I. Introduction

The current active Founders of the Event Safety Alliance have created this document to share our aspirations for the organization. It is the result of collaborative discussions and friendly debate in early 2025 between those remaining Founders and other leaders of ESA.

It is our hope that ESA will continue to:

    1. Build a lasting, influential and consequential organization.

    2. Create a culture that endures beyond the Founders’ tenure.

    3. Forge the work of positive change in the community and industry.

II. This is ESA

The Event Safety Alliance should remain a 501(C)(6) non-profit organization focused on promoting “Life Safety First” throughout all phases of the production of live events. ESA does this by developing and sharing guidance and training resources that empower event professionals to mitigate risks and ensure their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of their co-workers, audiences and guests.

This core idea captures our belief that safety begins with the individual. But more than that, when we collectively invest in this idea, we know an even safer outcome is possible for everyone involved, helping to avoid the challenges that have contributed to past accidents, near-misses, and poor mental/physical health among our workforce.

ESA guidance and standards are collaboratively developed with the world's foremost safety experts, event professionals, academics and government officials. The work is optimized for real-world application and undergoes regular updates to ensure its continued relevance. This process is driven by the principle that everyone should have access to safe outcomes and the opportunity to participate safely in live events.

ESA must continue to advocate for the safety and wellbeing of participants and attendees at public gatherings and events of all types. The promotion of good practice should be based on fundamentals of risk assessment and mitigation, common sense, and legal compliance.

Stakeholders should continue to include production and operational workers, legal and insurance experts, regulatory authorities, promoters, venue operators, ticket and sales entities, media and streaming platforms, and artistic, cultural and creative individuals and organizations.

III. The Beginning

ESA was formed in direct response to a series of tragic and deadly incidents during the summer of 2011 at live events in Ottawa, Tulsa, Indianapolis, and Belgium. A diverse coalition of entertainment industry professionals were united in the belief that maintaining the status quo was neither desirable nor possible. We asserted that placing a higher priority on safety and safety education would save lives, money, reputations and the live event industry.

“Life Safety First” is about passion for life safety at live events; that is what motivates ESA’s work. This organization was created from the passion of its Founders. The need for ESA continues and expands, but the passion of the Founders needs to continue to be evident in its future leaders. Leading with passion for the mission will assure that “Life Safety First” remains paramount in all activities.

IV. The Core Values and Principles

The Event Safety Alliance is dedicated to promoting “Life Safety First” throughout all phases of event production and execution. ESA’s mission is to help event professionals and our guests be empowered, safe and aware of the reasonably foreseeable risks around them. ESA works to achieve this mission through education, skills training, and advocacy.

Our goal is to put Life Safety at the cultural heart of our industry. We believe that to achieve this, Life Safety is built on the answers to these three questions:

1. What is necessary to stay safe?

2. How can we inspire others to be safe?

3. How can we make everyone responsible for Life Safety?

ESA is dedicated to fostering a positive, inclusive and collaborative organization; this is our strength.

V. The Vision: Solidarity in Safety

As Founders prepare to support new leadership in ESA, we are hopeful that these themes may inform and guide ESA in its work:

1. Unify our voice and expertise.

2. Expand the reach of our message.

3. Maintain our ethos of service.

4. Expand our impact through collaborations.

5. Strengthen our community and collaborative advocacy.

6. Empower our stakeholders among all event professionals.

7. Ensure accessibility to all our programs and products.

8. Maintain our neutrality; everyone is welcome.

9. Continue to develop and promulgate new resources, products, and services.

10. Foster continuous growth and dynamic guidance.

11. Increase training and education offerings, including certification programs.

12. Advocate for global safety standards.

13. Innovate through technology and data collection.

VI. Conclusion

We re-commit to “Life Safety First.” ESA must never lose its dedication to its core belief.

ESA must continue to adapt and grow its services to meet the changing needs of live events, while maintaining the passion and “heart” that created the Event Safety Alliance all those years ago.

As Founders, we challenge all Event Safety Alliance stakeholders, members, volunteers, and supporters to remain aligned with ESA’s core belief as the organization moves forward.

It has been our honor to do this work; we will continue to live and practice “Life Safety First.”

Thank you.

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Acknowledgements

Special thanks and the deepest gratitude to those stakeholders who made the commitment to “Life Safety First” that resulted in the creation of the Event Safety Alliance. Their efforts are reflected in ESA's work. Our memories may be imperfect, but our appreciation is sincere: