diff --git a/RELEASE_NOTES b/RELEASE_NOTES
index b615cf891..110c1632d 100644
--- a/RELEASE_NOTES
+++ b/RELEASE_NOTES
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-[Unreleased]
+9.3.1 [UNRELEASED]
 ============
 
 1. Add -pedantic for GCC/Clang and debug mode (#441). This change can generate 
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 6. EventConsumer::connect_event: Fix misleading indentation (#441)
 7. PollThread: Fix multiline macro definitions (#451)
 8. Generate static library (#17) and fix compilation definitions (#437)
+9. Replace asserts in EventConsumer::initialize_received_from_admin with exceptions (#453)
 
 9.3.0
 =====
diff --git a/cppapi/client/event.cpp b/cppapi/client/event.cpp
index c10fa07b9..257e6b641 100644
--- a/cppapi/client/event.cpp
+++ b/cppapi/client/event.cpp
@@ -1837,6 +1837,13 @@ void Tango::EventConsumer::initialize_received_from_admin(const Tango::DevVarLon
                                                           const string &adm_name,
                                                           bool device_from_env_var)
 {
+ 	if(dvlsa->lvalue.length() == 0)
+	{
+		EventSystemExcept::throw_exception(API_NotSupported,
+                                           "Server did not send its tango lib version. The server is possibly too old. The event system is not initialized!",
+                                           "EventConsumer::initialize_received_from_admin()");
+	}	
+	
 	long server_tango_lib_ver = dvlsa->lvalue[0];
 
     //event name is used for zmq topics filtering
@@ -1844,7 +1851,7 @@ void Tango::EventConsumer::initialize_received_from_admin(const Tango::DevVarLon
 	if (server_tango_lib_ver >= 930)
 	{
 		received_from_admin.event_name = (dvlsa->svalue[dvlsa->svalue.length() - 2]);
-        received_from_admin.channel_name = (dvlsa->svalue[dvlsa->svalue.length() - 1]);
+                received_from_admin.channel_name = (dvlsa->svalue[dvlsa->svalue.length() - 1]);
 	}
 	else
 	{
@@ -1860,9 +1867,21 @@ void Tango::EventConsumer::initialize_received_from_admin(const Tango::DevVarLon
 		received_from_admin.channel_name = adm_name_lower;
 	}
 
-	assert(!(received_from_admin.event_name.empty()));
+        if (received_from_admin.event_name.empty())
+        {
+                EventSystemExcept::throw_exception(API_NotSupported,
+                                           "Server did not send the event name. The server is possibly too old. The event system is not initialized!",
+                                           "EventConsumer::initialize_received_from_admin()");
+        
+        }
+
 	cout4 << "received_from_admin.event_name = " << received_from_admin.event_name << endl;
-	assert(!(received_from_admin.channel_name.empty()));
+        if (received_from_admin.channel_name.empty())
+        {
+                EventSystemExcept::throw_exception(API_NotSupported,
+                                           "Server did not send the channel name. The server is possibly too old. The event system is not initialized!",
+                                           "EventConsumer::initialize_received_from_admin()");        
+        }
 	cout4 << "received_from_admin.channel_name = " << received_from_admin.channel_name << endl;
 }