History

“Students Riot at Annual Easter Tournament in Dunedin” – March 1990

I don’t recall the exact headline, but it was something very much like this and it appeared in newspapers all over New Zealand (and apparently one or two in the UK as well).  This was my first event.  I thought I was the tournament controller for a multiple sports tournament.  Yet there I was, 8am on a Sunday morning facing the Southern District Police Commander, university officials, Dunedin city councillors and the media on issues to do with civil disorder.  I was a 23 year old PE student and I didn’t really know what had hit me!

Skip forward 22 years and I’m still in the events business, although with a much improved understanding of the requirements for a safe and successful event.  The path from there to here has by no means been a direct one.  I didn’t initially stick with event management after 1990.  Instead I ran off to the circus, so to speak, working as a sound engineer on gigs in the UK for a few years before returning to New Zealand to follow the transient touring lifestyle of the theatre technician and production manager.  I have helped take New Zealand shows all around this country and offshore – to Australia, Canada, Greece, Germany, Scotland, USA, Singapore and China.

But like all good stories my journey has come around a full circle.  In 2004 I worked on outdoor summer events using my knowledge and experience in production management.  It very soon became apparent to me that there were plenty of people willing and able to fill the technical roles on events, but fewer interested in the logistical side of things – the security, first aid, fences, rubbish, toilets etc – what I like to call the “glamour” side of events! So I segued (or quite literally Segway-ed at times!) into that role. To date my events list includes the following:

    • Rugby World Cup 2011- Fan Zones logistics (Wellington)
    • Cuba Street Carnival  (Wellington)
    • Rugby Sevens Street Party (Wellington)
    • Christchurch Arts Festival
    • NZ International Arts Festival
    • New Years Eve in Civic Square (Wellington)
    • Diwali Festival of Lights (Wellington)
    • Rock Barge at Oriental Bay (Wellington)
    • River Queen film – World Premier (Whanganui)

So here I am in the business of managing events and sharing my knowledge and experience to assist you with managing your own events.

 

Health and Safety

As my experience in running events grew, so too did the complexity of the events I was getting involved in.  I was starting to deal with increased site sizes and crowd numbers and more extensive crew frameworks, and I began to realise that the simple workplace health and safety and crowd management systems I’d previously employed were no longer adequate.  On top of this, with many very high profile workplace disasters occurring in New Zealand in recent years there has been a gradual tightening up of safety requirements across venue owners, with more robust safety planning required from user groups.

In searching for solutions I found that the models of other industries, although often filled with helpful information, were not able to be outright adopted because of the unique combination of factors influencing the event and entertainment industry.  Such factors include very tight immovable timeframes and deadlines, transient casual workforce, unique equipment, changeable environmental factors, high numbers of contractors on site, a wonderfully unique workplace culture…. and that’s before you throw “punters” into the mix.

Essentially as event professionals we create very unique experiences each time we set up a new event or event site.  And with this we create very unique sets of risks and potential hazards.

So, combining my background at the “coal-face” of events and entertainment with management experience and a genuine interest in providing safety and comfort for all workers and participants, I have developed a framework for health and safety management that is tailored specifically to the events and entertainment industry.  And I continue to develop and refine this framework as my exposure to new and exciting events and shows continues.

 

Technical Management – Indian Ink Theatre Company

Since 1998 I have been involved with the Indian Ink Theatre company as technical manager for their theatre shows, touring within New Zealand and overseas.

One of the highlights of working with this company was doing the “Indian Ink Trilogy” in 2005. For this production we took three different shows, “Krishnan’s Dairy”, “The Candlestick Maker” and “The Pickle King” and performed them in repertoire at Sky City in Auckland and The Opera House in Wellington. This involved real challenges in both planning and design adaptations, to allow for the set and technical elements of each show to be interchanged overnight for a new show’s performance the next day.

It still gives me great pleasure touring with the Indian Ink team. My creative cup gets filled with lighting designs and problem solving adapting a show’s technical elements to fit into venues of all shapes and sizes. I also enjoy “getting my hands dirty” physically putting together the set and lighting components. And it allows me to touch base with trends and practices backstage in theatres around New Zealand and internationally.