1. Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo
Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration Department
RPTA 342
RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN
for
Central Coast Event Company, Incorporated
The YMCA Benefit Surf Competition
Prepared by
Nicole Pelot
Madison Ventura
Dominic Catayas
Kelsey McBeth
June 2014
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2. Table of Contents
Part I Background 3
A. The Risk Management Plan 3
B. Special Event Company 3
C. Client Description 3
D. Special Event Description 3
E. Delineations 4
Part II. Risk Management Analysis 4
A. Risk Identification 4
B. Risk Evaluation 5
C. Risk Treatment 5
D. Risk Implementation 5-6
Part III. Recommendations 6
A. Policy Statements 6
B. Goals and Objectives 6
C. Site and Facility Mitigations 6
D. Program Mitigations 6
E. Supervision 7
F. Rules, Regulations, and Procedures 7
G. Safety Inspections 7
H. Accident Reporting and Analysis 7
I. Emergencies 8
J. Releases, Waivers, and Agreements to Participate 8-9
K. Methods of Insuring Against Risk 10
L. In-Service Training 10
M. Public and Media Relations 10
N. Outside Specialists (Legal & Insurance) 10
Part IV. Implementation 10
A. Implementation 10-11
B. Continuous Improvement 11
Part V. References 12
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3. RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN
for
Central Coast Event Company, Incorporated
This risk management plan was developed by the management of Central Coast Event Company, Incorporated
for the YMCA Benefit Surf Competition. We abide by our risk management plan to reduce injury, theft, and other
related incidents and focus on continuous improvement to uphold the highest standards of safety.
Part I Background
A. The Risk Management Plan
The purpose of this Risk Management Plan is to assess and address the risks that may be involved in the YMCA
Surf Competition of June 2014.
B. Our Special Event Company
Central Coast Event Company was formed in 2008. We pride ourselves on planning large up-scale corporate
and small up-scale private events. We create high quality experiences for our customers.
C. YMCA Client Description
Mission: To develop the total person, spirit, mind, and body through value based programs that build strong
kids, strong families, and strong communities.
Vision: As a charitable organization, we are committed to strengthening the foundations of our community by
nurturing the potential of youth, promoting healthy lifestyles, and fostering a sense of social responsibility.
Values: Safety, youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.
Goals: Our client’s goal for this special event is to raise money for the San Luis Obispo YMCA.
D. Special Event Description
The YMCA Surf Competition is a fundraiser for the San Luis Obispo YMCA. There will be vendors on the beach
that consist of food and surf companies and products.
The event will occur on Saturday June 28, 2014 from the hours of 8am-2pm.
There will be 3 age brackets and within those brackets, there will be different skill level heats. The age brackets
will be 7-12, 13-17, and 18+. The skill levels within these brackets will be broken up by beginner, intermediate, and
experienced. Males and females will compete in different brackets.
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4. Our food and vendors will include several local restaurant booths (not allowed to sell alcohol), a beer garden
featuring local breweries that we will bring in, and surf shops from around the central coast.
E. Delineations
The YMCA Surf Competition will occur at Pismo Beach on the north side of the pier. Designated parking will be
in the parking lot on Pomeroy Ave. and will also extend to the field behind the parking lot. The Surf Competition area
will end where the vendors and booths tents end. Our risk management plan covers all of the abovementioned areas.
Part II. Risk Management Analysis
We want to reduce all foreseeable risk. By assessing the risks that may be an issue at the event we will be able
to analyze the steps to correcting the incidents. Below you will see our original list of 24 risks, after careful
consideration and based on our past experiences we condensed the list to 15. We removed 9 of the risks because we
believe that our staff is capable of handling them and they aren’t as important as the other 15 risks.
A. Risk Identification
These are the activities that will be happening before, during, and after the event that may be seen as a risk for us:
1. Check-in procedure 13. Checking ID’s
2. Collecting Money 14. Bringing Alcohol to the Beach
3. Surfing in the Water 15. Beer Garden
4. Parking 16. Award Ceremony
5. Serving Lunch 17. Bathrooms
6. Eating Lunch 18. Weather
7. Walking on the Beach 19. Waste Management/Trash Collection
8. Judging 20. Food Vendors
9. Deliver Lunch 21. Surf Companies and surf product booths
10. Swimming 22. First Aid and Medic Booth
11. Setting up music equipment 23. Theft
12. Playing music 24. Proper Staffing
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5. B. Risk Evaluation
Our graph shows that we have a few high risk activities. We are going to manage these risks by outsourcing
different activities within our event to outside companies. For example: we will be outsourcing our beer garden along
with checking ID’s for the beer garden to Central Coast Distributors (a local alcoholic beverage distributor). Another
high risk activity that we must do for this event is provide staffing. We will reduce risk by having a lot of paperwork
and proper training and supervision of the staff and volunteers. Because this event involves swimming and surfing
(two high risk activities), we will have both lifeguards and paramedics on duty to respond quickly to any injuries.
C. Risk Treatment
To address the abovementioned risks of the activities of the special event, Central Coast Event Company
created a treatment plan to ensure safety and quick response to any incident. We put our clients first and want to
make sure that our participants have a good and safe time at the event. We like to customize our risk treatments to
our individual clients. And we ended up taking a couple of approaches to reducing risk:
● Transferring: We transferred the risk of having a beer garden and checking ID’s to a separate company. We
also outsourced our medical and lifeguard personnel to different companies. We will also have extensive
waivers for participants and for staff to sign.
● Reduce: We will reduce the risk by inspecting the event site the day before. We will also keep our eye on the
weather to make sure that conditions are safe to be out in the ocean in. If necessary, we will reschedule the
event in the case of unsafe conditions.
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6. D. Risk Implementation
We would suggest focusing most on how to reduce the high risk, high frequency activities to avoid multiple
incidents. We are going to avoid serving alcohol by contracting the beer garden out. We are transferring the risk back
to the participants by requiring that they sign waivers to enter the competition.
As with any large event, we will have risks. We want to reduce the amount of issues and incidents, but if they
happen to occur we have risk management recommendations.
Part III. Recommendations
As a result of the four risk management analysis steps, we would recommend that the company implement the
following:
A. Policy Statements
1. Parental Responsibility- It is the parents responsibility to keep their children with them at all times
during the event. No children are allowed inside or near the gates of the beer garden. They stage with the electrical
wiring will be monitored by staff. Individuals that have not been previously trained are not allowed to manage that
equipment.
2. Restrooms- The restrooms we will be using for our event will be open to the entire public.
3. Waivers- All participants must sign a waiver along with their entry fee to participate in the surf
competition. All volunteers and paid staff must sign a waiver to be able to work at the surf competition.
B. Goals and Objectives
Could we solve a risk with a policy statement? if so write here.
C. Site and Facility Mitigations
A fence should be added to the parking lot to ensure the spaces are reserved and safer for people walking to
the event. Parking in the public parking lots will be at the risk of the car owner, but we will provide this parking for
people coming to the event specifically. The surf competition is open for the public to watch, so we will leave the area
open, except for the beer garden. The beer garden will be roped off and will have a security guards managing who
enters and who leaves.
D. Program Mitigations
Since the surfing in Ocean was such a high risk we decided to adjust the age levels of the participants. We
originally were going to have our age brackets as such: 7-12, 13-17, 18+. We will now be having 12-17 and 18+. This
will reduce the risk of drowning in harsh ocean conditions because we increased the minimum age. For the 12-17 age
group we will have an experienced surfer out there on their own board to ensure that everyone is being safe and feels
safe.
We also decided to mitigate our liability for the beer garden by contracting it out to a separate company
(Central Coast Distributors). They will take on the liability for checking ID’s as well. They are in charge of obtaining
the special “It’s okay to distribute and drink alcohol on Pismo Beach” permit from the city.
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7. E. Supervision
● Staff, volunteers and surfers participating in the competition must fill out a waiver provided by Central Coast
Events.
● Security will usher patrons into the parking facility if they are attending the surf competition
● Staff will patrol the surrounding area to ensure safety at all times.
● Each hired staff will be trained one week prior to the event.
● Each volunteer will be given an orientation packet when they commit to volunteering for Central Coast
Events. This packet will include their duties, when and where they should arrive and event details.
● Head staff members and event coordinators will be equipped with headsets and walkie talkies to
communicate with each other.
● Everyone working the event will have a copy and should have read the emergency plan and procedures for
the event.
● First Aid and lifeguards must be experienced and certified.
● Each lifeguard will man their stations at all times.
F. Rules, Regulations, and Procedures
Any individuals participating in the surf competition must comply with state and city ordinances as well as
competition rules. Offensive behavior will result in disqualification from the competition. The event coordinator will
meet with the surfing judges to create a list on what the surfers will be judged on. This list will be distribute to the
surfers two weeks prior to the event. The judges will make all decisions relating to determining the winners. The
judges are to sign waivers ensuring they will remain bias while judging the competition. A cancellation fee will be held
if a participant decides not to compete and request a refund. No refunds will be issued 48 hours prior to the event.
