Haunted by mistakes

"It is a great theme and is often used by shopping malls and organisations to raise funds or bring in more people but the very nature of the event means that the risk management has to be increased, when it comes to the Duty of Care responsibilities of the events organiser," says Teresa Jenkins, MD of Litha Communications.

"In addition to the many safety acts covering the rights of the public at events, there is the overarching Common Law precept of Duty of Care that insists that the events organiser take every precaution to cover risks that are predictable and preventable.

"In the case of loss, which can mean loss of life or injury, loss of property or loss of reputation, the law applies the reasonable man's test and asks if the events organiser could have foreseen that such a loss could occur and whether he or she took appropriate steps to prevent it.

"This process of risk identification, assessment and mitigation has to be documented and all staff, casuals and volunteers need to be trained in the process and understand their roles and actions. Failure to do this will result in unfavourable legal settlements or judgement by aggrieved members of the public.

"As an events management company, with over 15 year's of experience, we offer highly specialised training in risk management for anyone involved in organising, giving them the opportunity to spend two days with one of Southern Africa's top events management trainers, receive valuable knowledge on project and risk management and take home a training manual and checklists.

"Our next two-day training course is in January 2015 and we welcome enquiries from anyone in the events management industry or those that are responsible for events management within their organisations. We do not want anyone to be haunted by their mistakes," concludes Jenkins.

Litha Communications promotes its clients' brand and messages through successful, well-attended, well-publicised events that not only excite delegates and meet specified communication objectives but also furthers its passion for event greening and ubuntu in Southern Africa.

It offers knowledge-sharing solutions, grounded in marketing practices, which move events beyond the mundane to speak to the hearts and minds of selected audiences. It has been doing this since 1999, both locally and internationally, giving it an unparalleled expertise in events management.

It achieves this through integrated project management systems that offer a seamless service that incorporates events management, risk management, environmental considerations, logistics, RSVP management and the marketing of client events, from pre- to post-event.