Many event organisations fail to store their corporate knowledge and lessons learned after the event and start again from scratch the following year - sometimes with an entirely new team. Effective knowledge management in event organisations can only be achieved using ongoing knowledge creation and transfer practices throughout the entire event life cycle and including both permanent and seasonal staff, volunteers, as well as other stakeholders. Reflection and strategic planning for the future form part of these practices and need to be understood by all staff members. Within the complex and stressful event environment, however, time is limited for this process to occur.

The aim of this presentation is to discuss appropriate knowledge management activities and practices for each stage of the event management process (pre/during/post event). The key learning outcome is a better understanding of the importance of creating and maintaining a collaborative ‘knowledge culture’ which is important for: (1) all members of the organisation to create, share and store knowledge effectively; (2) building a shared understanding among the team; and (3) for the organisation as a whole to learn over time and avoid reinventing the wheel.