Mike Penrose and Stuart Adam of medical and security risk firm International SOS discuss corporate care at high profile. Being over confident can result in an own goal, they warn.
In the lead up to the World Cup there is a great deal of attention being paid to the German security infrastructure and the measures that will be implemented to protect the World Cup participants, supporters, guests, VIPs and other visitors that are the raison d’etre of an event of this nature.
The German authorities, with their legendary efficiency and pragmatism, will undoubtedly produce a robust and appropriate crisis management infrastructure that is sufficient for any foreseeable crisis. We are confident in predicting that the broad range of visitors, who intend to make the four-yearly pilgrimages to support their teams, can rest assured that all that can be done is being done.
The security measures being initiated by the German authorities are designed to service all visitors equally and contain any emerging crisis. The important thing to remember when contemplating what support your company may require is that to the German authorities and civil defence agencies, you and your organisation are NO different to the other estimated seven or eight million visitors expected to attend the event.
Are you confident that all the risks facing your organisation at an event like this, including your particular requirements, are covered by these plans?
Individual organisations with large numbers of visitors to the World Cup will require their own contingency and crisis management plans to ensure their staff and colleagues have access to priority crisis management resources. In the event of a major incident, the authorities assume control. You as an organisation need to be ready to pick up and support your people where the authorities leave off. How do you extract your one thousand from the seven million?
The fact that it is your CEO that is involved will make no difference. In the event of a crisis, everyone will be vying for the same pool of resources thus placing a significant strain on the emergency services’ ability to respond effectively. These resources are finite, and a responsible organisation needs to ensure that any potential services it might require are available and dedicated to them, in advance of a crisis.
Which teams?
High profile sporting events like the Olympics or World Cup are huge business. The investment required to become a key sponsor, or even to reserve a corporate hospitality package is considerable and therefore every investing entity is going to want to see a return. This usually means that corporations’ top executives are going to want to bring other partner organisations senior managers to the events, so at any major game the concentration of top tier management in the same place at the same time is enough to give any security professional a sleepless night. If something was to happen, are you comfortable that you have the infrastructure in place to ensure a peaceful nights sleep? Does your duty of care platform extend to cover the additional responsibility?
Who are the opposition?
The lure of publicity and the concentration of humanity ensures that the World Cup brings a plethora of undesirables out of the woodwork. Those that are of particular concern to the World Cup are:
Hooligans: Whilst on the decline in the UK due to increasingly efficient police response (and the UK are deploying a substantial police group to the World Cup to advise and assist the German authorities) it is still at worrying levels. In addition to the well publicised British hooligans there is also a burgeoning problem in Italy, Poland and even Germany itself. Outbreaks of violence can sometimes flare up into pitched street battles and care needs to be taken when socialising in areas popular with foreign supporters, especially in the late afternoon when copious quantities of alcohol have no doubt been drunk.
Right wing groups: There is concern that the growing number of militant right wing groups springing up in the former East of the country will use the World Cup to make their presence felt.
Terrorism: An inevitable concern at events such as this. There are known Islamic terrorist cells in Europe and there is debate about whether their recent silence is due to a reduced capacity, security service efficiencies or a combination of the two. That said, they are not to be discounted. Mohammed Atta, the 9-11 hijacker, was the leader of al Qaeda’s "Hamburg Cell".
Anti-Capitalist Groups: The growing trend of militant anti-capitalist groups targeting corporations with violence and intimidation is assessed to be on the increase. Pharmaceutical companies have been targeted in the past, as have food and beverage and financial services companies with readily identifiable international branding. Should corporations such as these be major sponsors of international sporting events there is a real risk of them being targeted in some way.
Vehicle accidents:Regardless of the threat environment, the largest assessed threat to personnel is death or injury through a road traffic accident (RTA). Germany boasts wonderful autobahns where motorists can travel at high speeds in relative safety. For those deciding to drive in Germany who are not used to travelling at such high speeds or driving on the right hand side of the road, the risk of being involved in a RTA increases significantly.
