01 · Conference Chair

Risk register

Sara Chen · Event Director · owner of the master event JSON

FutureStack 2026 — Risk Register

Generated by: General Chair skill Conference dates: October 15-16, 2026 | Austin Convention Center | 800 attendees Theme: AI Infrastructure Last updated: July 15, 2026

Active Risks

#	Risk	Likelihood	Impact	Area	Mitigation	Owner	Status
R-01	Keynote speaker cancellation — One or more confirmed keynotes withdraw due to scheduling conflict or personal reasons	M	H	Program	Maintain a shortlist of 3 backup speakers with pre-negotiated availability. Require speakers to sign commitment letter with cancellation terms by Aug 31.	Program Chair (Okafor)	Monitoring
R-02	Sponsor revenue shortfall — Sponsorship revenue falls below $200K minimum needed to cover base costs	H	H	Finance	Diversify sponsor tiers with lower-cost options ($2K community tier). Activate backup outreach list of 15 companies. Identify $30K in discretionary budget that can be cut if needed.	Sponsorship Lead (Tan)	Active — revenue at 54% of target
R-03	Low registration numbers — Fewer than 600 paid registrants by Sept 15 cutoff	M	H	Registration	Launch targeted LinkedIn/email campaign in Aug. Offer group discount (5+ tickets). Partner with 3 local meetup groups for cross-promotion. Prepare reduced-capacity contingency floor plan.	Marketing Lead (Chen)	Monitoring — currently at 340
R-04	AV / technical failure on event day — Projector, microphone, or livestream failure disrupts sessions	M	H	Venue / Ops	Require AV vendor to provide redundant equipment for main stage. On-site AV tech required for both days. Run full tech rehearsal Oct 14. Backup laptop at each podium.	Venue Chair (Reyes)	Monitoring
R-05	Severe weather or travel disruption — Hurricane season or major storm impacts Austin travel in mid-October	L	H	Logistics	Monitor weather forecasts starting Oct 1. Pre-negotiate hotel cancellation flexibility. Prepare hybrid/virtual fallback for keynotes via livestream infrastructure. Travel insurance recommendation sent to all speakers.	General Chair (Walsh)	Monitoring
R-06	Catering / dietary incident — Food safety issue or failure to accommodate dietary restrictions causes attendee health issue	L	H	Venue / Ops	Require caterer to provide allergen documentation for every item. Separate prep stations for allergen-free meals. On-site first aid and EpiPen availability. Collect dietary requirements during registration (mandatory field).	Venue Chair (Reyes)	Monitoring
R-07	Sponsor payment delay — Signed sponsors delay invoice payment past Aug 15 deadline, creating cash flow gap	H	M	Finance	Net-30 payment terms in all contracts. Send invoice immediately upon signing. Escalation sequence: automated reminder (day 15), personal email (day 25), phone call (day 30), General Chair intervention (day 35). Maintain $40K operating reserve.	Finance / General Chair (Walsh)	Active — 2 invoices overdue
R-08	Volunteer no-shows — Fewer than 80% of recruited volunteers show up on event day	M	M	Operations	Over-recruit by 25% (target 50, recruit 63). Require confirmation 1 week prior. Assign backup roles. Brief a small paid temp staff contingency ($3K budget hold).	Operations (Reyes)	Monitoring
R-09	Wi-Fi network overload — Convention center Wi-Fi cannot handle 800+ concurrent devices, especially during live demos	M	M	Venue / Tech	Upgrade to dedicated conference SSID with 1 Gbps backhaul (in venue contract). Load-test with vendor in September. Provide hardwired ethernet at speaker podiums and demo stations.	Venue Chair (Reyes)	Monitoring
R-10	Code of Conduct incident — Harassment or misconduct reported during event	L	H	Attendee Experience	Publish CoC on website and in attendee welcome packet. Train 4 designated CoC responders. Establish private reporting channel (phone + email + in-app). Document response protocol with 30-min SLA for initial acknowledgment.	General Chair (Walsh)	Prepared

Risk Matrix Summary

	Low Impact	Medium Impact	High Impact
High Likelihood	—	R-07	R-02
Medium Likelihood	—	R-08, R-09	R-01, R-03, R-04
Low Likelihood	—	—	R-05, R-06, R-10

Risk Trend (Last 30 Days)

R-02 (Sponsor shortfall): Escalated from M to H likelihood after two pipeline prospects paused conversations.
R-07 (Payment delay): New — added after two Tier-1 sponsors missed Net-30 terms.
R-03 (Low registration): Stable — registration pace is slightly below plan but within historical range for this point in the cycle. Will reassess after early-bird close on Aug 1.
All other risks: Unchanged.