Olympic Protests Spawn New Crisis Management Plans
San Francisco held the honor of being the sole North American leg of this year’s Olympic torch relay. But as thousands of both pro- and anti-Chinese protesters gathered ahead of the event, how did the city prepare for a potentially nasty incident?

In an article on the Forbes.com website, Matthew Kirdahy and Steve McGookin say the city’s mayor Gavin Newsom and local authorities were “taking no chances” and advised against anything that would disrupt the event.

City officials planned ahead of the race, knowing the event would gather protesters and cause some problems. The mayor’s office told Kirdahy and McGookin the torch’s shortened route was “dynamic” and could be shifted while the run was in progress to avoid incident.

In addition to examining crisis management, Kirdahy and McGookin also look at how China is embarking on its own crisis management program to improve the country’s reputation in advance of the games.

“Whoever wins the contract – and leading PR companies have so far been reticent to say whether they’re in the running – will not only be several million dollars richer, but will find themselves in the front line of a political opposition that will likely only grow louder and more public in the run-up to the games,” Kirdahy and McGookin write.

To read the full article, click here: http://www.forbes.com/leadership/2008/04/09/olympic-torch-protest-lead-manage-cx_mk_0409china.html