Crisis management, resilience and organizational learning in the event management sector: An insight from Malaysia

The management of major crises, resilience and organizational learning are important issues that have received scant attention in the event management industry, and limited information can be found in the mainstream literature. The current research focuses on crisis management practices, resilience, and organizational learning of event planners and management companies during the health pandemic crisis. A total of 15 in-depth interviews were conducted with event planners and management companies in Malaysia. The results showed that there were five stages of encountering the pandemic: a) panic and anxiety, b) crumbling motivation and thwarting career moves, c) paralyzing decision-making processes, d) bleeding inwards and creating an uncertain and complex environment in the organization, and e) reconsidering business operation. Moreover, three resilience adaptation strategies e.g., psychological, technological and organizational resilience were found. Event organizational learning in the form of knowledge management was another important practice during the pandemic crisis management. The study significantly contributes to literature, exploring the implication of organizational learning and resilience in the event crisis management. It further offers practical implications to event management stakeholders.