Sports, Tourism & Events
Supporting stronger governance, safer events and sustainable growth
Understanding Your Environment
Sport, tourism, and events organisations operate in highly visible, stakeholder-rich environments where reputation, experience, safety and commercial performance matter.
The sector continues to face pressure from:
- increasing stakeholder and member expectations
- event safety, crowd management and public risk
- sponsorship, membership and revenue pressures
- venue utilisation and asset management
- integrity, compliance and conduct risks
- volunteer and workforce capability
- tourism funding and government engagement
- the need to deliver high-quality, commercially sustainable and well-managed experiences
In this environment, strong governance, practical risk management and effective operational controls are critical to protecting reputation, improving performance and supporting growth.
At JNW, we bring practical experience across elite sport, regional tourism, major events, entertainment venues and member-based and community organisations.
Our industry experience enables us to quickly understand:
- Board, committee and stakeholder expectations
- event and venues operating risks
- member, fan, visitor and community experience
- sponsorship, ticketing, merchandise and cash handling controls
- tourism governance and advocacy environments
- the practical realities facing Boards, executives, event managers and operators
How We Support the Sector
We support sport, tourism and events organisations through:
- Board governance and Director effectiveness reviews;
- Enterprise risk management frameworks and Risk Appetite Statements;
- Tourism governance and destination strategy advisory;
- Event governance and risk management reviews;
- Venue operations and controls assessments;
- Internal audit and controls assurance;
- Financial controls, revenue and cash handling reviews;
- Sponsorship, membership and merchandise controls;
- Strategic planning and governance support;
- Business continuity and crisis preparedness; and
- Audit & Risk Committee capability and advisory.
Our approach is practical, relationship-led and improvement driven – helping organisations strengthen governance and strategy, manage risk, improve controls and deliver successful events and experiences.
Examples of our valuable Club and event management experiences are detailed below
AFL
- Created a Board Governance and Director Effectiveness Performance Assessment survey
- Conducted Board performance assessments using JNW’s Eight Dimensions of Good Governance framework
- Provided recommendations to strengthen Board effectiveness, governance maturity and decision-making
Hawthorn Football Club
- Independent member of the Governance, Risk, Integrity and Compliance Board Sub-Committee for five years
- Reviewed governance structures, including Board and Committee Charters and governance operating cadence
- Facilitated the refresh of the risk management framework, including Director Risk Appetite Statement, Risk Management Policy and strategic and operational risk registers
- Provided internal audit and controls assurance services for seven years across financial controls, membership, sponsorship, corporate sales, merchandise, IT controls and major operating assets
- Assessed merchandising controls across HawksNest stores, online sales and game day outlets
- Conducted an event management framework assessment for planning, approval and delivery of events at the Kennedy Community Centre
- Developed an Event Hire Management Procedure based on leading practice frameworks, including Victorian event guidelines and major venue risk management approaches at Marvel Stadium, City of Melbourne, Adelaide oval, the Sydney Football Stadium and the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix
Adelaide Football Club
- Provided internal audit and risk advisory services supporting governance, financial and operational controls across club operations
- Reviewed and modernised the Risk Management Framework, developing a Risk & Controls Improvement Roadmap to strengthen risk intelligence, accountability and Board oversight
Melbourne Racing Club
- Provided co-sourced internal audit services
- Completed financial controls assessments covering procurement, accounts payable and corporate credit cards
- Provided recommendations to strengthen the financial controls framework
Destination Phillip Island Regional Tourism Board
- Board Chair, overseeing governance, advocacy and strategic direction for one of Victoria’s most significant regional tourism destinations showcasing the iconic Penguin Parade and international world-class events such as the Australian Moto-GP and the Superbike World Championship, which attract a global audience
- Supported tourism strategy, stakeholder engagement and government advocacy across San Remo and Phillip Island
- Provided governance leadership through Visitor Economy Partnership transition, destination planning and major tourism and event advocacy
City of Melbourne
- Reviewed event management procedures and risks for major public events including the AFL Grand Final Parade, Moomba Festival and New Year’s Eve celebrations
- Assessed event governance, risk management, planning, controls and operational oversight processes
Indigo Shire Council
- Conducted a whole of Council assessment of event governance, permitting and operational risk management practices across Council-managed assets and community events
- Benchmarked Council’s event management framework against leading Local Government better practices and regulatory expectations
- Developed recommendations to strengthen event governance, risk classification methodologies, approval workflows, delegated authorities, customer experience and cross-department coordination
- Designed a practical Event Management Framework template incorporating risk-based event categorisation, compliance workflows, approval pathways and operational responsibilities
WestWaters Hotel & Entertainment Complex
- Conducted cash handling and operational audits across gaming, food and beverage, functions and accommodation bookings
- Reviewed controls over revenue collection, reconciliation, purchasing and operational processes
Vegas at Waverley Gardens
- Conducted numerous internal audits over gaming, cash handling, bar sales, bank reconciliations, liquor licence compliance, security and safety controls
Western Leisure Services
- Evaluated the governance and operations of the $100m aquatic and leisure centre assets, including internal growth and cost savings opportunities
Future Demand Tennis
- Strategic mentoring, including business planning, strategic objective setting and competitor analysis
- Secure financial sustainability through building brand awareness, managing cash reserves, growing revenue opportunities and enhancing coaching opportunities
- Built strategic plan, including developing detailed strategic growth objectives and financial cashflow model
St Christophers Tennis Club
- Analysised revenues, expenditure and cash position and developed a Club strategic plan to grow memberships, increase coaching exposure, build club awareness and explore revenues opportunities
- Club vice-president for over five years
Fitzroy Tennis Club
- Delivered risk identification and assessment workshops to determine the keys to the successful delivery of the strategy
Melbourne Jiu Jitsu Academy
- Strategic mentoring, including business planning, strategic objective setting and competitor analysis
Badminton Australia
- Completed a financial controls and governance environmental scan and provided practical recommendations to strengthen financial governance and operational controls
Industry insight creates value
Our strong experience across sport, tourism and events enables us to bring practical benchmarking, governance insight and better practice ideas informed by real industry experience.
This means we can spend less time learning your environment – and more time helping you strengthen governance, manage risk, protect reputation and deliver confident, well-governed outcomes.