November was a busy month for Event Safety Institute Australia! Not only did we complete the incorporation of the company, we also delivered the first genuine Keith Still ‘Introduction to Crowd Science’ course and held a seminar to celebrate the new company. Syan Schaap came over to Sydney for the occasion and an introduction to Australia.
The first course, delivered by Roderick van Gelder and Syan Schaap, was very well received. Students came from the Sydney Opera House, Property NSW, City of Sydney, Movement Strategies and two academics completed the class. The course is tightly packed with a vast amount of information to pass on to the students, who will then be given opportunity to apply the tools to real life events in small groups. Spread over three days the pace was quick but still had enough time for students to ask specific questions or share stories to underpin the subject matter.
On the third day the groups presented their case studies that they had used throughout. The presentations were of a very high level and showed how well everyone had been able to apply the new tools and knowledge to their work areas. The course not only focuses on Crowd Science but also very much on how to collaborate with others and communicate findings at a professional level.
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The next day saw the official launch of Event Safety Institute Australia at a seminar held at the Roslyn Packer Theatre in Walsh Bay. An interesting cross section of events professionals attended and took part in the panel discussion that featured Milad Haghani from the University of NSW, Syan Schaap, and was moderated by Roderick van Gelder. Looking at what we could learn from the recent tragedy in Seoul but also the minor incident in Melbourne around Steve Lacy’s concert, several very interesting ideas were discussed and analysed. The discussions were followed by a half-hour Keith Still ‘Teams’ presentation from his home in the UK. He had to rise very early due to the 10-hour time difference at this time of year. After his presentation Keith responded to a few questions from the participants. With all the official proceedings done, it was time for a beverage and a small Dutch treat, Bitterballen, that were purchased earlier that day from the Dutch shop in Smithfield.
With the next run of courses set for Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in March – April 2023, we are off to a good start!
