I was just about to post the next blog in the emergency planning series, when I learned of the collapse in a storm of a large tent at Kilroy's Sports Bar last weekend: http://www.mercurynews.com/sports-headlines/ci_20508159/1-dead-after-storm-blows-down-st-louis. It is eerily similar to what happened at the Indiana State Fair. In a matter of seconds, the strong gusts of an oncoming storm upended the tent, killing one man, sending seventeen to hospitals, five of them in critical condition and 100 needing some kind of on site medical attention. The tent had been permitted and inspected according to local requirements. The investigation is just beginning, however we are entering the tornado season in the Midwest and the hurricane season in the U.S. coasts. That's millions of people in possible jeopardy at thousands of events: concerts, graduations, festivals, fairs, and sporting events as well as smaller gatherings. As a promoter or organizer of any event, especially outdoors, tragedy can happen in seconds, but pre-planning and timely execution of emergency procedures can and will save lives. It doesn't matter if 200 or 20,000 are at your event. You must be vigilant and prepared. I do think patrons are in part responsible to make decisions regarding their own welfare but once you assume the responsibility for others, you do just that. You are responsible to know when and how to protect your patrons and guests.
My next blog will be the elements of emergency preparedness plans for your business and the last will be how to make effective emergency plans for events.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Indiana State Fair Stage Collapse Reports
The reports are in on last year's tragic stage collapse, that killed 7 and left many severely injured. There seems plenty of blame to go around. Officials from the State of Indiana say this is not about fixing blame, just improving operations. In the real world, attorneys for the dead and injured file lawsuits to do just that. The promoter, the staging company, Sugarland and the State of Indiana have all been named in lawsuits. Some (but not all) of the take aways from the reports include:
- Incomplete and underdeveloped emergency plans and procedures
- No clear chain of command and no single designated person with the authority and responsibility to pull the plug on a show to insure public safety
- Poor communications and record keeping in meetings, of who attended and what decisions were made by specific persons
- The stage was not up to code to withstand mandated wind loads
- The state of Indiana adopted outdated code models and eliminated many inspection requirements
- The lateral support rigging was inadequate to handle the wind load once the roof tarp, LED screen and other equipment were added
- Inadequate use of available technology and expertise
You may read the reports and download them from the following links:
Over the next several days I will examine some of those recommendations in detail to help you avoid these types of problems and liability issues in your production or fundraising business. You do not have to have 12 thousand people at your show to end up with mass casualties and injuries and a moral and legal nightmare that lasts for years.
How do you prepare to keep your patrons safe? What is the chain of command in your company/nonprofit project management? How do you know the stage and rigging is safe? What do you do if there is oncoming severe weather? Are your plans adequate?
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
5 Secrets to Successful Venue Selection
Choosing a venue for your event is one of the most important elements to be determined early in the planning process. Here are 5 important considerations to help choose the best venue.
1. How well will the venue fit the event(s)? What is the type of event: is it a concert, meeting, festival, trade show, conference or combination? What are the advantages of outdoors vs indoors? Can a combination of both make for an attractive event? If you go outdoors, can you obtain all the needed equipment, sound, stage, etc. within your budget? What if it rains? If indoors, is there enough space, is it easily accessible with all of the features that you need? Will you need to spend more money on staging, equipment etc. to make the venue work for the event? A little or a lot?
2. What is the profile of your audience: age ranges mostly adults, teens, families, mostly male or female or both, expected behaviors? Is it a hip-hop or heavy metal crowd or a symphony or adult conference group? Keep in mind, some people who are normally very responsible behave less so when out of town. Is this venue equipped to handle that type of audience? Are most attendees expected to be local or from out of town? How close is the venue to mass transportation and the hotels where they will be staying?
3. If a similar event has been held, in the last 6 months to a year, research its results. For example, is the talent on tour currently or at least recently? Where at? (Is the area similar to yours?) Have they dropped a new CD recently, appeared on TV or won awards, provided music for a movie? Was the recent tour a full multi-city or just one or two limited events? Was there a supporting act, who appeared at all or most of the dates? How popular are they, and are they a package deal? What percent of the house sold and at what prices? What kind of venues were the events held at, arenas/stadiums, convention/conference centers, clubs; and is your proposed venue like them? Can you make a fair comparison of the venues? Are there many competing events scheduled within your area? If comparing trade shows or conferences, how well attended were they? Will it be held again (a sign of success)? Was the press favorable?
