Contingencies

Even with the best laid plan, a DV visit can go sour quickly if you are unable to "go with the flow" or think on your feet. The itinerary is a living, breathing document, and even after publication and distribution, it can change and often does. Therefore, you need to be prepared for contingencies. So, what can you do to prepare for contingencies? There are a few things, without going overboard, that you can carry with you while on a DV visit, which may come in handy at the most unexpected times:

• extra 1, 2, 3, and 4 star table name cards and a calligraphy pen
• a telephone listing of all phone numbers used on a daily basis
• a small generic gift or two that can be presented on the spur of the moment
• a lint brush
• chewing gum
• aspirin
• Kleenex tissues
• note paper, envelopes, stamps, and extra pens
• command letterhead, envelopes
• extra battery for cellular phone
• your protocol handbook

While the above list is not all inclusive, it helps you think of what you might need for a particular visit before leaving the office. Other contingencies can include transportation problems, early or late arrival/departure, medical emergency, dental emergency, and the list can go on and on. Although it is impossible to prepare for every contingency, you, as a conscientious and successful protocol officer, should always be thinking "what if" at any given point during the DV's visit.