Global Crowd Management Alliance launches
- Details
The initiative is spearheaded by the United Kingdom Crowd Management Association (UKCMA), the Event Safety Alliance (ESA) and Event Safety Alliance Canada (ESAC), with board members from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the USA, and a list of supporters and advocates spanning over 15 countries on five continents.
The alliance will also create and deliver learning opportunities for crowd management practitioners at all experience levels, in all geographic locations, and regardless of financial means.
Eric Stuart, UK Crowd Management Association’s chair, has been selected as the new body’s first chair. He comments: “I am delighted to have been elected by the founding committee of the Global Crowd Management Alliance to serve as its first chair. This organization will enable us to expand the opportunities for sharing knowledge and experience that will help keep people safe. Whilst crowd plans are sometimes complex and need specialist knowledge, basic safety principles can be applied to many locations where crowds gather, and those principles can often be learnt and implemented at little cost. Most importantly, we should never forget that crowds are made up of people who expect to enjoy a pleasant day or evening out, then return home safely. Good crowd management can help achieve that simple, fundamental goal. We welcome everyone who wishes to enhance crowd safety standards across the globe, and who supports GCMA’s goals to educate, advocate and motivate crowd management professionals.”
Steve Adelman, GCMA’s deputy chair and vice-president of the ESA, adds: “During the COVID-19 pandemic, many event professionals have, quite logically, focused on infection mitigation measures so events and venues can reopen safely. But crowds require much more than vaccine passports and face coverings. From catastrophic occurrences like armed attackers to more routine risks such as overcrowding, trip hazards, and inadequate wayfinding signage, crowd management remains an essential issue for everyone involved with live events. I am thrilled that the Global Crowd Management Alliance has assembled subject matter experts from around the world who work with these issues every day, and who are prepared to lead and teach others to host safe post-pandemic events.”
