- City Hall brings together events industry leaders to tackle safety concerns across the country
- Events industry leaders are under pressure to ensure greater safety for crowds
- London’s Night Czar will chair a roundtable to discuss the challenges facing events, including changing crowd behaviours, spiralling operational costs and new legalisation
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has urged partners across government, the events industry and regulators to work together to tackle challenges that risk safety at live events up and down the country.
London’s Night Czar, Amy Lamé, will today chair a National Events Safety Roundtable following national concerns about crowd behaviour changes and safety. The event was called after the tragic events at the O2 Academy Brixton last year, where Rebecca Ikumelo and Gaby Hutchinson died and a 21-year-old woman remains critically ill in hospital.
The roundtable brings together industry leaders, police representatives and regulators to better understand the current challenges facing live events, including culture, entertainment, sports and retail. Those from the National Police Chief’s Council, UK Crowd Management, LIVE events, the Security Industry Authority and others from the live music and events sector will focus on the need for a coordinated approach across the whole sector and country, to ensure that live events are delivered safely in all forms.
Events across the country are facing a wide range of challenges including the cost of living crisis, spiralling operational costs, changing crowd behaviours and the recruitment and retention of staff, especially in the security sector, since Brexit. Event organisers also face new legislation, such as Martyn’s Law, that places more requirements on venues and event organisers as they consider the threat from terrorism and implement appropriate and proportionate mitigation measures.
The Mayor is committed to doing all he can to champion the capital’s world-leading events industry and make London a fair, inclusive and sustainable 24-hour city. This includes introducing the first-of-its-kind Women’s Night Safety Charter, which has been signed by more than 1,500 businesses, organisations and venues to prioritise women’s safety at night and producing world-leading guidance for councils to develop Night Time Strategies to help them plan better for life at night, including improving safety. The Culture and Community Spaces at Risk programme is also providing dedicated advice and guidance for the most at risk night time spaces, including grassroots live music and LGBTQI+ venues.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London is renowned for hosting world class sporting moments, memorable live concerts and events watched by the eyes of the world, and it is vital that we continue to work together to ensure these take place safely. However, across the country the events industry is facing a series of challenges including the cost of living crisis, spiralling operational costs and Brexit bureaucracy. It’s vital that we work together in partnership with Government, regulators and organisers to ensure safety for all those attending events, as we build a better and safer London for all.”
London Night Czar, Amy Lamé, said: “Our live events industry has a proud history of safely welcoming countless people to world-leading events, but it is clear that nationally we are all facing exceptional challenges. That’s why we are bringing together music and events industry leaders from across the country to discuss how we can work together. This will be a first step in progressing a coordinated approach that works across the whole sector and country to ensure that live events are delivered safely in all forms.”
LIVE Chief Executive, Jon Collins, said: “LIVE welcomes the convening of this roundtable as an opportunity to share best practice, guidance and information on delivering world class, vibrant and safe events. It is further evidence of the progressive and proactive approach adopted by City Hall and builds on measures set out in Think Night and initiatives like Unpacking the Credits. As an industry, we remain resolute in our longstanding commitment to keeping fans who attend live music events safe. LIVE will continue to work closely with all parties to ensure any outputs from this group are realistic, workable and, crucially, sit appropriately alongside existing regulatory requirements to improve safety for all.”
Author: Adam Parry
Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.
