Letters | Messi debacle shows Hong Kong needs to up its event management game

Readers discuss the need to improve Hong Kong event management ‘software’, traffic light programming, and the waste-charging scheme

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Fans react during the friendly soccer match between the Hong Kong team and US club Inter Miami at Hong Kong Stadium on February 4. Lionel Messi’s non-appearance was a disappointment for the over 38,000 fans at the event. Photo: AP

Published: 11:30am, 8 Feb 2024

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In the past few days, it has been hard to not notice the news about the match between Inter Miami and the Hong Kong team on February 4.

In addition to the massive news coverage locally, I saw reports on CNN, BBC and Bloomberg, and in the New York Post, Financial Times, Reuters and Time Magazine. While the media focus was on Lionel Messi’s “absence” from the game, I was more concerned over the event management ability of the organisers.

Twenty years ago, when I was running a professional conference organiser, we would team up with the Hong Kong Tourism Board to pitch for global mega events to be held in the city. Back then, our only shortcoming was venue availability because there were too many events but not enough space. Event managers’ skills and knowledge was never an issue.

Although I was not involved in the Inter Miami game, I could not help but question the lack of risk awareness of the event manager employed by the organiser Tatler Asia.

When I started my first event management job many years ago, my first lesson was to learn how to take ownership of everything. The definition of everything includes identification of all the potential risks and contingency plans.