Most of the risks
in events are directly related to the event stakeholders. The stakeholder's
tolerance to risk will define many aspects of the level of risk that can be
accepted by the event that is the event's tolerance to risk. For example:
·
Investors in the event will be interested in the
financial risk - the exposure they have because of their investment. They
expect to make a profit. The level of this profit will set the tolerance of the
financial risk of the event. This tolerance is a major input into the risk
management process for an event. The fact that it may be difficult to measure
should not mean that it is ignored.
·
Sponsors of a cultural event such as an exhibition
may not want certain types art works exhibited as it may reflect badly on their
image. If their requirements are ignored the event could be cancelled.
·
For a sporting event, there may be dangers well
known and accepted by the competitors. However, if the risk goes beyond a
certain limit they will not take part in the event.
The
stakeholders can be categorised a number of ways: Not all stakeholders are
positive – i.e. the local residents may not want roads closed during a cycle
race, so they must be assessed as primary/secondary, internal/external; and
positive/negative.
·
Primary stakeholders - those who are
very focused on the success or otherwise of the event, for example the
attendees or a sponsor. These stakeholders will require constant management,
reporting or other communication
·
Secondary Stakeholders - those who will
only be interested in the event if it passes a threshold of importance i.e. the
local police
·
Internal Stakeholders - those that are
involved in the event planning and implementation of the plan such as the event
committee
·
External Stakeholders - those who are
not directly part of the event but still have a strong interest in it - such as
the local residents, banks or sponsors
·
Positive/Negative - the effect of
the event on the stakeholder i.e. positive - such as the sponsors or negative -
such as competitive events
Forgetting to pay
attention to any one of these groups can threaten the success of the event.
These are not
mutually exclusive categories and they may change over the life cycle of the
event. An external primary stakeholder such as the road traffic authority can
move from being positive towards the event to negative very quickly if proper
monitoring is not used.
Next, find out how
to treat the risks you have now identified
