EVENTS j were needed to deliver the Games then coordinating the supporting facilities needed to look after them . As it turned out here , there was nowhere near enough accommodation to house the tens of thousands of people who ’ d be working on the Games let alone for the public to be able to stay and attend ! Once real expertise was brought in , it was found the event wasn ’ t logistically viable in its current form . And this was after a huge amount of money had been committed … w Lesson : Events have more moving parts than outsiders realise so before making commitments ( contractual or public ) there must be a clear understanding of all logistics and costs – otherwise may get started then realise the event is too costly or not viable .
Reason 4 : Change wasn ’ t embraced – or considered It would have been easy to move some or all of the Games to Melbourne to use existing venues and supporting infrastructure , especially as this would have significantly reduced the complexity of the event – and its costs . Sadly , this wasn ’ t considered . Similarly , the event industry wasn ’ t engaged to look at alternate approaches that could help make the event viable , hence everyone ’ s surprise at the sudden cancellation . w Lesson : Be willing to change things if the circumstances change , and use the unique skillsets of experienced event people to find lateral solutions . We ’ ve had a lot of practice !
Reason 5 : The real risks were not properly managed I ’ m a passionate believer in the benefits that events can provide – changing the culture of an organisation , building support for strategic initiatives , launching a product , changing public opinion or rewarding performance . But I ’ m also very cognisant that events also involve very significant risks - including reputational risks …. The financial costs of the Games ’ debacle will be well north of $ 600 million . And the reputational damage will potentially be even greater . w Lesson : Risk management ( including reputational risks ) must start at the very beginning of the project – and remain top of mind the whole way through .
Clearly , it ’ s so important to always get the foundations right with events . Had the Victorian government really valued and respected what event people do ( and put in place a senior leadership team with a similar level of major event experience as the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games – and listened to them !) it ’ s safe to say Victoria would now be well down the path of organising a very successful 2026 Commonwealth Games . But , sadly , they didn ’ t value event people .
How do we get to be valued for what we do as event organisers ? This is an important question . And the starting point is that each of us needs to value what we do ourselves ; to not take what we do for granted or the huge contributions we make to our organisations .
We also need to take others in the organisation along for the journey with our events ; to involve them in the process at a really detailed level . Give them insight into and appreciation of all that happens to deliver successful events . Sometimes it can be really simple things , like showing people comparison photos of the empty venue and how it looked once it was event-ready . Or talking them through the challenges – and how you got through them .
Finally , we need to talk about what the event achieved . While it may have had one main aim , events will often have a far greater impact across an organisation and this should be acknowledged . For example , the involvement of people company-wide in an event can improve teamwork across the business in a lasting way . Talk about achievements and benefits of these so the positive reach of an event is properly understood and recognised .
EAs involved in organising events are used to quietly making the difficult ( or impossible !) happen with minimum of fuss . But it ’ s important we share what we do with others so they better understand , see what we do is special and , ultimately , value us for what we do . S
THE EXPERT
Simon has been an event producer for more than three decades and has produced a vast array of events , from business events to large public and entertainment-based events . He specialises in those that create change , whether that is within organisations or more broadly . He has also consulted extensively to government , entertainment promoters , major event companies and businesses .
28 Executive PA | Summer Issue 2024