4. Analyze the venues in your proposed area. What is each venue's reputation, both with attendees and promoters. Read all of the PR, check with local Police and Fire departments, check the industry trades such as Venues Today, Pollstar or Billboard. Request the Promoter's package, follow up with questions to clarify anything that you don't completely understand. Do you get prompt answers and real cooperation? Does it feel like it will be a teamwork relationship or is it take it or leave it, we don't care either way? I recently interviewed Michael Yormark, President and COO of the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida. The Center is ranked (as of 10-12-11) as number 9 in the US and number 20 in the world according to Pollstar. The company has achieved that exceptional rank by fostering teamwork within the organization, from part timers to the executive suite. Mr. Yormark stated, "A venue is more than a physical space, walls, stage, seating etc. When you select a venue, you are choosing a business relationship. You will be successful if you can find a way to identify your common goals, to make money, to work together to provide the best guest experience. It always is about teamwork. People outside of the business assume that venues and promoters make millions on every show. They don't take into account all of the costs of labor, equipment, advertising, administration and on and on. Yes, you can make excellent money in the entertainment business, however, it is not a get rich quick scheme. As always, one has to learn how to plan, execute that plan and learn from both mistakes and successes." Other considerations include can you afford your targeted venue within your budget or will you need to reduce costs somewhere else to afford it? Will doing that negatively impact the quality of your event? Compare the costs with other venues, both local and state wide. Make sure that you get a list of all fees, add-ons, costs for services and approved vendors. Analyze the vendors and service providers in the same way. What is the venue's sustainability policies? Are their efforts real or green washing? Will they conform to your standards and requirements? Does the layout facilitate success, ease for attendees making it a pleasurable experience? Is it kept it good repair, somewhere you would be proud to attach your name to?
5. How well is the venue and it's staff prepared for emergencies? Once an emergency happens, the promoter relinquishes authority to local Police and Fire Departments. Do they have a good reputation, and experience with events like yours? How well trained is venue staff and security? Is the venue well equipped with emergency supplies, fire fighting equipment etc.? A good PA system to communicate with attendees to reduce the likelihood of panic? Are there multiple entrances and exits to evacuate people who are injured, or if need be the entire venue in an orderly way. Ask to see the evacuation plan. Remember, you too may be sued in the event of a disaster. You will need to prove that you have taken every reasonable precaution available to safeguard attendees and employees. Research any incidents that may have take place over the past 5 years. What was the nature of the event, how well was it handled? Did it result in injuries, property damage? Were there lawsuits filed, and who won them? How has the venue improved since then? Was the incident the result of poor planning and careless execution or a result of not being able to plan for every single contingency that could possibly happen. You will always be limited by budget and available personnel and equipment.
Of course, this does not speak to each and every issue, but unless you get the right answers to these questions maybe you should take a pass.
1. How well will the venue fit the event(s)? What is the type of event: is it a concert, meeting, festival, trade show, conference or combination? What are the advantages of outdoors vs indoors? Can a combination of both make for an attractive event? If you go outdoors, can you obtain all the needed equipment, sound, stage, etc. within your budget? What if it rains? If indoors, is there enough space, is it easily accessible with all of the features that you need? Will you need to spend more money on staging, equipment etc. to make the venue work for the event? A little or a lot?
2. What is the profile of your audience: age ranges mostly adults, teens, families, mostly male or female or both, expected behaviors? Is it a hip-hop or heavy metal crowd or a symphony or adult conference group? Keep in mind, some people who are normally very responsible behave less so when out of town. Is this venue equipped to handle that type of audience? Are most attendees expected to be local or from out of town? How close is the venue to mass transportation and the hotels where they will be staying?
3. If a similar event has been held, in the last 6 months to a year, research its results. For example, is the talent on tour currently or at least recently? Where at? (Is the area similar to yours?) Have they dropped a new CD recently, appeared on TV or won awards, provided music for a movie? Was the recent tour a full multi-city or just one or two limited events? Was there a supporting act, who appeared at all or most of the dates? How popular are they, and are they a package deal? What percent of the house sold and at what prices? What kind of venues were the events held at, arenas/stadiums, convention/conference centers, clubs; and is your proposed venue like them? Can you make a fair comparison of the venues? Are there many competing events scheduled within your area? If comparing trade shows or conferences, how well attended were they? Will it be held again (a sign of success)? Was the press favorable?