Petty crime:Petty crime levels are assessed as ‘normal’ in most major cities. It is assessed that due to the influx of supporters for the World Cup and the usual summer tourists, petty theft is likely to be higher than usual.
In addition, countries supporting the ‘War on Terror’ and those actively involved in the Iraq conflict are assessed as likely terrorist targets during the World Cup. The most vulnerable group to this threat are those individuals and corporations perceived as supporters of any nation involved, namely the United States and Great Britain, but not forgetting the lesser players in terms of troop numbers including: Japan; South Korea; Australia; Italy; Czech Republic; Ukraine; The Netherlands; Spain (withdrawn troops); and Portugal (withdrawn troops)
How to tackle!
In short, co-operation and outside assistance is the only reasonable solution to ensuring that appropriate duty of care can be provided in a cost effective manner. In a high profile environment such as a major sporting event, when tens or even hundreds of staff, guests, family members and VIPs are ‘enjoying themselves’ Security Managers need a suite of tools they might not normally carry in their armoury. Unfortunately, it is usually extremely complex, time consuming and inefficient to try to develop a complete suite of crisis management and emergency response resources for an event that might only last a few weeks. This is why an increasing number of major organisations are buying into event specific Emergency Operations Centres (EOC’s). Through these resources an enhanced support package can be achieved on a cost share basis resulting in true value for money.
If you are considering (at an organisational level) to contract into a commercially run EOC, it is essential to ensure that the minimum suite of services provided meets your expectations and requirements. Organisations providing these will often tailor-make a package to suit a client, but it will always be based on the crisis management platform they have already developed. At a minimum this should include.
A direct point of entry to a comprehensive network of integrated medical and security risk management solutions.
Guarantee of immediate local support in times of crisis.
Full coordination of crisis management resources to resolve crises, both large scale and at an individual level.
Access to priority emergency mass / security / medical evacuation services.
Full access during the time of the games to real time analysis and information via a web connection.
24hr telephone and emergency response advice for all delegates and visitors.
Full integration and coordination with national response and crisis management resources.
Evacuation plans and resources including local and international options.
Analysis after
With the World Cup fast approaching it is essential to have conducted a thorough threat, risk and vulnerability assessment in order to identify clear risk reduction strategies. The threat and risk assessment should include:
Assessment of the corporation’s operating location during the event.
Accommodation and transport.
Logistic requirements.
Security at each location and identification of a reliable provider.
Medical facilities.
Evacuation plans – land/sea/air.
Business continuity plans.
Crisis communications.
Safe locations.
Stand fast.
From these assessments appropriate crisis management service providers can be identified and plans written and practised prior to the commencement of the event. This will ensure a robust strategy is in place to safeguard the personnel attending the event and fulfil corporate duty of care responsibilities. Furthermore, these strategies should assist in reducing potential negative press which could result from a major emergency, and adversely affect the corporation’s reputation and brand.
In the current global security environment the emphasis on security can hardly be understated, especially at major sporting events. These events provide a significant challenge to host nations, as it is a chance to prove that the national infrastructure is capable of protecting its citizens and visitors during periods of high intensity and showcase their preparedness. It must be noted that there have been a number of major international sporting events undertaken since 2001 including a Summer and Winter Olympics, Commonwealth Games and numerous world championships all without incident. This may be due to increased vigilance of the host nations, the shutting down of terror cells, or that terrorists prefer to look at ‘softer’ targets. Nevertheless, a major event such as the World Cup offers terrorists the opportunity to stage a ‘spectacular’ and vigilance must be maintained.
With the World Cup fast approaching and the Beijing Olympics just around the corner, there is no need to panic just yet. There are organisations in the marketplace that have a proven track record of providing cost effective support to major sponsors and event organising committees to reduce identified threats and risks to personnel and brand. Once that is done you should be able to sit back and enjoy the game.
About the writers: Stuart Adam and Mike Penrose are Regional Risk Managers for International SOS, a provider of medical and security risk services. Stuart and Mike have experience in designing and developing crisis management programmes for major event sponsors and organising committees, including at the Athens and Torino Olympics.
