SportsEvents Magazine

JUL 2014

SportsEvents is edited for those who plan tournaments or other sports events.

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Spectator Safety The first level of risk management a sports event planner needs to think about is the safety of event attendees. "The absolute first pri- ority should be security and protection of the public," said Jacqueline Fellrath of AIG. New York City-based American International Group, Inc. (AIG) oper- ates in 130 countries and provides cover- age not only for sports event planners and sports venue operators but also accident insurance for all sports event participants, including athletes, coaches, volunteers, crews and spectators. Scott Lunsford, senior vice presi- dent of Fort Wayne, Ind.-based K&K; Insurance Group Inc.'s Sports Division, agreed. "Indoor and out- door security is a big issue. We look at it as an underwriting guide- line—what security is in place when we're providing liability insurance for the event." Mark Beck, senior vice president of K&K;'s Mass Merchandising Division, said, "Any event organizer is going to have to look at the responsibilities everybody has at the event. You might contract different firms to help you—a security firm, on-site medical staff, etc." K&K; has been handling sports-related insurance needs for 62 years, not only for sports event organizers and venue operators but also for sports teams and other parties. The (Sometimes Not So) Great Outdoors The question of public safety procedures like security, medical, on-site personnel, and evacuation plans are espe- cially crucial for outside sporting events, according to Beck. The bigger the outside event, and the more exposed to various risks or hazards, the more important it is to have plans in place for emergency situations, he said. "So, if you get tornado warnings, say, do you have a plan to evacuate people to safety? Who's responsible for those types of things? In the event that something happens and people are injured, at least you want to be able to point to a plan you had in place and that you executed, that you did everything you could to prevent injury. If lawsuits develop, you could be held liable for not having the right evacuation or injury procedures." The Big Four According to Lunsford, the four areas of primary concern for large events are security, parking management, concession and maintenance of the facility or of the outdoor area. "All four areas are really important for sports event organizers," he said. "Planners need to do their best to get contracts in place that push the liability in these areas to the vendors." G Any large public event has inherent bodily injury and property damage risks. Sports events typically have additional risks in that athletes perform in physically demanding competitions, and some events incorporate potentially dangerous mechanical con- traptions like motorized vehicles and firearms or large, some- times cantankerous animals like bulls and horses. Sports events planners and venue operators must be aware of the risks involved and make sure they have sufficient insurance coverage. There is a remarkable array of insurance coverages for just about any possible scenario. SportsEvents asked insurance profession- als for their advice on how sports event planners could ensure that their organizations and events are protected against risk. Fellrath Beck BY T. WAYNE WATERS Lunsford www.sportseventsmagazine.com 14 July 2014 GAME Plan ▼ otcha Covered! Managing Risk For Your Events

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