosball tables. The Great Hall of the Commons will have a huge Conference Center and four ballrooms. There will be more offices on the second floor for the Student Body Government, CAB and the Greek life; as well as 10 more classrooms and three more rooms for students to work on banners. The Cyber Lounge will have 10 more computers and new Macs put in. The Galley will have a new bar, a Chic- Fil- A, and a 24 hour place for students to get food. The Nautilus Market will have two new food places.

“I am very excited for our new Common area, my staff and I have put a lot of thought into what we wanted to improve and change and I’m very confident that the students will be impressed with the changes,” President of UWF Judy Bense said.

There will be a Grand Opening on Mar. 1 and will consist of free Chic-Fil-A sandwiches, an ice cream stand and comedian, Dane Cook, will be performing that night around 8 p.m. for students.

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Speech: Secrets to Success as a college student

Welcome the Speaker:

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I am pleased to welcome, Sandy Jones, a

successful Public Relations agent. Mrs. Jones has worked for 20 years in the business with a

great deal of success and today she is here to talk about how she got started: college. Because of

her experience in college she was able to have a successful business career. So please give a

warm calm to Mrs. Sandy Jones.

Acknowledge the Welcome:

Thank you. I am very pleased to be here today and talk about my experiences that made

me who I am today. First off, I would like to thank University of West Florida for having me

here today and for Mr. Brett Berg to have me in his class and speaking in front you today. I once

was in your shoes 20 years ago.

Speech:

Before I started college many people would tell me how life changing it would be. But

they never told exactly what those life changing experiences would become. I never knew that

the three most important items of my college career would ever include: quarters, ramen, and my

planner. If it wasn’t for those items I believe I would have just become another college statistic.

I know that these three items seem very minor, but trust me if you want to survive they

are your true weapons. You may be asking why these three items and how they could ever make

a person become successful not only throughout college, but prepare them for the “big wide

world”. Well it’s pretty simple. I’ll start off with the quarters. When I entered college I never

expected that laundry would become my most arch nemesis. Not because the act of actually

doing my laundry, but the fact that I was basically a homeless person sticking my hand out and

asking every single person that walked by “quarters?”. But doing laundry taught me something

that I never expected. Laundry taught me how to manage my money (something that you

DEFINTELY need for the real world). It taught me that I knew that every two weeks I would

need to have the money to do my laundry, so I created a budget. And to this day I still keep a

budget for my bills or just simple entertainment. Laundry not only taught me how to manage my

money, but also responsibility. Instead of just letting my clothes own my room, I decided to take

on the responsibility of taking my room back and just getting up and doing the laundry. Lastly,

laundry taught me the act of stepping out of my comfort zone and asking people for help, even if

I did look like a bum off the street.

Speaking of bum off the street, I love food. And bums struggle every day to know when

or what they are going to eat that night. So here comes Ramen, my knight and shiney, 25 cent

armor. College teaches you something, the cafeteria food sucks, but you can become your own

five star chef with Ramen. I came up with so many recipes’ for this cheap food that I’m surprised

that I wasn’t on the show top chef. College teaches you that money does not grow and trees and

asking for your parents for money is just like beating a dead horse. All my parents said was hey

get a job then you will have money. Well once I got a job and money started rolling in, I quickly

realized the value of money. And for how cheap Ramen was I could spend 5 dollars on Ramen

and basically be set for the rest of the semester leaving me to have money for more important

things, like laundry. Not only did ramen teach me the value you of money the how to be creative.

Because honestly having ramen for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is very repetitive. And the

number one asset you need in my line of work is creativity. As a result, I’ve been so successful

because, well of a 25 cent package of noodles.

And lastly my third weapon of choice is my planner. My planner became my own

personal bible. Every week I wrote down what I needed to get done, what projects were due on

what date, and even the most important my friends birthdays. As a PR person I have such a crazy

and hectic schedule that I have to be organized and if I did not learn how to be organized in

college I’d probably be trying to flip burgers or worse still be eating Ramen. Organization was

my number one key to my success in college. If you learn anything from me today it is that being

organized is success. It allows you to plan ahead and write out your goals and even achieve those

goals.

As I leave here today, I hope that my college success story will inspire and help you in

your awkward yet adventurous journey into college. And maybe you might have the same run in

as I did. Quarters, Ramen, and a Planner is the key to success in college and if you don’t believe

me then ask the bum out on the street, because he once was a college freshmen but was not fit

with the right tools. Thank you for your time and remember college can be fun.

UWF student killed by alligator at the Edward

Ball Nature Trail

By: Heather Murray

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Department responded to the boat canal at 4 a.m. this morning

at the University of West Florida, where a university student was attacked and killed by an

alligator.

Kenny Pochild, 21, was illegally camping out at the university’s boat canal when the alligator

“Captain Thunder” attacked. Police believe that Pochild was drunk.

“We believe that Kenny went into the water and the alligator mistook Kenny as food,” Deputy

Buffy Pusser said. “There are signs of struggle, we believe that Kenny tried to get out of the

water but tripped and the alligator got him.”

The Sheriff’s Department and the UWF Police department are currently searching for the 11-

foot, 300-pound alligator. They plan on killing the alligator to get the rest of Pochild’s remains

because his head and legs were missing. The university has closed the nature trails until the

alligator is found.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my 35 years,” Pusser said.

Shelly Grimditch, 19, was the first witness on the scene and was the one who called the police.

Grimditch said that Pochild called her at 3 a.m. drunk and asked her to come out and drink with

her. Grimditch was concerned because he was recently dumped by his girlfriend.

“I’m just in shock, I saw it happen and there was so much blood everywhere,” Grimditch said.

The next witness that was on the scene was Pochild’s former roommate Elmo Hazard, 20.

“I knew him since my freshmen year and I am just in shock,” Hazard said. “Kenny was my best

friend. And personally I am ticked off at the university for only putting up one sign.”

The university has had six previous alligator attacks, five of those attacks were fatal. Florida

alone has had 337 alligator attacks since 1948, 17 of those were fatal, according to

lethalapp.com. Alligators usually attack because they feel threatened or because they mistake

people for food.

“Alligators only attack when they are hungry and sometimes they mistake people or other small

animals as food,” Chandler Gilman, Florida Wildlife Commission, said.

Gilman has given a few tips when dealing with alligators.

“Never go at night,” Gilman said. “Never go alone, do not try and aggravate alligators, bring a

flashlight and if there is a sign indicating that there are alligators it would be better to just stay

out of the water.”

Pochild’s family is coming down from Colorado and is going to set up the funeral arrangements

when they arrive.