Arts venues & event professionals already have many core competencies that could support community disaster response capacity if they were suitably prepared. This survey helps us understand what capabilities and approaches would be most valuable to actually address the emergency preparedness challenges you face daily.

You can complete the survey completely anonymously. If you have other questions about how your responses are stored or managed, see our data privacy policy.

Your responses will guide development of assessment tools, training resources, and partnership frameworks for the #ReadyWhen online portal, a project to help arts venues and community gathering spaces become effective partners in enhancing community readiness.

Who this survey is for: Emergency managers and other AHJs
Estimated completion time: 10-15 minutes if you choose to answer all questions (all responses are optional)

We'd first like to understand your department's current relationship with community gathering organizations and existing partnership approaches. This helps us design resources that build on what's already working, while addressing gaps.

In the section, we'd like to explore specific capabilities that arts venues, event professionals, and other community gathering professionals & places could provide to help support their community's emergency preparedness or response. You can learn more about this overall model at ReadyWhen.org.

For each functional area, we'll ask what information would be most valuable to collect from potential partners, and which support roles would have the greatest operational impact for your department. There are four parts:

• Communications
• Physical shelter & safety
• Logistics & operations
• Human services

We know that emergency management varies greatly across jurisdictions and contexts. Please answer based on your own experience and perspective—you're not representing anyone but yourself.

Arts organizations and community centers often have established communication networks, social media presence, and A/V capabilities that could support emergency communications: before an emergency, as part of response, and during recovery.

Many arts, cultural, and faith-based venues have large, accessible spaces with infrastructure that could serve emergency shelter and safety functions, and they're already well-known landmarks to their community members.

Arts and event professionals frequently manage complex logistics, coordinate volunteers, and operate specialized equipment—skills that could translate well to emergency operations with suitable cross-training and preparation.

Community gathering venues are often trusted spaces with experience providing welcoming, supportive environments for diverse populations.

We’re grateful for the time and knowledge you’ve shared. We hope the tools and resources we develop will meaningfully support the vital work you do for the people & places you serve.