As city state and local governments begin stepping up their enforcement of safety in event equipment like tents, staging, production rigging, festival rides, etc... It reminds of me the big leaps in safety our industry has taken in recent years to protect the attendees of our events. Long before certain standards were set in place, manufacturers created tents that were engineered for various wind loads, snow loads, and hanging loads. Our structures (which we started renting in 1982) were engineered to stand up to 90 mph winds in certain exposures and can hold a static weight of 1,000 pounds per arch safely. Before engineered tents came along, customers didn't necessarily have the peace of mind that they now find. They can now rest assured that only an "act of God" will effect their event.
Unfortunately, that is what we saw at the Indiana State Fair this past weekend when a freak wind gust blew through the fair grounds, killing 5, injuring almost 50 more, and mangling production rigging. This tragedy serves as a reminder that when the general public, or any one for that matter, attends an event, the highest level of precaution must be taken to ensure their safety. To be clear, I have no idea if the set up the equipment was safe or not, or if it was installed properly or not. Sometimes these things are beyord our control, but they need to be considered when planning an event.
Initially, our customers balked at the increase in price to add higher levels of safety to their events. Slowly over time though, they have seen the benefit of covering their assets and guests with structures that will do a much better job of protection from the elements. We recently wrote about a large pole tent going down at an event. I was personally on site to monitor the tents in case of emergency. I was able to see the instability take shape and we shut the tent down so there wasn't a chance anyone could enter a potentially unsafe position (also with the help of the National Guard, vendors were prohibited from entering the tent).
It is now my position as an event professional to make sure this situation doesn't happen again. It is my job to plan a safer alternative for my customer. After all, I'm the one with the expertise as to what can make the situation safer for him, his guests, and his vendors. Once I make the proposal though, its up to the festival and organizers if they will act upon my suggestions. Hopefully they see the merit in using safer structures in a position that is potentially dangerous based on the weather.
To sum up, some companies are complaining that the cost of safer materials are too expensive and prohibitive. Some customers are worried that they will not be able to afford the additional costs. All city, state and local governments do not care about those concerns. Their only concern is the safety of the event attendees -- and rightfully so.
* A note to the tent companies on the fence about purchasing structures or engineered tents: While the newer tents do cost more, they are extremely durable (we still use some of our original frame work that is almost 30 years old), the tents are easy to install (our crews can set up a 20,000 square foot structure in less than 8 hours), and your insurance company will love you for cutting your liability.
