The now-temporarily-averted dockworker strike is a good reminder for meeting professionals that hospitality union contracts aren’t the only ones to keep an eye on.

While meeting professionals know to keep an eye on when major hospitality-related union contracts are up for renewal — and possible strikes by workers until their demands are met — most likely aren’t keep a close watch on what’s happening with the people who work at major U.S. ports.

That may change now that more than 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen Association recently went on strike at 36 East Coast and Gulf Coast ports. This strike, which late last week was averted as a tentative deal was reached between the union and shipping management, had put all imported cargo on standby as the ports were forced to shut down. In addition to shutting down the arrival of imported goods — about 40% of all such goods imported into the U.S., according to this article — in the short term, this also could have caused a backlog that lingered far longer, especially since the peak season for holiday shipping had already been snarled by Hurricane Helene.

Remember how difficult it was to fulfill orders for everything from logo’d t-shirts to floral décor after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down international supply chains? That may seem like ancient history, but the recent strike is a good reminder that something similar could arise again for completely different reasons. While a short-term dockworker strike likely wouldn’t have impacted food supplies too heavily, at least in the short term, since the growing season in the U.S. is still going on, some imports, such as tropical fruits, could have become scarcer — and more expensive.

As happened during the pandemic’s supply chain snafus, some meetings-related merch also could have had to divert to ports that weren’t affected by the strikes, which could have added time and over-land shipping expenses to a planner’s bottom line by making swag bag contents more expensive.

But the industry has also learned how to manage through supply chain crises through its painful pandemic experiences. Among the mitigation strategies you may want to dust off and review:

• If supply-chain disruptions aren’t already in your risk management plan, now’s a good time to review how your organization prepares for and responds to this type of problem.

• Have a plan for communicating early and often with your vendors and suppliers. Questions to ask include: Will they be affected? If so, what strategies do they have in place? Will they have enough goods in stock already to be able to fulfill your near-term orders on time and within the agreed-upon prices? Will they need a longer lead time to ensure your merch gets delivered in time for your event?

• Have a plan to communicate with your venue’s catering department to see if you may want to make adjustments to your F&B order. They will be the first to know if getting the bananas for that bananas foster dessert will still be a viable option should imported foods be held up by a strike or other supply-chain issue.

• Consider adding a little more padding to your budget for contingencies such as dockworker strikes, just in case costs rise and/or you have to move to Plan B for gifts and giveaways.

• Consider diversifying your suppliers, especially if you rely heavily on internationally imported goods. Adding more domestic suppliers can help alleviate some of the pressure should another dockworker strike or other international supply-chain snafu occur.