Chapter 12 Crisis Management and Recovery for Events Issues and Directions (Vassilios Ziakas, Vladimir Antchak and Donald Getz)

Abstract

The landscape of the event sector is dramatically changing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The crisis has accelerated structural change and aggravated the instability of what has traditionally been a highly volatile, disruptive and erratic sector. Crises are becoming the new normal. The probability of the advent of further crises should be considered and carefully evaluated by the event industry and the entire visitor economy sector. It is critical for event organizers and host communities to learn how to cooperate and manage their events under conditions of constant or episodic crises and turbulence. A holistic mindset in crisis management needs to be developed to create tools and strategies for enabling the effective adaptability, recovery, and resilience of events. In this concluding chapter, we outline the pillars of a holistic crisis management perspective that makes use of complex adaptive systems, event portfolio and resilience theories. We encapsulate major issues in the crisis management of events and put forward an integrative framework that brings together crucial elements and processes. Finally, we discuss key trends and transformations of the sector, and in this context, suggest directions for future research.