Business continuity planning is essential for any professional services firm that operates in a major metropolitan area. When large-scale events disrupt normal routines through road closures, heightened security, and surging crowds, accounting firms and CPA practices need a clear strategy to protect client service. Pease Bell CPAs, a Cleveland-based firm, demonstrated exactly how to put business continuity planning into action when the Republican National Convention came to downtown Cleveland in July 2016.
Rather than closing its doors entirely, the firm developed a proactive plan that balanced staff safety and flexibility with uninterrupted access for clients. The result was a smooth transition that kept every phone answered, every email returned, and every deadline met. This article answers a single practical question: how should a CPA firm keep serving clients when a major event shuts down its surroundings?
Why the RNC Required a Business Continuity Plan
The Republican National Convention brought tens of thousands of delegates, media personnel, demonstrators, and spectators to downtown Cleveland from July 18 through July 21, 2016. For businesses located near Playhouse Square and the central downtown corridor, the event meant significant changes to daily operations. Streets were barricaded, security perimeters expanded, and public transportation routes shifted.
Pease Bell CPAs maintained regular contact with the Cleveland Police Department and Playhouse Square officials in the weeks leading up to the convention. This coordination allowed the firm to understand which streets would be closed, when security checkpoints would be active, and how foot and vehicle traffic patterns would change. With that information in hand, the leadership team built a continuity plan that addressed every foreseeable disruption.
The lesson here extends well beyond political conventions. A marathon, a championship parade, a major construction project, or severe weather can each force a professional services firm to adapt its operations on short notice. Having a documented continuity plan in place before disruptions arise is the difference between reactive scrambling and confident execution.
The U.S. Small Business Administration treats continuity planning as a core business survival skill, and its emergency preparedness guidance encourages every firm to plan for both natural and human-caused disruptions. For a CPA practice that holds sensitive financial records and faces firm filing deadlines, that preparation is not optional. The cost of a missed deadline or a lost workday is measured in client trust as much as in dollars.
How Pease Bell CPAs Adjusted Office Hours and Access
The core of the firm’s continuity strategy was a temporary shift in office hours for the downtown location. During the four days of the convention, the firm opened its doors from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST, Monday through Thursday. This early schedule allowed staff to commute in and out of downtown before peak crowd activity and security bottlenecks made travel difficult.
After 2:00 p.m. each day, staff transitioned to remote work. Every team member had full remote access to email and voicemail systems, and each was reachable by cell phone. This hybrid approach meant that clients experienced no gap in service. Calls placed during standard business hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. were still answered, and urgent matters received prompt attention whether staff were in the office or working remotely.
The firm’s Beachwood office, located outside the downtown event zone, was entirely unaffected by the convention and maintained its normal business hours throughout the week. This geographic diversification provided an additional layer of resilience, ensuring that clients who needed in-person meetings or document drop-offs had a fully operational alternative location.
That redundancy is the same principle behind sound risk advisory services: identify the single points of failure in an operation and build alternatives before they are tested. A second staffed location is one of the simplest forms of operational redundancy a firm can maintain.
Keeping Client Communication Open During Disruptions
One of the biggest risks during any business disruption is a breakdown in client communication. Pease Bell CPAs addressed this directly by establishing multiple communication channels and setting clear expectations in advance.
Email and telephone were designated as the primary communication methods during the convention week. The firm proactively informed clients about the temporary schedule change and emphasized that electronic communication would be the most reliable way to reach their advisors. This advance notice eliminated confusion and let clients plan their own outreach accordingly.
Mail and express delivery services were expected to continue with minimal disruption, but the firm did not rely on physical mail as a primary channel during the event. By steering clients toward digital communication, the firm reduced its exposure to last-minute postal delays caused by road closures or security screening of packages downtown.
The firm resumed normal business hours on Friday, July 22, the day after the convention concluded. This quick return to standard operations reinforced the message that the schedule change was a targeted, temporary measure rather than a sign of reduced commitment to client service.
Lessons for Any Professional Services Firm
The approach Pease Bell CPAs took offers a practical template for business continuity planning at any accounting firm, law practice, or consultancy. Several key principles stand out.
First, early coordination with local authorities and property management is invaluable. The firm did not wait until the week of the convention to learn about street closures and security zones. Weeks of ongoing communication with police and venue officials gave the team time to plan thoughtfully rather than react under pressure.
Second, remote access infrastructure must be in place before a disruption occurs. The ability for every staff member to reach email, voicemail, and client files from home was not built overnight. Firms that invest in cloud-based systems and remote work capabilities year-round find it far easier to activate a continuity plan when the need arises.
