06
FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST
STEVE KEARNEY, MANAGING PARTNER, GALLOWGLASS HEALTH & SAFETY STEVE KEARNEY GIVES HIS INSIGHT ON HOW THE INDUSTRY HAS HANDLED THE PANDEMIC AND SHARES HIS VISION FOR THE COMEBACK OF LIVE EVENTS IN 2021 AND BEYOND.
It has been more than a year since COVID-19 swept like a tidal wave around the world, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. In that year, we’ve learned a lot about our industry; while its dependence on assembling large crowds in one place makes it particularly susceptible to the effects of a global pandemic, the industry has also shown its resilience, with a number of events that have overcome the odds, keeping business ticking over until a more long-term solution can be achieved. Take BreakoutDXB [TPMEA #27], for example – an event put together by Dan Bolton, which we worked on. Everything was managed in accordance with the guidance and directive from the government, and we worked extremely closely with Civil Defence and Dubai Tourism to ensure that all the safety standards were met. The result was a fantastic event that not only provided entertainment for the public, but also much-needed work for the suppliers involved. Events like that are an example of a small number of people coming together to proactively work out and implement a solution, in order to hold an event safely while COVID-19 restrictions remain in place. However, I can’t help but feel that there could have been many more events like this, if only we as an industry would have been able to come together and get behind a single organisation or body that could represent the industry as a whole and engage with the government. Instead, it’s been left up to individuals and companies to develop their own strategies and protocols for how to operate safely throughout the pandemic, which is a great shame and a missed opportunity – especially when you consider that our industry is worth many millions of dirhams to the local economy every year. The very nature of the pandemic means that restrictions have to be updated regularly, and I believe that the current tighter restrictions in the UAE and elsewhere in the Middle East are absolutely the right thing to do. It is imperative that the number of cases goes down before we can consider opening up again. However, when we do start to open up again, I believe that we should consider how and in what areas restrictions are lifted. From an events perspective, consistency is key. At any event that we work on, we consider everything from the load-in to crowd safety, with a rigorous process ensuring that the potential for transmissions is as low as possible. In my view, a properly managed, ticketed event is a much safer environment than, say, a pub or hotel, where people come and go freely, so events should be subject to more lenient restrictions. One thing is for sure, though: if anyone is trying to put on an event in 2021 and beyond and they don’t use an event safety specialist, they are asking for trouble. That’s not to say that
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