The Show Will Go On ...
Core Values : The guiding principles that dictate a company or an individual ’ s behavior and actions .
Safely
From the advent of the modern day live event industry we have subsisted on the principle that “ the show must go on at any cost ”. This has arguably been the single and perhaps only widely acknowledged , self-perpetuated core value that currently defines our industry . It is the belief of the ESA that the time is right for an improved definition of this credo - “ the show will go on ... safely ”.
The senseless , completely avoidable loss of 7 lives and multiple life-changing injuries at the Indiana State Fair in 2011 was the catalyst for the creation of the ESA . We continue to convey the lessons learned from this moment as we expand our research , information collection , and creation of learning opportunities in an effort to better inform those whose duties inside the live event space have the potential to cause harm . We remain committed to making available actionable information to empower you with tools to help prevent tragic incidents in the future . And we remain committed to doing so without taking a negatively influenced view of the industry or the committed humans who participate in it , and always with a cando attitude .
Some of what the ESA conveys is common sense , simple truths about safety and your role in it . Common sense or not , it is tremendously important that the industry recognize that “ the show must go on at any cost ” mentality is , quite simply , what has gotten us into trouble in the first place . Therefore it is at the common sense level where we must plant the seeds of safety , initiate a hard reset , and develop a new industry-accepted core value through which precaution and safety flourish without impediment to the creative processes that we all enjoy so much .
Collectively we will rewrite the credo ...” the show will go on ... safely ”.
Addressing and awakening the most basic safety situational awareness for all who participate in event production , regardless of one ’ s individual skills , is the means through which we reset the “ how we do business ” model of today , and the way we can redefine what is expected - reasonable behavior on an event site . THIS is where the seedlings of a proactive safety mindset and culture will flourish and it is precisely why we created the Event Safety Access Training as the first learning opportunity produced by the ESA .
Once WE together usher in this new belief system throughout our industry the practices we talk about today will become commonplace , and the task of committing to our new core values will be second nature and routinely executed . There is proof that these ideas can take root . One need only look to our fellow humans in England for a successful example of an evolved safety culture . Once scoffed at as over-the-top , the English safety culture is now the example we should aspire to uphold .
These are the days the ESA is helping see come to light . It is , we hope , why you have engaged with the ESA , are reading this magazine , taking the ESAT course , and implementing the ideas we and other like-minded organizations strive to bring to our audience . Our continuing goal is to trigger your mindfulness and respect for safety , awaken the very basic fundamentals and empower you with the knowledge to say “ wait a minute , something bad is going to happen here ”. Compared to the amazing and often difficult accomplishments we achieve when producing events this cultural change in our belief system should be incredibly simple . We just have to commit to it and work together to make it so .
- Jim Digby
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