The panel’s work is highly topical through recent developments in the music and festival culture, and its creation was spurred by a number of accidents and deaths at high profile events including Roskilde Festival 2000 in Denmark and other recent crowd tragedies in Australia and South America. An awareness campaign aimed at educating festival audiences across Europe about the seemingly innocent (but proven dangerous) practice of ‘crowd surfing’ is likely to top the CSP’s public agenda for 2002. Responsibility for the health and safety of audiences at major live music events has traditionally been divided between event promoters, local licensing authorities, health and safety authorities, and crowd management (security) companies appointed by event promoters.
Currently there is no pan-European agreement on crowd safety standards and practices at music events. Although individual countries have their own guidelines, in the view of the CSP, differences between individual national practices should be eliminated as far as possible, to ensure that concert and festival audiences are treated to the highest possible standards of health, safety and security at every event throughout Europe.
Comments co-ordinator Bert van Horck: "It was agreed, with regard to our constitution, that we should provide as broad a representation as possible of our industry. That’s why we have people from the promoter side of the business - including SFX, CTS and DEAG, three of Europe’s largest promoters - plus some independent promoters, as well as representation from the production side of the industry, including Roger Barrett of Star Hire, the management side, including Bo Johansson, and Mick Upton and myself from the crowd management side. Although we represent the music industry, we are also in discussion with sporting bodies, for example the UKCMA (UK Crowd Management Association), and are actively talking to the Football Licensing Authority in the UK."