4. Analyze the venues in your proposed area. What is each venue's reputation, both with attendees and promoters. Read all of the PR, check with local Police and Fire departments, check the industry trades such as Venues Today, Pollstar or Billboard. Request the Promoter's package, follow up with questions to clarify anything that you don't completely understand. Do you get prompt answers and real cooperation? Does it feel like it will be a teamwork relationship or is it take it or leave it, we don't care either way? I recently interviewed Michael Yormark, President and COO of the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida. The Center is ranked (as of 10-12-11) as number 9 in the US and number 20 in the world according to Pollstar. The company has achieved that exceptional rank by fostering teamwork within the organization, from part timers to the executive suite. Mr. Yormark stated, "A venue is more than a physical space, walls, stage, seating etc. When you select a venue, you are choosing a business relationship. You will be successful if you can find a way to identify your common goals, to make money, to work together to provide the best guest experience. It always is about teamwork. People outside of the business assume that venues and promoters make millions on every show. They don't take into account all of the costs of labor, equipment, advertising, administration and on and on. Yes, you can make excellent money in the entertainment business, however, it is not a get rich quick scheme. As always, one has to learn how to plan, execute that plan and learn from both mistakes and successes." Other considerations include can you afford your targeted venue within your budget or will you need to reduce costs somewhere else to afford it? Will doing that negatively impact the quality of your event? Compare the costs with other venues, both local and state wide. Make sure that you get a list of all fees, add-ons, costs for services and approved vendors. Analyze the vendors and service providers in the same way. What is the venue's sustainability policies? Are their efforts real or green washing? Will they conform to your standards and requirements? Does the layout facilitate success, ease for attendees making it a pleasurable experience? Is it kept it good repair, somewhere you would be proud to attach your name to?
5. How well is the venue and it's staff prepared for emergencies? Once an emergency happens, the promoter relinquishes authority to local Police and Fire Departments. Do they have a good reputation, and experience with events like yours? How well trained is venue staff and security? Is the venue well equipped with emergency supplies, fire fighting equipment etc.? A good PA system to communicate with attendees to reduce the likelihood of panic? Are there multiple entrances and exits to evacuate people who are injured, or if need be the entire venue in an orderly way. Ask to see the evacuation plan. Remember, you too may be sued in the event of a disaster. You will need to prove that you have taken every reasonable precaution available to safeguard attendees and employees. Research any incidents that may have take place over the past 5 years. What was the nature of the event, how well was it handled? Did it result in injuries, property damage? Were there lawsuits filed, and who won them? How has the venue improved since then? Was the incident the result of poor planning and careless execution or a result of not being able to plan for every single contingency that could possibly happen. You will always be limited by budget and available personnel and equipment.
Of course, this does not speak to each and every issue, but unless you get the right answers to these questions maybe you should take a pass.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Summer Stage Collapses Update
A 7th person has died as a result of the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair. Sugarland and it's manager have been named as defendants in a potential lawsuit, in notices sent to the Indiana Attorney General. Others who have been named as potential defendants include: Live Nation, Lucas Entertainment Group, security company ESG and stage builders Mid-America Corp. Kenneth Feinberg, the man who mediated distributations of compensation from 9/11, the Virginia Tech shootings and the the BP oil spill, will determine settlements from two pools of money: a $5 million Tort Claim Fund and $800,000 from individuals and businesses.
Another stage, this one at the large Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium has collapsed in another violent storm, killing 5 people, injuring 140 more.
The same type of pattern - severe storms predicted, people stay in place, structures fail and people die. From this point forward, no promoter can use as a defense, we couldn't have imagined this happening. Outdoor event organizers need to revisit evacuation policies and procedures. Some, like the Indiana State Fair organizers that night, do not have detailed well rehearsed evacuation plans in place. A nine bullet point one page list, including "stay away from windows and what to announce over the loudspeakers" isn't enough. I don't know all of the issues that night, however, it is vitally important to prepare for the unexpected.
First, you must make a diagram of the venue and surrounding parking lots, structures and area roads.
