Event Safety Insights Issue One | Fall 2016 | Page 5

Welcome to Event Safety Insights It has now been five years since the inception of the Event Safety Alliance, and momentum continues to build around the idea that life safety must be paramount in everything the live event industry does. What began as a conversation among a few concerned professionals has grown into an industry-wide movement to upend the status quo, examine how we’ve done things in the past, and improve those areas where our activities may present a risk to those we love and rely on -- our co-workers, clients, and guests. Few of us out in the trenches blatantly disregard safety. The numbers back this assertion when compared to industries such as mining or construction, the live event industry’s safety record is very good. However, our commitment to the “show must go on” credo can sometimes cloud our logic, with dire consequences. When things DO go wrong, the statistics matter little. We’re front page news, and subject to yet another round of public and legislative scrutiny. When it comes to safety, the established boundaries of the marketplace are shelved. Partners and competitors alike will sit around the table to participate in improving conditions in the field. Safety is a connective tissue, and when we succeed at being better at it everyone wins. This is the intent of the Event Safety Alliance and our latest offering, Event Safety Insights - to capitalize on the fact that we are all now sitting at the same table, taking an active role in making things better. This publication will showcase the ideas and collective experience from producers, artists, agents, insurers, roadies, manufacturers, production personnel, subject matter experts and anyone else with an important perspective that helps moves the ESA’s mission forward. We will give voice and recognition to those who are already doing it right, who have risen above the potential for catastrophe and who have an experience from which we may all learn and improve. We will endeavor to highlight the positive and keep our approach and “voice” steeped in the “can-do” spirit that drives our industry. Negativity will have no place in these pages – we all know enough pessimists and mud-slingers to last us a lifetime. The last five years have proven that even a highly energetic, creative and boundry-less industry such as ours can grow and become more responsible. This magazine is our next step at driving this evolution. We hope you find the results meaningful and enjoyable. Stay safe out there. - Jim Digby 5