Event Managers' Perception on Event Risk Management

Abstract

Events have always been a part of every culture as rites of passages, celebrations, festivals, and rituals (Getz, 2007). The event industry is contain of many different types of events and a variety of industries and each event draws different kinds of people with different reasons for attendance. Risk management planning assists event organizers in devising and conducting events in the safest possible manner, while mitigating losses (Berlonghi, 1990). The responsibilities of event risk come to grips with the event planners to assess and manage. Event managers can be view as having to make risk decisions in the same line as managers in the field of business that are engage in different kind of activities every day. To understand how they understand and define the risk or the ability to predict their perception will help to develop effective risk management strategies and risk assessments. The purpose of this research is to explore the general question about identifying the Sri Lankan event managers' perception on event risk management. This study explored the significance in identify the concept of risk of the Sri Lankan event managers' in field of event in Sri Lanka as the primary research objective and secondary objectives are to investigate the perceptions of event managers in Sri Lanka towards risk management and to identify the risk management characteristics that a successful event manager should have. This research is adopting qualitative methodology underpinned by phenomenology research approach which is the best way of describing experiences, events and occurrences regard with the reality. Findings of this research have identified the importance of identifying risk for the success of the event and the factors influencing risk perceptions of event managers in the event industry. Some factors are different when comparing with the risk literature. Identification of risk types in the event industry of Sri Lanka is mentioned in the research findings where the researcher was able to find out 8 major risk factors in the event industry. Relationship between education and experience with risk perception is also discovered through this research as very influential for the individual's perception. Characteristics of successful event manager should have when managing risk is also identified as findings of this research. This is a phenomenological research which has opened the way for many new future research opportunities in the event industry. Future research are suggested in the areas

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of cultural influence on risk perception, risk perception related to various event types (festivals, sports, mega-events, etc.), and risk management strategies utilized by event planners. Also developing risk management strategies can be very important future research area for Sri Lankan event industry. The topics of developing an event safety risk typology or developing risk assessments for specific event (mega, MICE, wedding) as future researchers benefitted for the country.

Keywords: event industry, event management, risk, risk management, risk perception