Postponement of events

Abstract

The postponement of events is an ever-present and often unavoidable risk for event managers and stakeholders. Any event postponement will also have a series of profound consequences. Indeed, this was confirmed by the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in a number of postponed events around the globe throughout 2020 and 2021. As such, this chapter examines the postponement of sporting events and its impacts. In doing so, the chapter will first discuss the manifold of possible factors that can lead to event postponement. Then, it will zoom in on the COVID-19 related postponement of the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship (‘Euro 2020') for which the event’s hosting rights were shared by 12 European countries. Here, specific attention is paid to the balance between health and safety risks and economic returns. Lastly, the chapter offers some intriguing and interdisciplinary avenues for future research related to stakeholders and decision-making, spectators’ willingness to attend postponed sports events and new risk, safety and security management strategies in light of COVID-19. © Nicholas Wise and Kelly Maguire 2022.