Third, transparent client communication turns a potential inconvenience into a demonstration of professionalism. By notifying clients in advance, explaining the adjusted hours, and providing clear guidance on how to reach their advisors, the firm turned a week of potential frustration into a trust-building moment.
Finally, geographic diversification matters. A second office location outside the disruption zone gave the firm a built-in fallback. For firms with a single location, relationships with coworking spaces or partner firms can provide a similar safety net. The same discipline that keeps a firm’s own operations resilient also strengthens the accounting services it delivers to clients across every sector.
How Remote Access Supports Business Continuity for CPA Firms
Remote access technology has become the backbone of operational resilience for accounting and CPA firms. When physical office access is limited by a major event, a weather emergency, or a public health situation, the ability to work securely from any location keeps client engagements on track.
For Pease Bell CPAs, remote access meant staff could keep reviewing financial documents, responding to client inquiries, and meeting internal deadlines even after leaving the downtown office at 2:00 p.m. Cloud-based accounting platforms, secure connections, and mobile communication tools made the transition smooth.
Security cannot be an afterthought when work moves outside the office. The AICPA stresses that firms protect client data under professional confidentiality rules, and the IRS requires every tax professional to maintain a written information security plan under the safeguards rule. A continuity plan that ignores data security simply trades one risk for another.
Firms that have not yet invested in remote work infrastructure should treat it as a core component of their continuity plan rather than a perk. The cost of downtime, including missed deadlines, unresponsive service, and eroded client trust, far outweighs the investment in technology that keeps operations running through external disruptions.
Planning Ahead for Large-Scale Events in Your City
Every major city hosts events that can disrupt business operations, including political conventions, international summits, professional sports championships, large festivals, and public demonstrations. Professional services firms that treat these events as predictable planning scenarios rather than surprises consistently outperform their peers in client satisfaction and operational resilience.
Start by identifying the events most likely to affect your office location in the coming year. Contact local authorities and building management to understand potential impacts. Then build a simple continuity plan that covers adjusted hours, remote work protocols, client communication, and alternative meeting locations.
Test the plan with a brief dry run before the event arrives. A short rehearsal exposes gaps in remote access, contact lists, and authority before they become real problems. Firms across the industries Pease Bell serves, from manufacturing to skilled nursing, face their own disruption scenarios, and the planning method stays the same regardless of sector.
The experience of Pease Bell CPAs during the 2016 Republican National Convention shows that a strong continuity plan does not need to be complex or expensive. A clear plan, open communication, and reliable technology are all it takes to keep client service strong through any disruption.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is business continuity planning for a CPA firm?
Business continuity planning for a CPA firm is the process of preparing strategies and protocols that allow the firm to maintain client service during unexpected disruptions. These disruptions can include severe weather, major public events, technology failures, or public health emergencies. A strong plan covers adjusted office hours, remote work capabilities, client communication procedures, and alternative work locations.
How do accounting firms stay accessible during major city events?
Accounting firms typically adjust their office hours to avoid peak disruption periods and equip staff with remote access tools so work continues outside the office. Proactive client communication, including notifying clients of schedule changes and preferred contact methods, ensures that no service gaps occur. Firms with multiple office locations can also redirect traffic to unaffected branches.
Why should professional services firms have a remote work policy?
A remote work policy ensures that staff can continue serving clients when physical office access is limited or impossible. Without remote capabilities, even a single day of office closure can lead to missed deadlines and unanswered client calls. Remote work infrastructure, including cloud-based software, secure connections, and mobile communication tools, is a foundational element of any continuity plan.
How far in advance should a firm plan for a major event disruption?
Firms should begin planning as soon as a major event is announced for their area, ideally several weeks to months in advance. Early coordination with local authorities and building management provides critical information about road closures, security perimeters, and transportation changes. This lead time allows the firm to communicate schedule adjustments to clients well before the event begins.
What should a client communication plan include during a business disruption?
A client communication plan should include advance notice of any schedule changes, clear instructions on the best ways to reach the firm by email or phone, and a specific date when normal operations will resume. The plan should also identify a point of contact for urgent matters and provide alternative office locations if available.
How can a single-office firm create business continuity without a second location?
A single-office firm can establish relationships with coworking spaces, partner firms, or serviced office providers that can serve as temporary workspaces during a disruption. Investing in cloud-based systems ensures that all client data and communication tools are accessible from any location. The firm should also designate specific team members to work from home and maintain a current list of emergency contacts for clients.
