Every level and type of event practitioner must know the safety rules with all group gatherings – there are no exceptions. Corporate procurement in particular require within an RFP that independent meeting practitioners detail their safety rule compliance procedures.
The Academy has had occasion, especially noticable within the travel/DMC sector, that an overall account agency has scratched around – picking-up bits of information – without even attempting to implement a safety rule compliance policy for their client’s events. Fortunately end-user clients are becoming wise to this lack of MICE needs and are declining travel agency/DMC’s RFPs that do not have an in-depth knowledge base of safety for the client’s personnel, invited guests as well as the public.
SASREA (Safety at Sports and Recreation Events Act 2 of 2010) is the back-bone of the MICE safety requirements whether low, medium or high risk. As with most legal documents – wording can be complicated and not easy to read or understand.
Hence the industry welcomes the second update of the Practical Guide to the safety at sports & recreational events compiled by attorneys Lovelles Hogan and insurance giant Aon – both with significant international status.
The Guide simplifies the Act and makes it clear regarding definitions and various catergorisations. The MICE industry should not be fooled with the directive of venue capacity being at least 2000. Rest assured that if any individual no matter the capacity of the gathering being in any way injured – the organiser, venue, host et al would very likely have a legal issue to contend with .
The MICE industry are the first to look at safety as someone else’ problem and regard any form of insurance consideration as a ‘grudge’ purchase. Unless all the risk details are known and information determined for advising the MICE end-users – organisers will be at a distinct disadvantage as well as at risk themselves.
The Academy – as part of the online CPD MICE programme – will be planning a series of tests with appropriate credits in order to ensure the MICE industry is up-to-speed on the risks and rules for all MICE undertakings.
The industry is indeed indebted to Hogan Lovells and Aon for this timely Practical Event Safety Guide. Further information will be made available in the near future.
