The full Event Safety Summit may have moved to March 2022, but the learning will go on this December! Make plans to join us December 1, 2021 for Event Safety TV, a free one-day virtual "mini-Summit". We'll be exploring issues such as policy communication & enforcement, accessibility, the impact of climate change on live events, and more. We'll also have a VERY exciting announcement at the start of the program that you won't want to miss. It all takes place over on ESA's Youtube page, so be sure to head on over to our channel & subscribe!
Program Schedule
Event Safety Alliance Update and Special Announcement
Time: 11:00 AM EST
Join us for an update on the Event Safety Alliance, the Event Safety Summit, and a very special and timely announcement that you won’t want to miss. No spoilers.
Peace in the Neighborhood: Providing Event Security to Guests with Grievances
Time: 12:00 PM EST
From airplanes and grocery stores to stadiums and other event spaces, we are living through an unprecedented era of grievance and conflict. Ushers and event security are on the front lines of this battle between health and safety versus aggressively-held assertions of personal liberties. In this session, we’ll contextualize the issue as it affects event security Duke University Assistant AD of Game Ops, Championships and Events Becca Wilusz, suggest methods that acknowledge people’s right to respectfully disagree, how to de-escalate tensions, and maintain safety for all attendees.
Communicating the Science: Explaining Safety Requirements for In-Person Attendance
Time: 1:00 PM EST
If you want to know the scientific basis for health and safety requirements for in-person attendance, ask an epidemiologist. If you want to know the legal basis for following the science, ask a lawyer. So we are doing both of those things. Steve Adelman is joined by infectious disease epidemiologist and Science Communication Lead for The COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic Jessica Malaty Rivera for a grown-up discussion about such topics as what vaccines can do to protect us, the relative discomfort caused by vaccination side effects versus coronavirus infection, transmissibility of the Delta variant, the legality of basing event admission on vaccination status, testing, or face covering, requests for exemption based on HIPAA, allergies, and religion, and other hot-button issues. Join us as we navigate the collision course between science, law, and politics as they relate to live events.
Green is the New Orange: Climate Change and its Impact on Live Events
Time: 2:00 PM EST
For years, one of the most economically significant parts of our industry has been outdoor events. Now, however, there is a collision course between outdoor events, COVID, and climate change. The benefits of air circulation to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 infection further push the industry outdoors, and as we saw at 2021 Lollapalooza, outdoors plus vaccination works. On the other hand, climate change threatens outdoor events, such as this year’s Bonnaroo festival. We’ll explore the science behind climate change as it affects outdoor events, and then discuss ways to safely hold events in an increasingly volatile climate with Dr. Kevin Kloesel (University of Oklahoma), Neel Vasavada (Overdrive Energy Solutions), and Boxer Hardison (Bigger Hammer Production Services).
Accessibility, Safety, and the New Normal?
Time: 3:00 PM EST
Complying with the laws regarding accessibility at events is challenging even during normal times. These are definitely not normal times. In this session, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Director, Office of Accessibility and VSA Betty Siegel will help us understand how the event environment affects persons with disabilities, particularly during the pandemic. Topics will include how to evacuate or shelter people with mobility impairments while maintaining physical distancing, and how accessibility laws relate to requests for medical exemption from vaccination requirements.