The Advertising Foundation of the Philippines (Ad Foundation), in partnership with the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) and Unilever Philippines Inc., recently hosted top executives from event management organizers composed of clients, service providers, media agencies, government and other stakeholders gathered in an exclusive two-day seminar at the Asian Institute of Management on mitigating natural hazards and disasters on events.
Jun Nicdao, who chairs both the Ad Foundation and the KBP, said the seminar provided a “rare opportunity to imbibe the accumulated wisdom from past experiences of experts from both the government and private sector on risk management and mitigation.”
Dubbed as Eventwise, it was the inaugural run of a long-term vision to develop a set of performance standards for events organizing spearheaded by the Ad Foundation through its Educational Development and Special Projects Program Committees directed to support industry growth and self-regulation.
The Executive Seminar on Risk Reduction and Crisis Management for Events is the first of its kind bringing together experts from select government agencies, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and private-sector organizations on risk reduction and crisis management. The seminar is a melting pot for dynamic interactions through technical knowledge and experiential sharing of lessons learned from local to global perspectives.
Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Thomas M. Orbos discussed managing natural and man-made hazards in high-population events. Orbos challenged events organizers to “go beyond their terms of reference, to make sure that events not only run smoothly, but have identified and managed risks”. Sr. Supt. Wilberto Ang Kwan Tiu, regional director of the Bureau of Fire Protection of NCR, provided pointers on fire as a hazard to some special events.
PDEA Director Derrick Carreon provided specific recommendations on managing the proliferation of drugs and controlled substance found on concerts, parties, exhibits and other special events. Mariana Vargas from the Oscar Lopez Center Research Foundation discussed various disaster and risks related to natural calamities. The Philippine National Police, represented by Senior Supt. Felipe Managgun, gave an insight on criminality and other activities that effect events implementation and PNP response for enhanced security for the events through effective coordination.
The Philippine Red Cross also provided methods to conduct emergency response in events, and Rico Santiago of Okada on public-private sector partnership.