| |
By Carl A H Martin
Picture
the scene. On Sunday, September the 2nd this year, Dana Glazier, IAAM’s
Director of Education and I sat, in the sun, in the grounds of the amazing
Speckbacher hotel in Gnadenwald, awaiting the first of the students for the
initial European Academy of Venue Management (EAVM), having made all the
preparations, we hoped. Steve Peters, IAAM’s President, who had
enthusiastically asked to be involved with the Academy, was around as well.
The hotel sits 1000m (approx. 3500ft) up in the
mountains of the Austrian Tyrol, about eight kilometres (about 5 miles) from
Innsbruck, near enough but far enough away not to cause a distraction. The
scenery all around and over us was stunningly beautiful and… the sun was
shining. (Fortunately the fates were with us and it started to rain the next
day, the first day of tuition, continuing to do so until the Thursday, when
it snowed!)
The Board of IAAM Europe had, since its conception,
believed we needed to offer a European education to our members and, more
importantly, to potential members. EAVM had been the result. After the
‘normal’ discussions about where and when it should be held, Gnadenwald had
been chosen. The marketing and hard sell had been done and now here we were,
with our students and the instructors ready to go.
The students came from all over Europe, from a Finnish
conference centre within the Arctic Circle, where their busiest time is
January to March, go figure. From the Amsterdam Arena, this is, in fact, a
stadium and home to the Ajax FC, which also manages to do an incredible
amount of concert business, from The House of Music in Vienna, from the NEC
Group, exhibition halls, conference centre, arenas, in Birmingham, England,
from the arena and a theatre in Lisbon, Portugal, from the Budapest
SportArena (actually an impressively busy multi-functional arena) in Hungary
and last, but not least, the Stadthalle Wien, within this organisation there
are sixteen venues, from ice rink through theatres through exhibition halls
to an arena to a stadium. We were impressed, we had got reaction from the
north, south, east and west of Europe.
The course we presented followed the pattern of the
PAFMS @Oglebay and the Australasian institutions. The course content of our
EAVM was similar to these schools, it is after all an international
industry, and included Crowd Management, Booking and Scheduling, Media
Relations, Contracts and European Law, Box Office and Database Management,
Emergency Preparedness, Novelties and Merchandising, Financial Management,
Professional Ethics, etc., etc., etc. but the major difference was that all
of the instructors were presenting the subject in a European manner. This
was something we had to stress when we were presenting to potential
students, it had to be European, nobody else was doing that.
When we had first discussed the EAVM in an open forum
translators had been suggested, the reaction had bordered on violence.
Members from outside of the UK had been the most strident, English is the
‘business language’ they said so it must be that. Motion passed.. There had
been, prior to the actual EAVM, some doubts raised by some of the students
that they would be unable to follow the lectures. There was no problem, if
they didn’t understand they asked, which was not too often, they were
amazing.
Similarly, the list of instructors was very impressive
and the depth of knowledge and experience was something else. Board members
Peter Gruber, sorry, Kommerzialrat Herr Professor Direktor Peter Gruber, VP
IAAM Europe, MD Stadthalle Wien, Henk Markerink, MD Amsterdam Arena and
Terry Selzer, Director, Stararena, Copenhagen, originally from the States
but now an Honourary European, all starred.
We were very grateful to Steve Peters, CFE, IAAM
President for being with us and giving us huge support, in fact he stepped
in and did a lecture for us when somebody could not come at the last minute.
He, along with most of the instructors, sat in on others’ presentations and
got very involved. Several times I had to gently remind him the students
should answer the questions, such was his enthusiasm. Thank you Steve, from
all of us.
We also had other instructors all give us their time freely, Mark Hamilton,
MD, Rock Steady Security from Edinburgh, his company is responsible for
stewarding/security at several arenas and stadia throughout the UK and also
Sir Paul McCartney’s personal and touring security, Mike Molloy, AMP. Entertainment, ex Feld Entertainment, ex NBA Europe,
now a promoter in France in his own right, Paul Pike, Intelligent Venues
Ltd., one of the first merchandisers in the music industry now involved in
‘smart cards’, although I do not mean to undersell his present activity, I
just don’t really understand it. I was also privileged, and happy, to be
able to do a couple of presentations. All of these people not only came and
gave time but they also made time for the students outside of the lectures.
A very sincere thanks to them all.
EAVM proved to be a success, I am not saying we don’t
have tweaks to make but I feel so honoured to have been able to be part of
EAVM and so proud of the students, only one of whom, as I said, spoke
English as his mother tongue, in the way they took part, talked, questioned
and understood what was being said in English.. They were all happy to give
references on the last day, on video, to Dana Glazier and I believe this
will be on the web site by the time you read this.
As a by the way, the hotel is brilliant/ awesome
(private joke amongst those of us who were in Gnadenwald..), it gave all of
us everything we needed and was a perfect venue for the EAVM. It would also
be worth a visit for a personal break…
At the end of the course Dana Glazier, who gave us so much support, thank
you, set an exam which I believe I would have struggled with. She also set a
70% pass mark. Not one student failed. A remarkable achievement and they all
want to come back next year, their enthusiasm is infectious.
Twenty-four hours after the completion the course, all
of the non Board members contacted me spontaneously, as did Henk Markerink,
to offer whatever help was needed from now on to get the future sorted out.
Unexpected but marvellous.
