Sabine Funk
A warm summer evening, good weather and many happy people, the ideal conditions for a good open air concert. So that such evenings can be a happy experience, you need good organization and planning.
Sabine Funk, among others, is responsible for such things. She is one of the leading experts for event safety and crowd management and is currently working on the German adaptation of the event safety guide. At the PLS she will be speaking about safety regulations at German events at the International Event Safety Conference in the Eventplaza. Prolight + Sound team asked her a few questions ahead of time.
How have the safety requirements changed in comparison to a few years ago?
Funk: The idea of safety planning has become much more important in the past few years, which I am naturally happy about. However, there is still a thin line between the rising suitable requirements and those that arise due to ignorance and fear of taking responsibility. In addition the request to have a full account hazard analysis is sometimes still seen as an “annoying chore.”
Have disasters such as the one in Duisburg sensitized the event planners?
Funk: More than the sensitizing of the event planner, was the effect it had on the public authorities and the security companies. Many organizers had made good and safe plans before the Loveparade. Some were however, really alarmed by the results. Other, on the other hand, have fallen back on the old saying, “that can’t happen to us”.
What are the safety regulations like in other countries?
Funk: There are several countries which have established regulations, such as England’s “Purzle Guide”. There are other countries that have fewer regulations than we have here. In part the differences begin at the fundamental questions, such as how a stage barricade should be lifted. One realizes, however, that in every country a professional understanding of the topic is evolving.
Thank you very much!
Picutre source: IBIT.eu
