"Sporting events... are business investments for both the individual entrepreneur and the sports department that organizes and promotes them." (Crompton). Because the stakes are so high, it is important that the event manager is prepared, capable and willing to do the job to the best of his or her ability. An article written by Milena Parent contains a timeline that discusses the three phases and key events associated with the planning of the 1999 Pan American Games. This timeline from 1987 to 2000 shows that event management is not an individual job but involves collaboration and dedicated people. The first phase is planning. It is also the longest and is critical in determining the success of the event. There are a lot of different things happening right now. For example, the parent timeline states that preparing the business plan, creating the organizing committee, preparing a business plan, preparing operational plans, due diligence on financial issues, risk assessments undertaken, and creating the Chief Operating Officer position, among other things, were occurring simultaneously. For this reason the events are composed of organizing committees which, in the case of the Pan American Games, were led by a board of directors responsible for organizing several