The IAAM Europe Board have asked me to continue to be
responsible for and take the lead in the organisation of the EAVM, something
I am very happy and proud to do. We already have a reservation for next
year, approved by the IAAM Europe board, for August 31st to September 5th in
Gnadenwald. For more details go to
www.iaam.org and click on meetings or contact me, Carl A H Martin,
Director European Services, IAAM Europe, on
cahm98@aol.com.
Explanation.. The article’s title, Gnadenwald or EAVM?
This question was put by Steve Peters at the last night’s banquet. He said
the US had Oglebay, what did Europe want, Gnadenwald or EAVM? The unanimous
answer was Gnadenwald. Motion passed. Thank you Mr Peters.
Budding writers.
On a completely different note. If any of you European members feel you want
to write an article for the magazine, please feel free to do so, I don’t
have a monopoly. Please contact the editor, R.V. at RV.Baugus @ iaam.org or
myself.
Finally …
Can I, on behalf of all European members, say welcome to Wim Schipper who
has been employed as the Director of IAAM Europe. Wim who was for several
years, until recently, Executive Director of the European Arenas
Association, having been involved with EAA since its conception brings a
huge pool of knowledge of the European scene with him. Previous to that Wim
had been MD of the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam for ten years. Having known Wim
for several years now, I can only say his presence in IAAM Europe should be
positive.
fm
Carl A H Martin is
director, European Services, IAAM Europe.
By John Arthur
Imagine
having your venue full of patrons, and an adjoining compressed gas facility
catches fire — and suddenly the sky is full of exploding gas cylinders that
rain down on your venue.
What about a tornado bearing down on your stadium;
floodwaters rising adjacent to it; and a few thousand people’s safety to
think about. Or 200 or 300 gate crashes (CRASHERS?) flattening your fence
line at a sold out heavy-metal concert with thousands of others who did not
buy a ticket having a running battle with police and security.
Fantasy? No, just reality for those of us who are in
the position of managing crowds at venues throughout the world — those
select few that have the ultimate responsibility of ensuring the safety and
security of the public as they attend and enjoy our venues. Why in the world
would you seek a job like that?
For the 207 attendees at the IAAM’s International Crowd
Management Conference recently held in Chicago, it’s all about the challenge
of the job. It’s about a high level of personal satisfaction in knowing that
each and every person who attends your venue will return home in not just
the same mind and spirit that they left, but in an elevated awareness
because of the enjoyment they have just experienced.
Crowd management is not a new phenomenon, but the
science surrounding it is really only just being realized. It has taken a
number of sad incidents resulting in the deaths of innocent people to make
us realize that mass gatherings of people require more than rudimentary
event planning; they require careful and meticulous planning. Of all the
things that threaten the success of any event, the safety and security of
those that attend is the most important.
No matter how good the act on the stage, or the
exhibition or event in general, without those attending being in a safe and
secure environment, the rest does not matter. Each and every person who
attends deserves the care of the event planners to be in a safe and secure
place. Each mother and father deserves the respect that their children will
be returned home safe to them after being left in your care.
This is why crowd managers make a difference. Their
outlook on any event is different to most others involved in event planning.
So what is it that crowd managers are learning in the
current global environment? Whilst the catastrophic mass casualty threats
still cause us all to shake our heads in horror, the reality is that the
most likely incident at our events are those caused by individuals, groups
or poor event planning at a local level. How many of us have identified
through sound risk management techniques the full nature of threats to our
events and venues?
Gang activity is still a major threat in many countries
around the world where there is a mass gathering of people. How many of us
have really gathered the intelligence required to identify these elements of
society in our venues and at our events? The clothing, the colours, the hand
signs and the body tattoos are just some of the likely pointers to gangs.
Their very presence at our events may present a serious threat. Are they
there to enjoy the entertainment, or are they there to disrupt our event
through their actions?
The actions of a single person intent on creating havoc, or worse, still
pose a major threat at any event. They possess a view of the world that most
of us could not even contemplate. They have an intent that is difficult to
identify and intercept. What drives these individuals? From the person who
is merely a nuisance by invading a playing field through to someone who
wishes to cause genuine harm to those that surround them through a personal
grievance, the threat of their presence must be identified and controlled.
Crowd managers are planners. They have a very specific
mission in ensuring the safety and security of the public at our venues.
Their mission is not always welcomed and not even realized by many others.
Crowd managers work in a world of conflict. Often the people they work with
don’t appreciate their role, and many times the promoter or organizer of an
event may not agree with the actions being taken at a venue level.
The reality is, however, that the crowd manager is arguably the most
important role in our organizations, for it is through their planning that
the reputation of the venue, the brand and the event is maintained. It is
their dedication to the cause of safety and security that will make or break
what we have worked to achieve.
Throughout the world we are all experiencing the same
challenges. It is rewarding to know that in Australia our risk
identification methodologies and crowd management strategies are as good as
anywhere else in the world. But without effective planning, no level of
methodologies, strategies or techniques are useful. They are merely dusty
words on a shelf.
fm
John Arthur is the
manager of safety and security at the Arts Centre, Melbourne, Australia. The
Arts Centre, Melbourne, is the premier performing arts venue in Australia
and one of the leading performing arts venues in the world. He is a
committee member of the IAAM’s International Crowd Management Conference.
|
|
Back to Facility Manager
Contents
