Today many action sports brands are staging sports experiences in non-traditional settings. Stefanie Warren and I recently wrote an article for sportsbusinessdaily.com that discusses the shifting paradigm these new settings create for risk management.
We use the example of a showcase held last year: “Ramp it Up — Skateboard Culture in Native America,” a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition. This event required building and operating a public skateboard ramp in the San Diego Museum of Man.
To formulate the risk paradigm for this unique event, we kept it basic in the evaluation of the questions that go into any event: who (and where), what, and how. We then developed a risk analysis and strategy for each component.
We gathered input from museum staff and evaluated event options, operational approaches and strategies for allocation of risk between sponsors, contractors and related parties. Despite logistical challenges and varied stakeholder interests, the public skateboard ramp operated successfully throughout the four-month run of the exhibition.
As with any sporting event, successful risk management for a unique venue demands a deep understanding of the sport and attention to all event and venue details. For Ramp It Up, early involvement allowed us to evaluate stakeholder risks so that mitigation measures were part of the design and implementation of the event.
To learn more about ways to mitigate risk for sporting events in unique venues and for a link to the full article, please visit our website.
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Photo by San Diego Museum of Man
