15 Years On: The Indiana State Fair Stage Collapse

We marked 15 Years On from the occasion upon which ESA was founded with a commitment to safer events through education, resources, and advocacy. On August 13, 2011, the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair killed seven people and injured 58. It was a watershed moment for the live event industry and for ESA.

Our Aug 12 webinar—Looking Back—featured a panel discussion that reflected on our past. ESA Founding President Jim Digby and guests talked about that day, ESA’s founding, and the industry’s progress over the past 15 years to address that fateful occurrence and life safety first: Press Release here.

Our Aug 13 webinar—Looking Ahead—was a guest panel that looked forward to the future of safer events. ESA President Tami Richter discussed the challenges, opportunities, and vision shaping ESA’s future over the next 15 years and described the upcoming Event Safety Guide Version 2: Press Release here.

Registration was free and open to everyone who shared a commitment to safer events—thank you to the hundreds of attendes who participated with us! If you were unable to be there, video recordings of the sessions (Looking Back & Looking Ahead) are linked above for viewing, or you can go here to listen to them in podcast form. ‍ ‍