DRMumbai: iJET International, renowned thought leaders in intelligence-driven risk management, recently conducted an industry-wide survey with GoldSpring Consulting that sheds light on the needed preparedness in the MICE industry. The survey’s findings revealed that most organisations and companies in this space are not meeting minimum standards of risk management protocols for attendees, which is crucial now more than ever in the wake of tragedies like the October 2017 Las Vegas shooting.
Most notably, more than half of Meetings & Events professionals need further training in applying Risk Management best practices in order to meet the industry standards. This is mostly due to limited awareness of Risk Management responsibilities planners and organizations face, as well as unclear understanding of ownership tied to the safety and security of event attendees across the organization. While many MICE professionals want to develop optimal plans to keep their employees safe, these findings suggest that they would benefit from further guidance.
Key findings
• Of the 64 per cent of respondents currently with a Business Travel Risk Management policy in place, only 29 per cent had programmes to directly support MICE
• 61 per cent of respondents deflected ownership of Risk Management policies.
• 42 per cent of respondents believe the responsibility of Risk Management rests with third-party suppliers, including MICE companies.
With an escalating trend of global security alerts and incidences, the results of the survey reinforce a significant opportunity for Meeting & Events departments. The role of the MICE planner requires more comprehensive, strategic planning and thinking, rather than just focusing on execution and logistics excellence.
By taking a leadership role for risk management in relation to meetings and events, planners can fill a critical gap for their organisations by mitigating the risk and impact to their employees, clients and contractors. This allows their organisations to ensure they are meeting their safety obligations – in order to optimise the security protocols for all attendees.
