Last week's disaster during the Love Parade in Duisburg once again brought crowd management and safety issues to the top of the industry agenda. While we're waiting for the official report on what actually went wrong as 20+ spectaters were killed, one fact is clear: More than 1,4 mio. people were let through narrow passageways into an area that could - legally as well as physically - hold no more than 250,000 people.

News reports have also revealed that somewhere in the "system" of police, city officials, and organisers, someone anticipated the danger, but nobody reacted on warnings. The accident report will probably reveal a combination of ignorance,carelessness, lack of clear responsibilities, and other flaws along the way.
Protesters in Germany have already named "greed" - the desire to create a large turnover - as the underlying cause of the incident.

Have events become too big, too unmanageable? Are organisers really driven by greed? Are cities driven by competition and excitement about "branding opportunities" to a degree that sets aside careful, deligent, and clear thinking? All too clearly, and on the saddest possible background, the Duisburg disaster reminds us that no matter how excited we may be about our industry and all its good intentions and purposes, we must never forget the dangers and responsibilies that go with it. "The bigger the better" holds only limited truth.

The disaster also underlines the importance of sharing of "best practice". City officials, organisers - and, for that matter police and other authorities - may easily, as human beings, be carried away by the excitement and enthusiasm of city celebrations, and may easily fall into a state of optimism prior to events. Thus, when meeting and sharing with other organisers, it is important that we recognize the need to set aside our general excitement for (and likely reason for being in) the industry, remain calm and realistic, and are willing to share our mistakes. Audiences come to enjoy, celebrate, and have a party. As organisers, it is our responsibility to ensure that they can do so in safe environments.

Indeed the opportunity to sharing not just the excitement, artistic visions, and great marketing ideas, but also the flaws - whether big or small - would be just one more reason for you to come to the IFEA Europe Annual Conference in Copenhagen in September.

IFEA Europe sends sincere condolences to the Duisburg victims and their families. May we all learn from what went so terribly wrong.

Allan Xenius Grige