photo: Chris Rands@randsy7

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If you are involved in events and festivals, there is an enormous amount of information on this site. It represents 40 years of active work in the sector developing it around the world. 50 countries, endless actual events: creating, managing , working in operations and finally strategy. It includes consulting to the United Nations, European Commission, and governments from Middle East to Africa to USA and Australia.

As well as searching this site you might like to look at these international textbooks such as: This one released in 2022

Order now: Events Sector Maturity Model explained and much more.
Slide Risk

Risk Management for Events

Released in 2021. Updated version of the excellent seminal textbook by Julia Silvers. Extra material includes: yet more examples of event risk (30) new case studies, event corruption, terrorism, situational awareness, emergent risk, crowd management, conditional probability....All from years of experience around the world.

risk man
Slide crowd

Crowd Management: Risk, Security and Health

Four brilliant practitioners are brought together to explain their specialty in crowd management and risk. This is not an academic excursion, these authors deal with large crowds and risk every day. Planning is necessary but not sufficient, crowds present 'emergent risk' . Sudden changes need to be recognized as a trigger and acted upon.

crowd management book
Slide EFD

Events Feasibility and Development

All my work in over 50 countries is found in this textbook. It predicts the path of the events industry in every town, city and country. It gives you the language to easily describe the value of events and event management to sponsors, clients and senior management. It describes solid theory honed by practice to demonstrate you are a professional.

efd
Slide safeandhealthy
The Australian Government manual

Released in 2018, this is the government manual. It is free and has excellent information. Written by William O'Toole for the Department of Home Affairs. Compiled from experts in all the fields of safety and risk: security, crowds, police, medical teams, hospitals, onsite operations, venue management, emergency and disaster, city councils....

Slide crisis

Crisis Management and Recovery for Events

Crisis: the juncture of stability and development., O'Toole 2021
".. this chapter examines the crisis as a disruption that opens many opportunities. It breaks the dominance the past mega events have in the sector. They are slow moving, exposed to crisis and hence, fragile. The crisis may allow the more agile and creative events and event teams an inflexion point to move the sector into an innovative phase with wide diversity of unique events. In this phase the risk management is also used as the management of opportunities. "

Crowd management
Slide othertextbooks
And plenty of other textbooks about events in 6 languages
Slide dictionary

Dictionary

Complied in 2021. Over 300 definitions contributed by EPMS.

Incentive contract - an agreement with an inducement that links the contractor to the success of the event. A 'door deal' for the entertainment is an example. The entertainers are paid according to the number of people they attract.

Layered security (models) “Layered security reduces the likelihood of a successful attack on a crowded place by building multiple layers of redundancy into a site’s security architecture. This can be achieved through a ‘deter, detect, delay and respond’ model." (CR 136-8)

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A slide show of recent textbooks and manuals by William O’Toole

International Festivals & Events Association Hall of Fame 2018 Award for contribution to the international events sector.