Article provided by ESTA
The New World Rigging Symposium, produced by ESTA and USITT, has announced the session topics for the 2019 Symposium taking place March 19-20, 2019, in conjunction with USITT19 in Louisville, Ky.
Leading off the two-day event will be Keynote speaker Jim Digby, Founder and Chairman of the Event Safety Alliance and a veteran of the live music and event production industry. Jim is a tour and production manager by trade involved with some of the industry’s largest artists over the past three decades, including his work as Director of Touring and Production for Linkin Park. He is a vocal advocate for the advancement and application of safety controls, diversity and, education within the live event sector to empower the workforce with greater proficiencies.
Attendees at the 2018 symposium provided enormous feedback to event organizers during the closing session and a post-event survey on topics they wanted to see covered in future symposiums, and a number of key areas rose quickly to the top. First and foremost was attendees’ desire for more information relating to engineering, so two longer sessions will be offered: “Entertainment Engineering: How to Get Everyone on the Same Page,” and “Engineering for Success: Why Things Don’t Fall Down.”
Additional technically focused sessions include “Measuring the Uncertainties: Understanding and Working with Load Cells,” “Automation in a Theatrical Environment,” and “Challenge Accepted! Creating the Unknown: A Case Study.” Safety was a high priority for all concerned and has led to two important sessions: “Hiding in Plain Sight: Identifying Fall Hazards in Your Work Environment,” and “Risk Assessment: Where Do I Start?”
Two sessions will address a growing conversation in the entertainment industry and the world at large: Mental Health in the Entertainment Work Environment, and Creating a Professional Work Environment.
Registration for the two-day Symposium, including lunches, reception and a USITT Stage Expo floor pass, is $375. Register for both the Symposium and the full USITT Conference for just $675. Register here.
Sponsorship of the Symposium conveys your message to a highly targeted audience of top riggers, engineers, and safety professionals, and demonstrates your support for bringing the rigging community together. Sponsors include Stage Rigging, platinum; J.R. Clancy, gold; Kish Rigging, silver; H&H Specialties, The Light Source, and Sapsis Rigging, bronze. A variety of sponsorship opportunities are still available.