Second, you identify load points (pinch points) that will slow down evacuation.
Third, you identify safer structures that people may take shelter in. Make arrangements to be able to use the buildings, consult with your insurance carrier to cover those structures as well, if needed. Also consult local experts on traffic flow patterns and crowd behaviors consistent with the local. Some people are more independent and less likely to comply with directives from authorities. Pick up all the actual local knowledge as possible from the people who have the experience "boots on the ground." Work out a phased evacuation, emphasizing a steady deliberate operation. This will reassure people that you have a well thought out plan in place, helping to keep folks calm. You will need to determine how long each phase will take to determine a timeline for decision making.
Fourth, strongly consider hiring a private professional meteorologist who can monitor and correctly analyze the data to allow sufficient time to activate your plan. The cost will be negligible compared to the costs of a disaster. Assemble adequate personnel, coordinate with local authorities and venue management. Document all activities ideally video as well as written documentation. This will be very useful to your insurance carrier in case of an incident as well as making improvements to policies and procedures. Building training videos for your operations people is a good idea.
Fifth, the person responsible for making the evacuation decision must clearly and completely understand the incoming information. There must be a clear chain of command. All responsible in an evacuation procedure must rehearse, test the equipment and make sure that things like locked doors are able to be opened quickly when needed.
The bottom line is this is not about the promoter and sponsors losing money. If one bad show will put you out of business, you're not ready to promote that size show. Start smaller, build up a bank account and grow deliberately and safely. Your obligation, as soon as people enter the venue, is to provide the safest most enjoyable experience possible.
Another stage, this one at the large Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium has collapsed in another violent storm, killing 5 people, injuring 140 more.
The same type of pattern - severe storms predicted, people stay in place, structures fail and people die. From this point forward, no promoter can use as a defense, we couldn't have imagined this happening. Outdoor event organizers need to revisit evacuation policies and procedures. Some, like the Indiana State Fair organizers that night, do not have detailed well rehearsed evacuation plans in place. A nine bullet point one page list, including "stay away from windows and what to announce over the loudspeakers" isn't enough. I don't know all of the issues that night, however, it is vitally important to prepare for the unexpected.
First, you must make a diagram of the venue and surrounding parking lots, structures and area roads.
Second, you identify load points (pinch points) that will slow down evacuation.
Third, you identify safer structures that people may take shelter in. Make arrangements to be able to use the buildings, consult with your insurance carrier to cover those structures as well, if needed. Also consult local experts on traffic flow patterns and crowd behaviors consistent with the local. Some people are more independent and less likely to comply with directives from authorities. Pick up all the actual local knowledge as possible from the people who have the experience "boots on the ground." Work out a phased evacuation, emphasizing a steady deliberate operation. This will reassure people that you have a well thought out plan in place, helping to keep folks calm. You will need to determine how long each phase will take to determine a timeline for decision making.
Fourth, strongly consider hiring a private professional meteorologist who can monitor and correctly analyze the data to allow sufficient time to activate your plan. The cost will be negligible compared to the costs of a disaster. Assemble adequate personnel, coordinate with local authorities and venue management. Document all activities ideally video as well as written documentation. This will be very useful to your insurance carrier in case of an incident as well as making improvements to policies and procedures. Building training videos for your operations people is a good idea.
Fifth, the person responsible for making the evacuation decision must clearly and completely understand the incoming information. There must be a clear chain of command. All responsible in an evacuation procedure must rehearse, test the equipment and make sure that things like locked doors are able to be opened quickly when needed.
The bottom line is this is not about the promoter and sponsors losing money. If one bad show will put you out of business, you're not ready to promote that size show. Start smaller, build up a bank account and grow deliberately and safely. Your obligation, as soon as people enter the venue, is to provide the safest most enjoyable experience possible.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Event Safety, A Business Perspective
A tragedy, such as happened at the Indiana State Fair, last Saturday night reminds us how very serious promoting an event is. Once people come into your event venue, they place their safety in your hands. You must plan well, execute the plan as perfectly as humanly possible, be nimble and able to react quickly in a crisis. Then you must be able to analyze and apply lessons learned in future promotions.
