| R-01 |
Keynote speaker cancellation — One or more confirmed keynotes withdraw due to scheduling conflict or personal reasons |
M |
H |
Program |
Maintain a shortlist of 3 backup speakers with pre-negotiated availability. Require speakers to sign commitment letter with cancellation terms by Aug 31. |
Program Chair (Okafor) |
Monitoring |
| R-02 |
Sponsor revenue shortfall — Sponsorship revenue falls below $200K minimum needed to cover base costs |
H |
H |
Finance |
Diversify sponsor tiers with lower-cost options ($2K community tier). Activate backup outreach list of 15 companies. Identify $30K in discretionary budget that can be cut if needed. |
Sponsorship Lead (Tan) |
Active — revenue at 54% of target |
| R-03 |
Low registration numbers — Fewer than 600 paid registrants by Sept 15 cutoff |
M |
H |
Registration |
Launch targeted LinkedIn/email campaign in Aug. Offer group discount (5+ tickets). Partner with 3 local meetup groups for cross-promotion. Prepare reduced-capacity contingency floor plan. |
Marketing Lead (Chen) |
Monitoring — currently at 340 |
| R-04 |
AV / technical failure on event day — Projector, microphone, or livestream failure disrupts sessions |
M |
H |
Venue / Ops |
Require AV vendor to provide redundant equipment for main stage. On-site AV tech required for both days. Run full tech rehearsal Oct 14. Backup laptop at each podium. |
Venue Chair (Reyes) |
Monitoring |
| R-05 |
Severe weather or travel disruption — Hurricane season or major storm impacts Austin travel in mid-October |
L |
H |
Logistics |
Monitor weather forecasts starting Oct 1. Pre-negotiate hotel cancellation flexibility. Prepare hybrid/virtual fallback for keynotes via livestream infrastructure. Travel insurance recommendation sent to all speakers. |
General Chair (Walsh) |
Monitoring |
| R-06 |
Catering / dietary incident — Food safety issue or failure to accommodate dietary restrictions causes attendee health issue |
L |
H |
Venue / Ops |
Require caterer to provide allergen documentation for every item. Separate prep stations for allergen-free meals. On-site first aid and EpiPen availability. Collect dietary requirements during registration (mandatory field). |
Venue Chair (Reyes) |
Monitoring |
| R-07 |
Sponsor payment delay — Signed sponsors delay invoice payment past Aug 15 deadline, creating cash flow gap |
H |
M |
Finance |
Net-30 payment terms in all contracts. Send invoice immediately upon signing. Escalation sequence: automated reminder (day 15), personal email (day 25), phone call (day 30), General Chair intervention (day 35). Maintain $40K operating reserve. |
Finance / General Chair (Walsh) |
Active — 2 invoices overdue |
| R-08 |
Volunteer no-shows — Fewer than 80% of recruited volunteers show up on event day |
M |
M |
Operations |
Over-recruit by 25% (target 50, recruit 63). Require confirmation 1 week prior. Assign backup roles. Brief a small paid temp staff contingency ($3K budget hold). |
Operations (Reyes) |
Monitoring |
| R-09 |
Wi-Fi network overload — Convention center Wi-Fi cannot handle 800+ concurrent devices, especially during live demos |
M |
M |
Venue / Tech |
Upgrade to dedicated conference SSID with 1 Gbps backhaul (in venue contract). Load-test with vendor in September. Provide hardwired ethernet at speaker podiums and demo stations. |
Venue Chair (Reyes) |
Monitoring |
| R-10 |
Code of Conduct incident — Harassment or misconduct reported during event |
L |
H |
Attendee Experience |
Publish CoC on website and in attendee welcome packet. Train 4 designated CoC responders. Establish private reporting channel (phone + email + in-app). Document response protocol with 30-min SLA for initial acknowledgment. |
General Chair (Walsh) |
Prepared |
