Staging Liabilities

Staging for concerts is becoming more extravagant. The concert goer is always looking for something new and exciting in the concert experience. This has pressured concert producers to up their game and create bigger and more elaborate stage sets. Outdoor festivals are becoming increasing popular. The elements of an outdoor concert cannot be controlled. Add into the elements a giant stage and new craftsmanship; every precaution must be taken to prevent an accident; even if precautions mean canceling a concert due to inclement weather. Stage collapses are rare, and honestly in my opinion should never happen. The person at the helm of the show should be pertinent to clear and drop the stage quickly before weather becomes dangerous, never AFTER weather becomes dangerous. Many stage managers, and production companies succumb to the pressure of concert promoters and do not err on the side of caution, and keep their stages flown until it is too late. The stage is a huge liability for a production company to take on. The company is responsible for the safety of the crew, the bands, and the guests of the concert. The most recently notorious stage collapse happened at the 2011 Indiana State Fair. According to IndyStar IndyStar, "Seven people were killed and more than 100 were injured" (IndyStar,2015). "Two investigative reports released in spring 2012 found that the scaffolding was not up to standards and the Indiana State Fair Commission did not have adequate emergency planning in place....three "knowing violations" -- were levied on Mid-America Sound Corp., which built the stage structure and leased it to the fair"(CNN, 2014).. Mid-America Sound Corporation has been in business since 1975. The company paid a $50,000 fine after the stage collapse and agreed to increase training of its employees. The liability sound companies carry when offering staging with super-truss is the education, experience, and reliability of their employed riggers. Not every state is unionized. Not every company employs riggers; most hired riggers are on a freelance basis. In the Indiana State Fair incident it would be difficult to point a specific finger, but to say the company and fair officials failed collectively. Production companies can also do everything in their power to structure a safe stage up-to-code to all regulations and still have an accident. The liability of such a large temporary structure over a crowd of people, crew, and performers still looms. In 2011 at the Pukkelpop Music Festival in Belgium, five people died when two stages collapsed. The storm came into the festival quick and unexpected. Uprooted trees landed on the stages causing them to collapse. Trees flying at stages is something no concert promoter, or stage manager can predict, or possibly even prepare for. In 2008 at Rocklahoma in Tulsa, Oklahoma two stages collapsed due to 65 mile an hour winds(Hasler J., 2014). Luckily no one was killed and only minor injuries were reported. Once again in this example of a stage collapse, even though the stage was constructed properly, it is not made to withstand the level of wind it experienced. The stage should have been dropped to prevent an accident, even if this meant upsetting a crowd. In this incident it was also pointed out just how much gear, personally owned by performers, and sound companies was destroyed because of the stage collapse. The staging company must always consider the lives of the crew and the equipment they are putting in danger by not making the executive decision of safety first and dropping the stage. Any sound or production company wanting to expand into staging for outdoor festivals must keep in mind the liabilities the staging presents. As I listed storms are the major foe in outdoor concerts. The second liability to staging is employing competent riggers. Production and staging companies need to protect themselves with insurance or chance bankrupting their company with one festival. "Concert event insurance can protect you and give you peace of mind knowing you, your crew, the concert workers and the fans will be covered if an accident or unforeseen problem occurs. You can typically either buy insurance for a single concert or as a yearly policy for a series of events" (Trusted Choice, 2014). As part of a business plan for a concert production company the assurance insurance will be provided for concerts is a plus. Concert insurance can and should include liability protection including general, liquor, auto, and third party, also property damage coverage for buildings and equipment, and medical insurance for staff. Also as part of a business plan, the production company should state membership to the Event Safety Alliance. "The Event Safety Alliance (ESA) is dedicated to promoting “life safety first” throughout all phases of event production and execution. We strive to eliminate the knowledge barrier that often contributes to unsafe conditions and behaviors through the promotion and teaching of good practices and the development of training and planning resources” ((ESA, 2015). This will ensure your company is practicing all safety guidelines available. References: Allen, P., 2011, Pukkelpop Stage Collapse Belgian Music Festival Cancelled, MailOnline, Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2027607/Pukkelpop-stage-collapse-Belgian-music-festival-cancelled-5-deaths.html#ixzz3fRpbEUH4 Botelho, G., 2014, $50 million settlement reached in Indiana State Fair stage collapse, CNN, Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/19/us/indiana-state-fair-settlement/ Evans, T., 2014,IOSHA, Mid-America Sound reach settlement on state fair stage collapse, Indystar, Retrieved from http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2014/03/31/iosha-mid-america-sound-reach-settlement-state-fair-stage-collapse/7118077/ Event Safety Alliance, 2015, Retrieved from http://eventsafetyalliance.org/ Hasler, J., 2014, Why Are So Many Outdoor Concert Stages Collapsing?, Popular Mechanics, Retrieved from http://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/music/a7108/why-are-so-many-outdoor-concert-stages-collapsing/ Mid America Sound, 2015, Retrieved from http://www.midamericasound.com/index.html Protect the Big Show with Concert Insurance, 2014, Trusted Choice, Retrieved from https://www.trustedchoice.com/business-insurance/liability/special-event/concert/