NU Online News Service, May 17, 1:39 p.m.EDT

Just in case this weekend’s NATO summit in Chicago leads toviolence and rioting, as has happened in other cities hosting worldleaders, at least one insurer is reminding risk managers to preparefor the worst and hope for the best.

This Sunday and Monday, Chicago will host the North AtlanticTreaty Organization’s summit where close to 10,000 delegates andjournalists from 50 countries are expected to descend upon the cityalong with a throng of protestors.

This will be the first meeting of officials outside ofWashington, D.C., says the host committee, which hopes to use the event to“highlight [Chicago’s] economic vitality, its arts andarchitecture, and its can-do spirit.”

In one sense, there has already been one victim of theconference after the committee dropped insurance broker Aon RiskSolutions from finding liability insurance for local police when the firm wasunable to secure coverage at a reasonable price. Instead, thecommittee decided to use the city’s insurance broker, USI, andutilize existing coverage for the event.

Recognizing the possibilities that the two days of meetingscould cause serious disruptions, Zurich released a 10-page whitepaper to inform and remind risk managers how to plan for theworst-case scenario.

“NATO Summit: High profile event brings heightenedrisks,” tells risk managers that while law enforcement will bedoing its best to keep a lid on protests and other events,businesses should do some planning too.

“Having your own plan in place will help mitigate any injury toemployees and damage to property if law enforcement cannot arriveat the place of protest in time,” the report says.

Marcus Cooper, Midwest regional executive for Zurich NorthAmerica, says the main thrust of the paper is for risk managers tohave a disaster plan in place and up to date.

He says it will be important during the two days of the NATOmeeting to keep employees informed of any situation. That meanshaving a communication system in place that will provide necessaryinformation.

“This is to put the awareness out there and be prepared for anyincident,” says Cooper, adding that the ultimate intent is tomaintain the regular course of business.

Cooper says that, overall, clients have not shown a lot ofconcern about the potential risks in Chicago this weekend, but somehave asked specific questions such as whether glass in the officebuilding should be protected or whether it’s covered byinsurance.

He says most feel that despite the disruptions, it will bebusiness as usual.

Offering advice for clients, Cooper says businesses should tryto limit the number of visitors to the office during the two-dayevent, put off large shipments or deliveries, and control the flowof traffic in and out of office buildings.

He says there has been no spike in requests for any type ofinsurance coverage, and Zurich customers do have some form ofbusiness interruption coverage in their commercial policies.

With offices in Chicago, Cooper says Zurich will be operating ina “business as usual” mode, but will be ready to implement itscrisis-management plan should anything go wrong. This includesmaking an 800 number available and increasing communication foremployees.

“The major concern is to protect your most valuable asset, andthat is your people,” says Cooper.