The Great Ocean Road Triathlon will encompass swimming, biking and running. It will occur at Anglesea Victoria, Great Ocean Road. The event includes a series of event management, risk management and administrative functions.
Human resources
The triathlon will have a marketing team that consists of a coordinator, media team, and planning group. They will be responsible for the initial announcement of the event using local media outlets. These include television, an event website, radio, newspapers, leaflets and social networking sites. The website will have information about joining the triathlon, and will give advice on how to prepare for the event.
Details on the prize money of AUD 15,000 and training packages of AUD 500 will also be available on the site. The marketing team will also update athletes, sponsors and any interested parties on new developments. Newspapers, magazines, television and radio advertisements will highlight the venue, date, and possible reasons to participate.
The triathlon and multisport magazine will especially be useful for this program because it will allow for a thorough explanation of the event. The marketing team will double up as a media team on the day of the event. It will work with television stations to broadcast the event locally (Xterra 2013).
The executive or administration team will consist of an organising committee. The group will be responsible for the quality, safety and fairness of the event. This committee will also liaise with the International Triathlon Committee, which will give them advice on how to implement the program. Some appointments will be imperative in this group.
The organising committee will have a president who will ensure that all elements of the manual are implemented. This executive team will consist of a technical delegate who will be responsible for the implementation of regulations and rules. Finally, it will have a chief technical official who will handle the management issues of the event.
Together, the administrative team will monitor preparations for the event by carrying out checks and regular meetings. They will delegate duties to the rest of the team and do progress updates every few weeks.
This group will also obtain approvals and permits from the local and municipal council prior to the event. They shall supervise water quality tests several times before the competition. Furthermore, they will ensure that all the team members are playing their part.
A finance team will be responsible for the collection, budgeting and management of expenditure in the team. This group will consist of a series of accountants who will make projections on potential revenue sources. Some of them will include corporate sponsors for Xterra Australia, registration fees, training fees for the coach, and municipal or government sponsors.
Suppliers who partner with the Triathlon team will also enter into a contract that will compel them to give a portion of their earnings from the event to the team. This group will also manage expenditure for the team.
This will include accommodation, security, infrastructure management, course management, insurance, medical care, and award ceremonies. They will determine the amount of money needed for each activity and ensure that all the concerned groups will collect and work on it.
The program delivery team will be responsible for operational implementation of the event. Their work will be to ensure that the quality of the event is satisfactory. They will focus on volunteer services, registration of athletes, venue management, program synchrony, awards banquets and the closing ceremony. They will report to the administrative team and receive instructions on the way forward.
First, the program delivery group will register athletes. It will ensure that they are eligible to participate, and that they have paid their full registration fees before entry into the company database. Their names will appear on the company website two weeks before the competition.
Spectator management falls under the program delivery docket. The group will organise bus schedules, road closures and warning signs for the athletes involved. In order to ensure road closures work, the group will liaise with local radio newspapers, radio stations, and blogs to advertise the information.
All access roads will have signs a few days prior to the event. Surrounding members will also receive flyers on this inaccessibility. The program delivery team will work with the media team to ensure that this takes place.
The program delivery team will also create an athlete service booth in which they will receive athletes who arrive for the event and escort them to their respective locations. They will organise the placement of personnel who will prepare the bikes, sporting equipment and gear needed to participate in the event. Athletes will receive a course map, information about nearby medical clinics and tourism spots.
Perhaps one of the most critical tasks that the program delivery team will carry out is venue management. They will look into the course design for swimming, biking and running along with their transitions. Here, design specifications for swimming must adhere to international specifications for length, depth, as well as turns and exits.
They will also ascertain that the swim-to-bike transitions occur smoothly by placing signs, and providing athletes with the right clothing for each level. In the bike course, there must be smooth corners as well as an internationally permitted incline. The same will hold for the run course. The finish area will have the necessary aesthetics and spacing needed to work effectively.
Venue management also entails having proper public address systems. The program delivery team will source high quality devices from reputable firms. It will also ensure that event announcers and commentators are in place. Medals will be presented in a designated area during an award ceremony. After the event, athletes will participate in a medical examination or doping control then they will exit to a recovery area.
The human resource team will be responsible for the recruitment, enumeration, and training of workers. Two types of workers will account for preparation of this team: volunteers and paid employees. Volunteers will be recruited through an online application process. They will receive training on the event, for the first two weeks, from the program delivery and HR teams.
They will also be encouraged to promote the event by wearing Great Ocean Triathlon t-shirts or by talking about it. Owing to the immense level of work needed to carry out this mission, it is essential to source paid employees for most of the tasks involved in event management. These will be experienced individuals who will also be recruited online.
A security team will also be instated in order to protect the spectators and the athletes from any prevalent dangers. They will ensure that things like theft, riots or fires do not take place. This group will also look into the proper flow of traffic through access roads as well as the seamless flow of traffic. For a full overview of the event organisational structure, please see figure below.
Risk management
In swimming, the temperature and water quality could be potential risk factors as they could cause illness. To mitigate this problem, the group will measure water temperature, PH and biological contaminants. Theft may also be a challenge during the event. This can be handled by having a prestart zone that will control access to the starting line.
All their (participant) belongings will be guarded by a security team, and placed in portable lockers. Additionally, only two officials will be allowed in transition areas so as to minimise the number of non-competing individuals who have access to sports equipment. If media representatives appear to compromise safety, the security team will remove them from the location.
Stampedes could also be challenges; the security team will control crowds while a program delivery team members will control athletes prior to and during the competition. For thorough safety, the police and security personnel should be present at every intersection or road.
