APRIL AUGUST | FEATURE | security
of income : “ People want to go out and enjoy themselves , and we haven ’ t done that for a couple of years . [ The events industry ] will come back differently , but different is okay .” In a panel exploring societal issues and their impact on event management , chaired by We are the Fair head of production Yasmin Galletti , Reed said it was not possible to have a zero tolerance approach to drug use at the majority of festivals , and that a pragmatic approach to harm reduction was the most realistic tactic .
The panellists discussed the work of drug safety testing initiative The Loop , which the majority said was advantageous if costly , but Jammer raised a concern that adopting drug safety testing at a festival could encourage people to bring drugs to the event .
Down said she would back a service like The Loop at End of the Road if the audience was “ that way inclined ” and agreed the festival industry and relevant authorities need to have an “ honest and open conversation ” about the issue in order to help save lives . Reed said that a zero-tolerance approach was entirely appropriate when it comes to sexual harassment at festivals . He said some of AIF ’ s members reported more incidents of sexual assault at festivals last year : “ It ’ s more prevalent than ever and it ’ s not an issue that anyone can ignore .”
The AIF CEO said the association was focused on continuing and enhancing the Safer Spaces at Festivals campaign it launched in 2017 , with the aim of raising greater awareness about sexual violence across everyone from audiences to artists , staff and volunteers .
Jammer cited the statistic that 40 % of women under 40 said they have experienced a form of sexual assault at a festival , and he said he wants to see this drop over the next few years . He said : “ We ’ re not going to cure this overnight , it ’ s an ongoing process . This is an industry-wide issue and it ’ s only going to work if we have a general standard in place across all festivals .”
Down said educating both festival staff and audiences on safety measures will have a “ trickle-down effect ”. She added that basic logistical measures such as having the correct lighting in darker areas and utilising enough roaming staff on site are crucial and sometimes overlooked .
Asked what can be done as an industry to help make this year run smoothly , SC Productions director Sarah Hemsley-Cole said : “ We need to keep our heads , not push people , suppliers , too hard and not create schedules that are crazy – there is only a definitive amount of human hours and resources .”
Morgan said his production company has already turned down 40 shows this year due to supply chain challenges . He said : “ If you haven ’ t already got that relationship with suppliers it ’ s going to be very difficult . There ’ s a lot of risk this year . I wouldn ’ t choose to launch a show this year , especially as a new promoter .”
On the subject of what the industry could do to address the shortfall in staff and crew following the pandemic , Wales said , “ Working as an industry to see if we can make Gig working more of a career might be the way forward . Carrying forward recommendations from other venues , a single platform where you can log your training and your experiences that venues and events can look at and pick from . This would elevate the industry and could well help keep , and engage new , people .”
Brasher emphasised the importance of the Access All Areas conference at EPS as a forum for debate and exchange of ideas . He said , “ The industry is still in a period of transition . There are lots of uncertainties in the market , so the important thing to carry on doing is talking and listening to each other and helping each other . The fact you have got people from across the industry talking , and even in preparation of this talk today , I was getting some brilliant nuggets that I have been using in other conversations across our business .”
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