Awards for excellence in risk mitigation: Celebrating past achievements of our members

At CivicRisk Mutual, we’re honoured to have members who consistently strive for excellence in risk mitigation, even in the most challenging circumstances. We know that effective risk mitigation strategies are essential to the success of any event, and we take pride in celebrating the achievements of our members who go above and beyond to ensure the safety of their communities.

Last year, we had the privilege of recognising Dubbo Regional Council for their exceptional efforts in delivering a successful event during the Covid-19 pandemic. Their dedication, resilience and innovation in implementing unique risk mitigation strategies and controls are a testament to the spirit of our members.

Dubbo NRL 1st grade football match: A case study in effective event management

The Dubbo NRL 1st Grade Football Match during the Covid-19 pandemic is a remarkable example of effective risk mitigation strategies in action. The Dubbo team employed a wide range of strategies to mitigate risk — covering all the bases by preparing for disaster scenarios such as lost children, alcohol consumption and accidents.

Unique Covid-19 strategies and controls

One of the most significant challenges faced by the team at Dubbo was navigating the Covid-19 pandemic’s restrictions. The event’s success can be attributed to the extensive communication and planning that went into making it happen. The team implemented unique Covid-19 strategies and controls, such as selling tickets in batches to make it easier to refund tickets if numbers were reduced due to public health orders and splitting the crowd into two large areas with a ‘hard barrier.’

This meant that if the ticket holder was in one area, they were not allowed into another and essentially had two event areas with just over 5,000 people — given a public health order exemption granted permission for 11,000. They maintained this with colour-coded artist bands, and to ensure comfortability, the team at Dubbo duplicated all amenities on each side.

Positive community response and economic benefits

The local community’s response to the event was overwhelmingly positive, with a sold-out crowd and high levels of satisfaction with the game day experience and management of Covid-19 protocols. Three months later, the team at Dubbo also found out there were no new outbreaks in the region — meaning that their efforts had been successful.

Orana Police Commander Peter McKenna said: “Congratulations to all the staff involved in the event for the ease of getting into and out of the ground. The traffic movement around the outside of the ground was a job well done by all. A pleasure to be here today.”

Moreover, the event brought significant economic benefits to the region, with an estimated $2.4m injection into the local economy and some of the highest accommodation capacity rates since 2018, at this time of the year, despite the fact it was held during the pandemic.

Lessons learned and inspiring action

The experience of the Dubbo NRL game has several lessons for effective risk mitigation and event management. One of the most important takeaways is the need to consider all aspects of the event from the viewpoint of the user. This consideration should be put into different contexts such as infrastructure projects, managing facilities or managing community expectations.

Emergency and Risk Team Leader at Dubbo Regional Council Pip Laskowski shared some valuable insight: “Walk the path that the user will walk. Place yourself in the shoes of the people who are affected and then imagine the same scenario if you were an elderly person, or require wheelchair access or have a young family, etc … “

Join like-minded councils

We invite you to join us in this mission and discover the benefits of being a CivicRisk Mutual member. As a member, you will have access to our comprehensive resources and expertise in risk mitigation . You will also have the opportunity to connect with other councils and share knowledge and insights that let you create safer, more successful events for all. Contact us to learn more.