Festival Bootcamp in Event & Emergency Operations

Join us for a weekend of hands-on learning & networking! Advance your career & build skills to host larger, safer, more accessible events.

The #ReadyWhen Foundations Certificate in Event & Emergency Operations certifies professionals across the arts, venues and festivals in the systems and skills that keep communities thriving during both celebrations & crises. This April, the training is coming to New Orleans.

The weekend of April 18-19, Majestic Collaborations—in partnership with the International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection, The World War II Museum, The Superdome, French Quarter Festival, local emergency management, and regional partners—utilizes a live festival, the Superdome, and a major Museum as training grounds for building community resilience through cultural operations.

No previous training or specific experience required, but there will be plenty of opportunities to share expertise and network whatever background you join us from. This training creates the shared situational awareness and operational bridges that connect the variety of professionals who make arts and culture happen, using frameworks that strengthen both daily operations and organizational disaster readiness.

Join us for just one event or a full weekend of training & networking!

You’re also invited to participate in other IFCPP Conference events running from Sunday through Thursday. Register here to attend the IFCPP conference, one of the most important annual gatherings for cultural venues and safety/security professionals.

When the Stadium Became a Shelter: Lessons from New Orleans

Saturday, April 18th, 9:30-11:30am
Caesars Superdome

Few venues carry the operational and emotional weight of the Caesars Superdome. Mike Hoss, the Voice of the Saints, was a journalist reporting from New Orleans when Katrina made landfall in 2005. He'll share a firsthand account of how the Superdome transformed overnight from a championship venue into a shelter of last resort for over 25,000 residents— and what that experience revealed about what large venues can, and can't, do in a crisis. Mike will then be joined by Joseph Frank (Chief of Public Safety at Caesars Superdome) to broaden the lens to explore what makes New Orleans a singular case study in resilience, collaboration, and community, and how the city's dense cultural fabric shapes the way institutions work together when it matters most.

From there, we'll tour the building, exploring the infrastructure and physical reminders of Katrina and the years since, and what they mean for venues across the country preparing for the next disaster.

𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞

Saturday, April 18th, 1-5pm
Onsite at French Quarter Festival

Experience one of the country’s most beloved festivals—and learn how it works from the inside out– in our four-hour Festival Immersive Intensive. We’ll spend the afternoon touring the French Quarter Festival in small groups, rotating through hands-on demos, conversations with professionals, and interactive learning activities—all while enjoying the incredible food, music, and atmosphere of this quintessentially New Orleans celebration.

𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 & 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩

Sunday, April 19th, 9am – 4pm
Higgins Hotel and National WWII Museum, New Orleans, LA

Build real-world skills in the Event & Emergency Operations Bootcamp, a full-day training to hone the operational capacities that overlap most directly between event production and emergency readiness. More details.

For participants interested in earning their #ReadyWhen Foundations Certificate in Event & Emergency Operations, the full weekend fulfills most in-person training requirements. Learn more about the certificate.

Processing fees got you down? You can also register to attend directly via our host event, the International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection Annual Conference. Select one or both pre-conference options from the list after entering your email address. The registration process is a little tricky; please drop a line to Stephanie at office@ifcpp.org if we can help!