The Event Safety Podcast

What does it actually take to stop a show? Danielle is joined by Steve Allen, Mark Hamilton, and Bryan Huneycutt to talk about Showstop® Procedure, the accredited course developed with the Pink Bows Foundation after the devastating Astroworld tragedy. The conversation traces the development of the show stops from the 1990s to today and explains how a show stop is an emergency intervention which pr...

Heat continues to be a major life safety concern at events, and we wanted to take the opportunity to advocate and educate about the risks, mitigations and culture change needed to preserve both the activity as well as the health of all participants.  Danielle welcomes back Dr. Kevin Kloesel, joined by fellow meteorologist Spencer Adkins, both of whom, among other projects, forecast heat safet...

Danielle invites UK crowd safety specialists Eric Stuart and Miriam Stone to discuss the role of steward in the field of crowd management and trace the lines between volunteers, stewards, and licensed security. Eric lays out a five-tier crowd-management hierarchy -- volunteers, stewards, security, police, military -- with stewards sitting just above volunteers: paid, unlicensed, responsible for wa...

Tami Richter, ESA's current president, moderates the second commemorative webinar panel, titled "Looking Forward: Education, Collaboration, and the Future of Safer Events." After a moment of silence honoring those lost in 2011, the discussion turns to several active ESA initiatives. Guests: Tami Richter, John Badcock, Jessie Sullivan, Bryan Huneycutt, Doug Bruce, Danielle Hernandez Show Notes: Eve...

To mark the 15th anniversary of the Indiana State Fair stage collapse that killed seven people and injured 58 others, Danielle shares Part One of an ESA presentation commemorating the event, and how it inspired us to change to safety at live events, work that continues to this day. The panel, led by ESA founder and immediate past president Jim Digby, traces ESA's founding: the conference calls tha...

Danielle reconvenes the 2nd annual current events roundtable, joined by event safety friends, Jacob Worek, John Badcock, and Doug Bruce to review the incidents, trends, and conversations that shaped the first half of 2026 for live events. Weather was a major theme, also, the FIFA 2026 World Cup, audience behavior and safety messaging, technology and surveillance at events, nightclub fires and more...

What separates safety training from safety culture? Danielle and co-host Anna Glover sit down with Jen Ruggerio, founder of Rugged Training Group and author of Uncorporate Leadership, to dig into that question. Safety training without leadership support is box-checking.  The conversation examines common leadership models that do not translate to environments where the stakes are lives rather than...

It is fireworks season! Danielle sits down with Ryan Abel, a fireworks and FX designer and pyrotechnic specialist. This in-depth chat covers pyro from design to operations, including budget, AHJs, permits and safety protocols. Site selection, weather, and show-stop criteria each get real-world treatment, including stopping a show mid-performance when winds spiked unexpectedly.  The discussion goes...

Pink Bows Foundation grew out of tragedy. After ten people, including Madison Dubiski, lost their lives at Astroworld in 2021, her family channeled an outpouring of community grief into an organization committed to making live events safer for everyone. The foundation's work runs on three pillars: a philanthropy program honoring Madison's commitment to community service, a Showstop procedure cours...

Danielle Hernandez is joined by guest co-host Fr. David Garretson along with guests Bill Conner and Dan Culhane for an in-depth discussion of the present, past and future of fire safety curtains and their place in both venues and codes.   For over a century, theaters have been required to provide either a fire curtain, a deluge system, or mechanical exhaust at the proscenium to separate the stage...

Co-host Anna Glover joins Danielle Hernandez to explore a topic that sits at the heart of everything we do in live events: how do you make good decisions when you can't know the outcome? Their guest, Ben Cattaneo, is a risk and resilience professional, host of the Decision-Making Studio podcast, and co-author of "Decision Making in the Polycrisis Era". Ben opens by drawing a clear line between ris...

Episode 116: Survey Says... Weather with DTN! ---------------------------------------- Weather is the leading disruptor of live events, and the industry's relationship with weather intelligence has matured significantly over the past decade. Danielle Hernandez and co-host Tami Richter sit down with Renny Vandewege, General Manager of Weather Intelligence at DTN, to dig into the results of a major...

