managing travel for planned special events - FHWA Operations ...

Interagency CoordinationIn establishing an event planning team, thecore stakeholders must develop a workingtrust with each other. This trust resultswhen stakeholders realize that a plannedspecial event necessitates the same relationshipscultivated in daily traffic and incidentmanagement.A joint operations policy or other memorandaof understanding strengthens the cooperativebond among core stakeholders.These agreements identify common goalsand responsibilities of the partnering agencies.Consensus among stakeholders builds interagencycoordination and an understandingof each agency’s responsibility. Key elementsto consider include:• Participating stakeholders must recognizethat the motivations of individualagencies may differ from the event planningteam’s concerns as a result of theirday-to-day responsibilities.• Although the event planning team doesnot have authority over individual stakeholders,the planning team must realizethat possible conflicts may exist betweenthe team’s objectives and a stakeholder’sprimary responsibility. Understandingthis is key to overcoming such a problem;yet, the team can foster a cooperativespirit among stakeholders by emphasizingthat participants own a part ofthe event planning team’s commongoals. In turn, team goals and objectivescreate incentives for individual stakeholders.• Stakeholders must remain focused on thegoals and objectives of the event planningteam in order to effectively supportand contribute in the event operationsplanning process. This includes concentratingon tasks that can be successfullyaccomplished collectively.Common barriers to the event planningteam’s progress include resource constraintsand jurisdictional barriers.• Resource or funding constraints surfacewhen stakeholders assign a lower priorityto the planned special event. In satisfyingindividual and team goals, stakeholdersmay have to make temporaryproject and program sacrifices, in termsof personnel and equipment reassignment,to provide adequate benefits to theevent operations planning effort.• Jurisdictional barriers arise when two ormore stakeholders are unclear on theirduties and responsibilities. Do not allowparticipating agencies to feel left out. Atthe time of buy-in, the event planningteam must indicate which stakeholdersare required on an as-needed basis. Theteam must have the ability to communicateeffectively with stakeholders havinga peripheral involvement in the overallplanning effort.Risk AssessmentBased on the type and purpose of a plannedspecial event, there exists potential scenarioswhere event patron or non-attendee behaviormay cause overcrowded conditions in thevicinity of an event venue and/or create unplannedroad closures. The event planningteam must assess the nature of a proposedevent and determine the need to incorporatespecial contingency plans in response to potentiallydangerous situations that will interferewith the planned travel management onthe day-of-event.Table 5-3 lists four notable event-orientedrisk scenarios associated with some plannedspecial events. This section further5EVENT PROFILE POST-EVENT ACTIVITIES DAY-OF-EVENT ACTIVITIES ADVANCE PLANNINGOVERVIEW5-5