Some of our recommendations include:
Our deepest sympathy to the families and friends of those killed and injured last Saturday. Concerts, Festivals and special events are supposed to be fun, a moment of respite from our cares and responsibilities. Although we are always ultimately responsible for our own behavior at events, we must rely on the professionalism of the production companies, police and fire department officials and venue management to make our safety the highest priority over anything else.
My question to you is, do these incidents that have happened this summer, make you feel less safe at outdoor events? Will it affect your concert going habits?
Some of our recommendations include:
- When planning, contact and take into account local expertise and knowledge from emergency services, venue management and security, area contract security experts when developing the risk matrix.
- Build a good working relationship with an experienced event insurance carrier. They have a wealth of information based on years of adverse events.
- Always build time to fully conduct safety checks before, during and post event. Document all deficiencies and assign someone to repair things for example lose or broken stair railings. It's easier to prevent accidents and injuries than to deal with them after the fact.
- Budget for and hire professionals. Jim La Due at http://jimladueview.blogspot.com offers some insightful analysis of the event Saturday night and offers sensible recommendations.
- Test communications, review procedures, evaluate and upgrade based on the results, before you open the doors to crowds. Plan for worst case scenarios such as electricity outages preventing use of the venue PA system during evacuation procedures. If outdoors, where are safer locations for patrons to take shelter in.
- Key people need to be very competent, cool headed and understand how serious a job it is keeping audiences, staff and entertainers safe.
- Conduct deep background checks on key suppliers such as staging, lighting and sound companies. Check records of government regulators for histories of violations and lawsuits. Bad credit may indicate a company in trouble, who might cut corners because of financial pressures.
- Provide people with the right systems and equipment to do the job.
- As soon as possible, after an adverse event, debrief staff. Keep meticulous records to help analyze what went wrong, document liability, build a better training program for staff, and help make better decisions on future projects.
Our deepest sympathy to the families and friends of those killed and injured last Saturday. Concerts, Festivals and special events are supposed to be fun, a moment of respite from our cares and responsibilities. Although we are always ultimately responsible for our own behavior at events, we must rely on the professionalism of the production companies, police and fire department officials and venue management to make our safety the highest priority over anything else.
My question to you is, do these incidents that have happened this summer, make you feel less safe at outdoor events? Will it affect your concert going habits?
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Concert, Festival and Special Event blogger is back!
Just a few word to explain the long silence. Stachybotrys toxic black mold is nasty stuff. Probably there since the last hurricane repairs. Hard to think or write.
We have exciting news, our first contest winner! Super guy. We'll be introducing him tomorrow.
We have exciting news, our first contest winner! Super guy. We'll be introducing him tomorrow.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Lessons from the field
I was reading the reviews section on http://www.pollstar.com and ran across an example of a problem that an entertainer can have. A reviewer panned a George Strait concert because the "sound was awful". The fan was really angry at Strait. However, as we covered in our manual Successful Secrets of Festival, Concert and Special Event Production, the bad sound may not have been the fault of the entertainer at all. On pages 42 - 43 I talk about technical riders and the importance of getting every detail correct. The artist is putting his/her reputation in the hands of the promoter and relies on the promoter to make sure all equipment is there and functioning perfectly. If it doesn't, rarely will the promoter be blamed by the fan, it's the entertainer who takes the heat.
However, if the most of the equipment used traveled with Strait, then it may have been the fault of the entertainers' organization. Then the heat may be deserved. While we can't know for sure, a way to research, would be to find as many reviews of a George Strait concert as you can find. If you don't see that problem complained about again, you may assume that it was the venue's equipment or the equipment that the promoter brought in was inadequate. If you perhaps were going to promote at that venue yourself, you would want to pay special attention to the sound and light systems to make sure that they are functioning correctly.
If you want to become a successful promoter, it's really important to develop a really good technical group in your organization or be able to consult one when needed.
However, if the most of the equipment used traveled with Strait, then it may have been the fault of the entertainers' organization. Then the heat may be deserved. While we can't know for sure, a way to research, would be to find as many reviews of a George Strait concert as you can find. If you don't see that problem complained about again, you may assume that it was the venue's equipment or the equipment that the promoter brought in was inadequate. If you perhaps were going to promote at that venue yourself, you would want to pay special attention to the sound and light systems to make sure that they are functioning correctly.
If you want to become a successful promoter, it's really important to develop a really good technical group in your organization or be able to consult one when needed.
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