Turning a threat into an opportunity.

Associations with controversial missions have a tendency to remain silent and not call attention to themselves or their issues. However, in my experience at the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, Memphis, I've learned that this approach may not be the best one to take. While not a small-staff association, our experience in crisis management may still provide food for thought for your organization.

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AALAS's mission is to advance responsible laboratory animal care and use. More than 4,000 individuals attend the AALAS national meeting each year. And the 2003 meeting was held in Seattle, a city known to be a focal point for animal rights activists.

Eighteen months before the meeting, we decided to face the threat of demonstrations head-on and turn it into an opportunity to reach out to members and the public with our message about how humanely animals are cared for in a laboratory setting, as well as the importance of biomedical research.

Staff and volunteers took several steps to set the stage for a successful, positive meeting.

Developing a public relations strategy. Our media campaign included publishing articles in Seattle newspapers before the meeting, conducting television and radio interviews with association leaders, initiating newspaper and television special reports featuring patients who had benefited from animal research, and developing a video news release with taped segments of gentle animal handling.

Ensuring safety. To ensure the safety of staff and attendees, we worked with representatives from the Seattle police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as convention center and hotel security personnel.

The board president and I also met with our many committees and affiliate groups to provide information about security procedures, how to behave in the event that the meeting was targeted by demonstrators, and the public outreach efforts that were under way.

Preparing for the press. Before the meeting, the board president and I went through media relations training. Our training covered on-camera presentation, ways to avoid manipulation, and how to provide concise and significant information.

We held a media advisory meeting the week before the conference opened. Reporters from the major television and radio stations as well as the print media attended. The board president, a researcher, a patient (a cancer survivor who was a former animal caregiver), and I were all available for questions and filming.

Once the meeting began, an AALAS staff person was designated as the control point for additional interview arrangements.

About a dozen demonstrators showed up the first day. The number diminished to two by the second day, and only sporadic demonstrators appeared the rest of the week.

By taking a positive, proactive approach, AALAS turned a serious threat into an opportunity.

--Ann Tourigny Turner, CAE, executive director, American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, Memphis (staff size: 29; annual operating budget: $4.5 million); [e-mail]

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