What could be risky about holding an event? Events are informative, educational and fun! They are about gathering together to interact, do business, celebrate, be entertained, and to learn new things. They are something to do, somewhere to go, something to look forward to. They happen every day all over the world.
The typical attitude you may encounter sometimes from clients, students, friends and people you meet when they ask about your work as an event organiser is “What could be risky about an event?” They go to meetings and events all the time and they don’t see anything that could go wrong. But when you explain what could go wrong, the most common response is an incredulous ‘really, I had no idea’. You then feel compelled to apologise because they may never again be able to attend a meeting or event without looking around at all the possible hazards.
Risk management is one of the primary responsibilities of event organisers, yet so often overlooked or misunderstood, particularly by inexperienced planners, because, like those now-paranoid event-goers, one can’t envision what one has not been exposed to – they don’t know what they don’t know.
What is Risk? A quick over-view
What or who is at risk? What is the associated risk?
- People Bodily injury or death
- Property Property loss or damage
- Finances Reduced revenue or bankruptcy
- Systems Reduced capacity/capability or failure
- Environment Availability of resources
- Image Loss of goodwill or reputation