G. Safety Inspections
Day Prior- On the day before the event, the head of security and the head event planners will do routine site
inspections to make sure the parking area is gated off, that the beaches and water look clear of debris and the
bathrooms are in working order. All the duties will be assigned to the individuals working the event.
Day Of- The event planners will arrive three hours prior to the event. They will oversee the delivery and set-up
of the sound equipment. They will try to minimize any risks they see that may cause injury or damage. Security
will keep all roads clear and assist with traffic flow of the vendors dropping off their equipment. Security will continue
to patrol the venue and surrounding areas as the event progresses throughout the day.
After the Event- Volunteer staff will pick up any trash left on the beach after the event. Event planners will
make sure each vendor takes their equipment with them when they leave the venue. If any lost or left item are found,
the planners will take it with them and arrange a pick up time to meet with the owner of the lost item.
H. Accident Reporting and Analysis
Event planners will prepare blank incident reports prior to the event. Incident reports will be brought to the
venue. Every incident that should be documented will be. This includes, but, is not limited to any damages, injuries or
stolen items. Security will have incident reports on hand. Each incident report should have a witness report if
possible. Event planners will collect all contact information needed and will follow up with the attendees.
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8. I. Emergencies
First aid and Ambulance should be onsite for a quick response to any emergencies. Security will have the roads
clear of any traffic to ensure that there will be no obstacles in the way of the ambulance. All minor injuries will seek
treatment at the first aid stations. Certified first aid staff will determine whether an injury will require additional
medical attention. Event planners and security will be in charge of controlling the crowds if there is an emergency.
J. Releases, Waivers, and Agreements to Participate
Competitors
● High risk is associated with surfing so requiring participants to sign release waivers will be vital for reducing
the liability of the event.
● All participators in the Surf Competition are required to fill out a waiver similar to the one shown below. If
they don’t have one completed before the start of the competition they will not be allowed to participate.
● There will be a check in station where surfers will go to get their competition number. At this point in time
the staff at the check in station will make sure that each participant has fully completed a waiver.
● Waiver outlines all possible risks that participants could experience during the event. Clearly outlining all
inherent dangers so that participants can appreciate the risks
● Participants must sign waivers voluntarily.
● Extra waivers will be provided for registered participants who have lost theirs.
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9. Vendors
● Each vendor must sign a contract with Central Coast Event Company before they will be allowed to
sell any of their products.
● Contracts will outline the following
○ Date and Time of the event (including set-up and clean-up times)
○ products they will be allowed to sell
○ space they are allowed to take up
○ advertisments they are allowed to show
○ noise levels they must maintain
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10. K. Methods of Insuring Against Risk
○ Central Coast Events will be insured by the following
■ Special Events Insurance
○ Each vendor must have their own insurance for the day of the event. Central Coast events
isn’t responsible for theft occurring during the event.
○ Beer garden must also have appropriate insurance for selling alcohol
L. In-Service Training
● Staff and volunteers will be prepped with the YMCA’s goals and values so that they can better
represent the company.
● Life guards will receive CPR training
● Staff and volunteers will be required to attend a meeting prior to the event to go over their duties
and the proper way to handle emergency situations.
M. Public and Media Relations
● This is an annual event and over the years the YMCA Benefit Surf Competition has accumulated a
large crowd for viewing. Because of it’s popularity, the local news will be on sight to create a news
segment on the surf competition. In the result of an emergency, reporters will be present to ask
questions and film an interview. During the interview, a representative will inform the viewers that
there was an emergency, what we are currently doing to fix the emergency, how our risk
management plan fits into the resolving the issue, and finally how we will step up our risk
management to prevent the happening of this accident again.
● We want to maintain our positive relationship with the local media so we will give them as much
information as we can while simultaneously upholding the company reputation and respecting the
privacy of the individuals involved in the incident.
N. Outside Specialists (Legal & Insurance)
From experience, we at Central Coast Events, have found that even with the most careful planning unexpected
situations may arise. These unexpected situations can lead to lawsuits and liability issues so having strong insurance
and legal representatives is very important. We are members of the Event Planners Association which helps protect
us from legal problems. Being a part of this association we are able to access safety standards, certifications, proper
legal contracts and insurance, enabling us to confidently provide the very best products and services available. This
association significantly reduces our liability for any unforeseen accidents that occur during our events.
