If your moderator cancels at short notice, you need three things: the current run-of-show, a person to take over, and clear information for speakers and crew. Whether the event survives is decided less on the day itself than in the preparation before it.
Why a cancellation is rarer than the fear of it
Illness, a cancelled train the evening before, a family emergency: reasons exist, even for professionals. Still, a total dropout is the exception, because a professional moderator manages the risk in advance. She travels the evening before for morning slots instead of betting on the first train. She reports an illness as early as possible, not on the morning of the event. And she works in a way that lets her documents function without her. Jasmin Wölke works exactly like this: at the International Business Summit, a corporate reference with 15 sessions across two days, every sequence existed in writing, with timings, names and handovers. With a document like that, someone else can carry the day in an emergency.
What you actually do on the day of the dropout
First the run-of-show, then the staffing question: secure the latest version of the schedule and the moderation scripts, because without them even the best replacement is lost. Then check three options in this order. A replacement arranged through the moderator herself, because good professionals know colleagues and actively help. A person from your own organisation with stage experience who holds the structure using the run-of-show; welcome, transitions and timings are doable, the rest gets leaner. Or a shortened programme in which speakers introduce themselves and a voice from the team only covers the opening, break times and the close. How transitions work even without routine is shown in transition examples for moderation; a structure for cue cards is in the moderation cue card template.
Settle in advance what would be argued about afterwards
The better answer to a dropout sits in the contract, not in the crisis plan. Before booking, agree what applies in case of illness: does the moderator help find a replacement, does the fee lapse entirely, how quickly will you be informed. Serious professionals answer these questions immediately. Which other points belong in the agreement is listed in what belongs in a moderation contract. Jasmin settles the emergency case in writing in her offer: immediate information, active help in finding cover, and no fee without the service.