In the past there have been concerns that BS 8901 - the new event management standard developed to ensure the 2012 Games are delivered in a sustainable way - was merely tokenism, but LOCOG has reiterated its commitment to the standard, and is now seeking third party certification for its own implementation of the standard across the Olympic venues.
If you are interested in supplying the Olympics this information is significant because it strengthens the requirement for suppliers to be working towards BS 8901 compliance, plus it's clear there will now be an emphasis on being third party certified as opposed to relying on 'self certification' in the future.
PLASA is working in partnership with the Sustainable Events Group (SEG) and the British Standards Institute (BSI), to host a number of short individual BS 8901 training courses at the Institute of Environmental Health, London SE1 8DJ. These courses are aimed at both absolute beginners and also those that are already familiar with management standards. Organisations that attend the courses can learn how to inexpensively implement the updated and completely revised BS 8901 into their operations.
BS 8901 is currently being developed into a new worldwide standard - ISO 20121 - with PLASA one of the key contributors to its development.
If you are interested in knowing more about BS 8901 and the workshops being run by PLASA, please visit the webpage below.
(Ruth Rossington)
