Political risk |
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Actively managing political risks Only after political risks have been identified, categorised, and contextualised can they be effectively managed.
For successful political risk management, this four-part framework lays out important questions for global exhibitions industry leaders to contemplate:
Understand
• What is my organisation ' s risk appetite?
• Is there a shared understanding of that political risk appetite?
• How can my organisation reduce political blind spots?
Analyse
• How can my organisation get good information about the political risks that we face?
• How can I help ensure rigorous analysis?
• How can my organisation integrate political risk analysis and management into our decision-making processes?
Manage
• How can my organisation manage exposure to the political risks that we have identified?
• Do we have a good system in place for timely notification and action?
• How can I help limit the damage when something bad happens?
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Roles and responsibilities: There must be a clear understanding between board members, leaders, and staff members regarding roles and responsibilities for political risk management. This clarity will prevent organisational confusion and potential high-profile missteps during times of crisis.
Policymaker engagement: Exhibitions industry stakeholders are uniquely positioned to directly engage policymakers at all levels of government. This should be seamlessly integrated into any political risk management plan.
Remember: During times of great uncertainty, it is never too early to build relationships with key elected and appointed officials. That philosophy is central to the work of the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance in the United States.
Ongoing management: Today’ s volatile political environment requires ongoing political risk management. Recent years have demonstrated that there is far too much political and policymaking uncertainty and change for organisations to simply tick a box once a year and consider the job done.
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“ Today’ s volatile political environment requires ongoing political risk management” |
For example, a one-off political risk management workshop conducted in early 2025 may not have captured the tremendous impact that trade uncertainly had on the industry last year.
In conclusion, politics and geopolitics will continue to be the primary driver of change across the global exhibitions industry in the years ahead. The organisers, destinations, venues, and suppliers who actively manage the political risks impacting their organisations are far more likely to thrive amid the uncertainty of our increasingly politics-first world. EW
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Respond
• Is my organisation capitalising on successes and failures?
• Is my organisation reacting effectively to crises?
• Is my organisation developing mechanisms for continuous learning?
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In addition, there are several critical best practices for exhibitions industry organisations to incorporate when it comes to political risk management: |
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www. exhibitionworld. co. uk |
Issue 1 2026 45 |