Risk management in public events : a study on its maturity and how people perceive it in Malta

Abstract

Following the signficant number of accidents, injuries and deaths sustained during public events in Malta in the past decade, questions were raised on the way forward for the events industry; Will people ever be able to enjoy themselves in a safe environment? Are event organisers in Malta doing enough to protect the health and safety of attendees and manage their hazards and risks? Is there a need for a reform of the legislative framework in Malta?

The purpose of this study was to measure how mature event organisers in Malta are in terms of managing hazards and risks. Additionally, the scope of this study was also to understand how attendees of public events in Malta perceive such events in terms of health and safety and whether they believe that event managers are competent in managing risks.

An online questionnaire was distributed to collect data about the attendees’ perceptions, while structured interviews were organised with seven event organisers in Malta to measure their risk management maturity. The perceptions of attendees vary with respect to different types of events. However, those events which are generally perceived negatively in terms of risk management capacbilities were: Music parties and festivals, food and drink events, cultural events and village feasts. Generally, the majority of respondents believe that event managers are not competant enough to manage their risks nor is it one of their top priorities to do so amongst other functions. From the interviews conducted, it resulted that weddings and village feasts are the least mature in terms of risk management.

These conclusions imply that changes need to be performed to improve the perception of attendees towards public events in Malta. This study shall assist the present government and the relevant authorities and stakeholders to make the needed legislative framework reforms to adequately regulate the management of risks in public events in Malta.