Crises are not things any organization looks forward to dealing with, but it’s crucial to always have a contingency plan.

ASAE and The Center’s move on Tuesday to cancel the Technology Conference and Expo was the right call. Even though the event is the organization’s third biggest event of the year, the winter weather presented too many risks to attendees and exhibitors alike.

On top of making the safe decision, ASAE also announced everyone would be issued a full refund.

This is an extremely refreshing move on ASAE’s part. Obviously, no one can control the weather, but ASAE kept it classy with full refunds and apologies. To be honest, on Tuesday morning, I didn’t think the event would be cancelled. But as I continued to keep up with the #Tech10 Twitter stream throughout the day, I realized that the risks far outweighed the benefits.

Long lines at the Atlanta airport...

Our own MemberClicks crew made it as far as Richmond, Va. They were supposed to fly to D.C. this morning, but when flights started getting axed, we sent them up early, anticipating that the show would go on. When it was cancelled, we decided it wasn’t safe for them to drive from Richmond to D.C. on snowy, icy roads, and they returned to Atlanta.

...and long lines at the Richmond airport.

We’re going to be virtually attending UnTech conference, which will last from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday. If you’re in the D.C. area and can get to the Renaissance Hotel, try to be there in person! If not, they will be streaming some session live. If you’re on Twitter, be sure to follow the #UnTech10 stream, as well.

We were truly happy to see ASAE make this right, albeit difficult, decision and hope small-staff association professionals in the D.C. area take part in the UnTech conference. Or, just sign up and attend virtually! Many speakers will be presenting their planned sessions, and this is a great opportunity to take part in the association community, ASAE-official or not.

It’s one of those things we have no control over. No matter how much you plan and how detailed those plans are, we just can’t control the weather.

So what do you do when the radar map for your area looks like this, as it does for Washington, D.C., just days before you’re supposed to travel or host an event for your organization?

What are your provisional plans?

And how can you follow ASAE and The Center’s Technology Conference and Expo if the snowy weather prevented you from getting to D.C.?

Provisional plans

Hosting an event during winter can be tricky. Even if you’re not in a city where snow is common, things happen — and if attendees live in Northern cities, they could have trouble leaving their local airports.

There’s no reason why keynote speeches and learning sessions can’t be streamed online, or at least recorded for future viewing. Publicize which sessions will be recorded and available later, and make them available in as many formats as possible – YouTube, a blog, links on Twitter, etc… Inclement weather is an unfortunate and unavoidable situation, and with today’s technology capabilities, no one should be denied a virtual experience if the situation is out of their control.

Plan to post presentations on SlideShare for easy sharing in the future. (Here’s my summary of SlideShare from the Beyond the Big Three series.)

Enlist volunteers to tweet and take photos during sessions. The more information out there, the better.

Amy Lestition, Executive Director of Association Media and Publishing, posted her organization’s provisional plans for the Technology Conference on Twitter earlier this morning.

Each of these tools are fantastic for sharing information quickly because they store data on the Internet and are mobile. Google Wave hasn’t quite taken off the way Google expected, but it’s still a great resource to communicate with multiple people and share files amongst yourselves.

As for our own provisional plans, MemberClicks team members had originally planned to leave for Washington on Wednesday morning. Not surprisingly, flights from Atlanta to D.C. had been cancelled. So they packed up their bags a day early, hopped on a flight to Richmond and are braving the icy roads to drive the rest of the way. It will definitely be an adventure, but everyone will have a good story to share once they get there!

A virtual Technology Conference

Snowpocalypse, Snomg, Snowverkill, Snowmageddon … there are many variations of the blizzard Washington, D.C. is experiencing right now, but no matter what you call it, it’s created a tricky situation just days before ASAE’s Technology Conference and Expo.

ASAE’s Technology Conference Twitter account (@TechConf) tweeted Monday that the show would not be cancelled and then changed plans this afternoon. Unfortunately, countless flights to D.C. are cancelled, and attendees and exhibitors alike are making provisional plans on the fly.

There are alternate “unofficial” plans in the works for those who already made it to snowy D.C., so be sure to check our Twitter (@MemberClicks) and the #Tech10 stream for information if you’re in D.C.

There will still be lots of info available online, though. There has been talk of speakers putting together mini-webinars of their presentations, recording them and putting them online for everyone.

ASAE created a great hub to compile all the tweets and blog posts about #Tech10. Visit http://tech10.org on your computer or http://tech10.org/m on your mobile device to get the latest info from in-person and virtual attendees. All the tweets that contain the hashtag #Tech10 are included.

Other tools to follow the hashtag: TweetChat, TweetDeck, HootSuite and Seesmic Desktop. If the Technology Conference is anything like ASAE’s Annual Meeting, the Twitter feed will be blowing up with gems from attendees during sessions and expo times.

The Acronym blog also put out a call to association bloggers who will be updating during the Technology Conference. The blog roll can be found here, and there are tons of awesome blogs on the list — everyone will have a unique experience, so read around to get lots of different perspectives.

Stay tuned for back-up plans to this year’s Technology Conference. There will still be many “unofficial” events going on, and possibly webinars of learning sessions, as well.