Safety First at Stage|Set|Scenery

Be it a theatre or event production, safety during events contributes decisively to their success. Everyone present, including audiences, should be able to safely assume that they are in no danger. According to Christian Buschhoff of xEMP in Berlin, which is co-supervising the Stage|Set|Scenery safety program organized by Deutsche Theatertechnische Gesellschaft (DTHG), "Extensive planning, knowledge of the risks, as well as proper health safety and work safety measures are of key importance. Tight schedules and budgets as well as changes at short notice are the special challenges that face everyone in management in the planning stage."

Stage|Set|Scenery takes place June 20 - 22 in the Berlin Expo Center City.

Over the course of three days Stage|Set|Scenery will offer everyone involved in organizing productions and events a platform for exchanging views, to go through potentially dangerous scenarios and to offer solutions. Hall 23 will be hosting the Safety in Action stage for this purpose. On day one, highlights will include the Fire Prevention Dialogue which will also involve the Event Safety Group. Since May 2010 this working group has regularly attended a large discussion round with experts at the Institute of Rescue Engineering and Risk Prevention at Technische Hochschule Köln. This multidisciplinary committee, whose members include safety experts, addresses education and research, and the demands and issues encountered in practice. At the same time it offers feedback to local authorities via local organizations and fire brigades. Furthermore, Stefan Leitmannslehner of qounts will be showing how to speed up evacuations, Andreas J. Mohnke of RIEDEL Communications will be presenting a paper on "Redundant Communication Under Open Skies -- Images, Sound, and Radio Communications," and IGVW AG Dekobau and AGVS will be highlighting the latest developments in their respective fields.

On all three days the audience can witness everyday situations augmented by practical, in-depth, educational, and fascinating lectures. Thus, on day two an international discussion round involving experts and chaired by professor Stephan Rolfes of Beuth Hochschule für Technik Berlin will discuss safety integrity levels (SIL 3).

On the Safety in Action stage the focus will be on safety during productions, with discussions on a wide range of potentially dangerous situations and safety measures, for example at theatre and dance performances. On June 21, artists from Staatliche Ballettschule Berlin und Schule für Artistik will perform on the tightrope, demonstrating the risks that their work poses. On the same day the professional association representing administrations (Verwaltungs-Berufsgenossenschaft - VBG) will hold a workshop on dance rehabilitation and the organization tamed Tanzmedizin Deutschland will give a paper on "Dance Rehabilitation -- Working with Dancers -- Caring Instead of Repairing."

On day three, starting at 3:00pm, the focus will be on the Erasmus+ European Theatre Technicians education program. Events will include a Public Assessment Centre for trainees which visitors will be able to attend. In the morning the rescue service Johanniter-Unfallhilfe will hold a paper on mass casualty incidents (MCI), and trade visitors will be able to find out from Christian Wendler of M.O.P Management-Organizations-Partner about possibilities for "Making Your Technical World Safer." For the first time simultaneous interpreting into German and English will be provided.

Exhibitors highlighting safety, including IFIS-FR Ingenieurbüro für Informationssicherheit (validation of safety concepts for events, safety and risk assessments, emergency management advice), Qounts (visitor counting systems), and Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe, will be represented in direct proximity to the Safety in Action stage near the Visitor Safety meeting point in Hall 23. Bundesverband der Sicherheitswirtschaft (BDSW) will be represented with its own stand in Hall 22. An interesting dialogue will no doubt take place in both halls, enabling companies representing production, planning, administration and safety infrastructures to meet and get to know each other.