Problem solving and decision making

It is diffi cult to imagine any event could ever take place without there being some sort of unex pec ted problem or decision making that was required at some stage by the event organ iser and their team. The events sector is partic u larly suscept ible to both complex ity and uncer tainty (O’Toole, 2011, 123), which calls for appro pri ate and profes sional risk manage ment and plan ning. There is a connec tion between events and risk for a wide variety of reasons; examples might include the event taking place on a green field site or at a unique venue, manage ment of crowds in unfa mil iar surround ings, new staff and volun teers, move ment of equip ment and machinery, tempor ary demount able struc tures, working at height, and even the weather. All should be considered and assessed, and control meas ures should be instig ated, train ing delivered and manage ment systems put in place to mitig ate or elim in ate risk. Problem solving and decision making focus on how risks and event chal lenges can be preven ted, managed and, if possible, solved.