Part IV. Implementation
To have a successful risk management plan, Central Coast Events, Inc. must clearly communicate how to
implement the plan. We at Central Coast Events, Inc. have carefully designed our policies, procedures, waivers, and
insurance coverage in preparation for the YMCA Benefit Surf Competition. As a company we are confident that
implementation of our risk management plan will always comply with our policies, procedures, waivers, and
insurance while maintaining the safety and integrity of all participants and staff.
A. Implementation
First-Aid and CPR training will be mandatory for all Central Coast Event, Inc. staff. Two training seminars
will be held, one on January 6, 2014 and one on February 3, 2014. All staff must attend one of the training seminars
and become First-Aid and CPR certified no later than February 10, 2014. The YMCA Benefit Surf Competition
involves swimming which can be high-risk activity and may result in emergency situations. By training all staff
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11. members in First-Aid and CPR, Central Coast Events, Inc. is taking necessary steps to reduce all foreseeable risk. Both
training seminars will be conducted by Human Resources Director, Kelsey McBeth from Central Coast Events, Inc. All
employees that fail to attend the mandatory training seminars will be suspended until proof of certification is
submitted.
Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) training will be conducted in order to prepare all Central Coast Events, Inc.
staff for the YMCA Benefit Surf Competition. Training staff on different ways to recognize over-intoxication is an
extremely important step in implementing our risk management plan. Central Coast Event staff will also be trained to
check for proper identification. By equipping our staff with ABC knowledge and teaching them how to check IDs we
are reducing the risk of under-age drinking and over-intoxication. Central Coast Events, Inc. Coordinator, Nicole
Pelot will approve all staff assigned to work the YMCA Benefit Surf Competition upon completion of ABC training.
Nicole will also be on-site at the event to provide additional assistance in the supervision of the beer garden.
Security/ Parking lot supervision will be contracted out to San Luis Security, Inc. We chose this company
because they specialize in short-term security for special events. Also, all of the security guards at San Luis Security,
Inc. are trained, tested, and have attained their guard license for the State of California. This company will provide
professional, security experts to aid in parking lot supervision and on-site security at the surf competition. Dominic
Catayas from Central Coast Events, Inc. will contact San Luis Security, Inc. by May 1, 2014. A contract between
Central Coast Events, Inc. and San Luis Security, Inc. will be constructed, agreed upon, and signed no later than June
1, 2014. Madison Ventura will be in charge of assigning San Luis Security guards to specified areas around the event
and at the parking lot. Madison will also assist the hired security guards and provide additional supervision. Security
guards will be patrolling the beach and parking lot before, during, and after the event.
B. Continuous Improvement
At Central Coast Events, Inc. we take pride in our continuous efforts to improve and know the importance of
research, assessment, and evaluation of each event we host. In order to keep our promise of doing whatever it takes to
take our events to the next level we administer surveys at the end of every event to get feedback from participants and
other stakeholders. Evaluations come in the form of survey data that is collected and then analyzed. Appropriate
adjustments are then made to ensure our customers that we are doing everything in our power to exceed any and all
expectations. Central Coast Events, Inc. has hired world-renowned evaluations expert Dr. Keri Schwab to assist in the
evaluation process. By hiring a professional we are confident that evaluations of our events will lead to making
enlightened decisions in the future, which will aid in our continuous improvement efforts. Also, our Social Media
Intern, Luke will design a special Facebook page after the event as a way for stakeholders of the YMCA Benefit Surf
Competition to voice their opinions and give our event company feedback on ways to improve, or to praise us for
anything they enjoyed about the event.
Dr. Schwab and her evaluation team will administer an importance/performance questionnaire to people
leaving the event as soon as the competition is over. This will allow people to evaluate our event while the experience
is still fresh in their mind. Within the importance/performance questionnaire we will gather information regarding
demographics of the respondent as ask them to rate the importance and performance of certain attributes using a
Likert scale. These attributes will include: Location of event, Parking, Food, Music, Activities, and Vendors. Each
attribute will be rated on a scale from 1-5. Data will then be collected, coded, and analyzed by Dr. Schwab and her
evaluation team. A report will then be assembled that will include findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
Central Coast Events, Inc. Marketing Department will work closely with Dr. Schwab and her team to work towards
maximizing our efforts to create safe, fun, exciting, and innovative events.
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12. Part V. References
Peterson, J.A. & Hronek, B.B. (2011). Risk Management for Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Services (6th Ed.).
Urbana, IL: Sagamore Publishing, LLC.
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