Furthermore, there ought to be a motorcycle official, a vehicle control official as well as a lap auditor on the course. They must ensure that roads remain closed and that athletes do not intersect with moving vehicles (British Traithlon Council 2012).
Injuries are a potential source of concern in any sporting event. Therefore, the transitional areas should have properly arranged bikes and equipment in order to minimise collisions. The space between the bikes, helmets and other clothes should be sufficient to eradicate this risk. It should be a minimum of 75 cm, and must have a code number for each athlete. Crossovers between athletes should not occur in case of these transitions.
The course design and signage during the event will also mitigate this risk. For instance, courses can challenge the athletes by having hills or corners, but these should be within a reasonable limit. The number of laps that athletes can participate in must also be taken into consideration. Things like railroad tracks and bridges will not be in the course as they could cause accidents.
Furthermore, the courses will have fences, and all athletes must wear protective gear when competing. Drowning may also take place, so 15 professional lifeguards with canoes and kayaks will follow the athletes in the sea. Medical personnel will also be on standby.
Additionally, water safety boats will also support the lifeguards. In other sections of the triathlon, there will be medical personnel with cell phones and radios who can notify each other when an athlete requires urgent medical help. Additionally, ambulance services should also be present at key points.
Provisions will exist to allow the injured athletes to move with their bikes to transition areas without causing disruptions among continuing athletes. All athletes should access aid stations every 2km in the competition. Here, they can find water and other necessary supplies (Queensland Triathlon 2012).
Extreme weather could be a challenge in this sporting event. The most disturbing issue would be rain as it would cause the transition areas to become muddy. Therefore, to minimise this problem, the area should be carpeted between the swimming and biking areas as well as the biking area and running course. Bikes should be covered in the event of rain.
Bomb threats or evacuations may also be a risk in this event. The security team will have metal detectors to check all the spectators, athletes, and officials entering the Triathlon areas.
Furthermore, they will assess the whole venue prior to the event for any potential dangers. If an evacuation is necessary after establishment of a threat, then the security team will coordinate these efforts together with the police to terminate the competition.
Economic and social impact
The Triathlon will bring spectators, volunteers and athletes to Anglesea, Victoria. The participants in the triathlon have greater income streams than locals at Victoria. This comes with greater appreciation of the experiences and facilities that Anglesea has. Therefore, visitors will create an impact on the town’s economy through their stay there as well as visitation after the event.
Direct dollars from the event will emanate from the amount of money that the spectators and athletes spend on the weekend of the Triathlon. Local businesses, like groceries, restaurants, lodging facilities, and retail centres, will increase their number of sales owing to this event. It should be noted that the event will attract two types of visitors to Anglesea, Victoria.
Some of them will only come to the location for one day and go back to their homes. Conversely, others will spend the night in the near vicinity. Regardless of the category, all visitors will still spend money during the day.
Therefore, the amount of day expenditure and overnight spending will account for the total economic impact. If the event attracts 1,700 athletes, then their total expenditure may be AUD 1,399,336. Assuming that about 2,000 people accompany the athletes, the event could lead to revenue of AUD 478,003.
Indirect economic effects may also be felt through indirect business support. The event will require plenty of sporting and event supplies. Some of them may come from different parts of the country or from the local region.
They include bikes, swimming caps, running gear, swimming costumes, helmets, running shoes, goggles, bags, ambulance services, portable sanitation facilities, radio call devices, tents, podiums, seats, boats, canoes, and medicine.
Some of these devices will already be available at Anglesea, where the event management team will purchase the items. However, if the supplies are not enough, then the team will obtain them from other parts of the country. This will stimulate the economy in other parts that are not even closely tied to Victoria.
Tourism will also generate some revenue for this community. Some of the participants may decide to sightsee or visit different locations in the town. The beach is quite extensive and has accommodations that guests may visit when in the location or they could come back for the same experience. Social media will be quite helpful as most of the visitors will tweet or send Facebook messages about the beauty of the place.
This generates sales for concerned companies, and may boost the economy of the location. People’s perception towards Anglesea could change; this might lead to regular visitations even years to come. Aside from the direct economic impact, the event will also cause participants to donate money to local charities.
The event will also create a positive impact on the social well being of the community. First, most of the volunteers will come from the location. Additionally, spectators and local clubs may also want to involve themselves in the activities. These may cause residents to know each other and bond with one another.
Additionally, travellers will have a better understanding or appreciation of their country. This will strengthen visitor’s sense of nationalism.
Event evaluation
In order to assess how successful the Triathlon was, the event management team will conduct a survey among the participants. They will be asked to rate their overall experience of the event. They will also talk about the quality of the swimming, running and biking courses.
Participants will also rate the event organisation of the Triathlon. They can talk about rule clarification, training opportunities and support services. Members will also give their take on possible improvements to the event.
Since most of the participants usually come with their friends and family, it will be critical to determine what their insights are concerning the event. Therefore, another survey will be conducted among them. They will talk about their experience in the event and whether they were satisfied with the ancillary services offered to the spectators.
Aside from opinions and suggestions, the success of the event will be accessed by the number of athletes who registered and participated in the event. All must be placed in their respective categories.
Their numbers should be compared to other national triathlon events in the past. If they are close in number, then the event will have succeeded. This should also tie in with an examination of the number of tickets bought for the event. The projected revenue sources should also be within a 10% margin. These figures will indicate success on the part of the concerned stakeholders.
References
British Triathlon Council. 2012, Risk management strategy. Web.
Queensland Triathlon 2012, Triathlon event management and race operations manual. Web.
Xterra 2013, Xterra triathlon. Web.