Episode 115: The Training Pod ---------------------------------------- Phil van Hest and Sean Fox of Rock Force join Danielle and Bryan to tackle a question that many organizations eventually face: where do you start when you're building a crew training program from scratch?   Using a hypothetical production company as a framework, the conversation works through the foundational decisions every tr...

Episode 114: ESA 114 - GCMA's The Service Playbook ---------------------------------------- What does it take to turn a safety plan into a positive experience for your attendees? Danielle Hernandez sits down with Thyr Rodrigues, a spectator services veteran whose career spans the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014, the Rio 2016 Olympics, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, and UEFA's Euro 2020 and 202...

It's March Madness!  In this episode, hosts Danielle Hernandez and John Badcock explore the logistical and operational complexities of hosting the annual NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments. They are joined by Joey Doster (Lenovo Center, NC) and Becca Wilusz (Duke University) to discuss the bidding process, rapid scheduling, security perimeters, broadcast constraints and the challenges o...

In this episode, Danielle and Doug Bruce speak with UK events operations consultant Miriam Stone about Major Incident Planning for event operations. The conversation explores the critical differences between standard operational incidents and major incidents that require a multi-agency response. Key topics include emergency reporting, crowd management, the importance of continuous training and tab...

Episode Summary In this episode of the Event Safety Podcast, hosts Danielle Hernandez and Jim Digby explore the complex and visually stunning world of laser technology in live entertainment. They are joined by Roberta McHatton (Laser Safety Services) and Harry Boyde (ER Productions), who provide expert insights into the physics of lasers, the evolution of safety standards since the 1980s, and the...

Danielle and guest co-host Anita Hartsock are joined by Richard Cadena to discuss the dangers of electrical shock on stages.  We explore exactly how stray current can travel through gear and people and why proper grounding is absolutely crucial.  Also, there is discussion about some real incidents that illustrate the point and prove why a non-contact voltage sniffer should be a part of your tool k...

Hey friends! We’re getting a little bit "in the weeds" today, and behind the scenes at The Event Safety Alliance.  ESA is going through an exciting transition, and we are so delighted to be joined by our new leadership team to talk about what’s next for our Life Safety First mission. www.publichealtheverything.com

🎙️ You Guys! We Talked ETCP Certifications! If you’ve ever wondered how to determine who in this business really knows their discipline, especially in an industry without formal training requirements, this is the episode for you. We had Christina Smith from ESTA and Bill Sapsis of Sapsis Rigging and the ETCP Council join the Event Safety Podcast to break down the Entertainment Technician Certifica...

This time around, John Badcock joins Danielle for a conversation on inspiration, motivation and the value of the event safety community.

October is definitely spooky season.  In celebration of haunts, scares and horror experiences, hosts Danielle & Bryan talk to Kim Scott, General Manager of the recently launched Universal Horror Unleashed .   The conversation ranges from jump scares to regulations and how to mentor the up-and-coming planners as they create new attractions in this genre.   Also, boo holes.  Happy haunting!!     Uni...

In this episode Danielle and guest co-host Boxer Hardison had a conversation with Jeff Reder of Clark Reder Engineering Inc., focused on discussing structural engineering for the entertainment industry, sharing insights about their work on concert stages, theater sets, and temporary structures for events like Coachella. The discussion covered engineering processes, challenges with weather and safe...

This week Danielle and guest co-host Janet Sellery talk with special guest, Betty Siegel, about accessibility in live events. They explore service animals, communication accommodations, and assistive technologies.  The conversation includes various accessibility considerations including sensory-friendly performances, mobility accommodations, and the importance of involving people with disabilities...

In this episode of the Event Safety Podcast, host Danielle is joined by ESA friends Jacob Worek and John Badcock for a round table discussion of what all has occurred so far this year in the event industry. From incidents, accidents, and near misses, to weather (so much weather), as well as tools and guidance, the first half of 2025 has been full of lessons for event professionals to consider when...