Day 2 Keynote: The FIFA World Cup 2026 - Safety Planning for the World's Greatest Tournament | Peter Code

Next summer, for the first time ever, the world’s greatest tournament, the FIFA World Cup, will be played in North America, in three separate countries, in sixteen separate cities, with 48 teams squaring off over 104 matches: the largest FIFA World Cup in history.

6 million fans will watch the drama unfold from inside the stadiums, with an additional 11 million fans watching the action at FIFA Fan Festival sites at each host city.

All of this unfolding across three countries, each with their own unique federal laws, norms and cultures. All of this within sixteen cities, each with their own municipal, provincial and state laws; each with their own challenges in relation to mobility, stadium size and capacity.

An event this size requires a new vision and approach to safety and security planning. A new vision and approach that embraces collaboration as its foundation.

With collaboration comes trust, and with trust comes safety.

Breakout Session | Peer to Peer Conversations | ESAC Board of Directors & Friends

This session creates an opportunity for different sectors to connect with their peers to discuss key topics. Facilitated by some of the best in the industry, these conversations will dig into specific health and safety challenges that we face every day.

Breakout Session | Harm Reduction in (the) House: Bass Coast Music and Arts Festival | Stacey Forrester

Bass Coast Music Festival’s harm reduction program is an in-house model that trains and mobilizes apx. 70 trained volunteers across prevention, support, and mobile activations. From pre-show training delivered to all on-site crew, to asking artists to take a quiz (!!), custom video modules, peer-led chillout and more, this initiative embeds harm reduction into every layer of festival culture. With a dedicated space on the main drag of the event, presence at each stage and the support of the local community, Bass Coast’s approach demonstrates what’s possible when harm reduction is treated as a shared responsibility.

Breakout Session | Safer By Design | Dominic Housiaux

This session will explore the crucial role that event design and layout plays in making events safer for event personnel and attendees. The session will include examples, regulatory requirements and how creating a safer space will enhance creativity not constraint it. The session will look at solutions that are broadly applicable to both small and large events.

Breakout Session | Who Takes Care of the Crowd Outside? | Syan Schaap

This interactive session, using Mentimeter to engage participants, will explore how to improve Zone Ex management measures for public events. The focus will be primarily on free-to-access city festivals and sporting events, due to the challenges related to visitor numbers, crowd behaviors, the allocation of responsibilities among stakeholders, and the need for robust public-private partnerships. We will explore current safety and security risks in the Zone Ex area, how Zone Ex is currently managed, and discuss how we can develop more robust Zone Ex management procedures. Examples from different European events will be used for comparison with Canadian references from the audience.

• Identifying the challenges associated with Zone Ex for crowd management and security.
• Making a stakeholder analysis of the Zone Ex approach surrounding a (city) event.
• Analyzing the current approach and areas for improvement in the field of Safety and Security Management.

Breakout Session | Beyond Show Control: Future of Event Safety | Julian Hoare

Show Control systems are employed throughout the Live Entertainment industry - from Theme Parks, Stadium Tours, to municipal light shows. This session will share how the safety logic inherent in these systems is being adapted and developed to move beyond the stage and brought to the audience. How it can be used to improve the user experience while creating safer spaces for people to gather.

Breakout Session | Psychology Meets Production: What Every Entertainment Leader Should Know About Human Behaviour | Bryan Huneycutt

Behind every successful production is a web of human decisions, made under pressure, in high-stakes environments, and often without time to reflect. This session explores how psychology intersects with live event production, revealing what every leader should understand about behavior, communication, and safety on the job.

We’ll begin with a short talk that introduces core behavioral concepts from psychology—like cognitive load, emotional regulation, and psychological safety, and connects them to real-world moments from festivals, theatre, touring, and technical production. From there, a guided panel of experienced industry professionals will share honest stories about leadership, miscommunication, burnout, and how human factors have shaped their crews for better or worse.

Through shared dialogue, we’ll examine how empathy, clarity, and behavioral awareness can improve team dynamics, reduce risk, and create healthier production environments. This isn’t about theory, it’s about understanding what drives people when things get hard, and how smarter leadership can turn stress into strength.

Whether you manage a show or support one, this session offers tools and reflection for building stronger, safer, more human-centered teams.

Breakout Session | Supporting Our Staff After a Critical Incident | Brian Bennett

Knowing what sequence of crisis intervention processes to use and for which individuals or groups at what times, and under what circumstances is crucial to all effective early intervention programs. This talk will present essential info for the assessment of both crisis situations and the effects of critical incident stress on staff. Learn to create and effective plan of action to assist those in crisis and complete a series of exercises designed to sharpen assessment and crisis planning skills. Strategic planning and tactical decision making are emphasized, as are rationales for choosing one method over another.

Objectives: strategic planning as it applies to crisis intervention.Who needs help, what help is required, when and how do we provide support?.

Breakout Session | School's In, Now What? Life Safety in Schools and the Live Event Industry | Chris Litfin

What do schools and live events have in common? It sounds like the setup to a joke, but it is a seriously useful question to consider. Schools and live events have a lot in common when it comes to planning for Crowd Management, Public Safety, and Severe Weather: attendees whose personal safety is not necessarily their first priority, older buildings which were never really designed to do what is expected of them in the modern era, and budgets which are woefully inadequate to do anything about it; yet the two sectors have a vastly different skillset and planning philosophy, and comparing and contrasting the two provides useful insights for both. Through case studies, we will investigate some schools, event venues, and event venues located within schools, with a focus on the questions “Does this plan actually work?”, “We’ve got everybody out of the building (or in a safe place), now what?”, and “What happens when the emergency services show up?”, then examine the answers to these questions in light of Life Safety Codes, ESTA Technical Standards, and industry good practices.

Breakout Session | What to Inspect When You're Inspecting | Evan Sandham

This session will look at the legislative requirements for regular workplace inspections, the frequency and scope of inspections, the role of the workplace Joint Health & Safety Committee (JHSC), and key areas to include in your inspections - from the mundane production office, to the stage and theatrical systems

Breakout Session | Training and Building Safety Culture Within a Gig Workforce | Kareem Pirani

This session will explore how Crew Supply, a Toronto-based audio-visual and production staffing company, has fostered a safety culture within its small organization and the company’s unique approach to training freelance production workers, which focuses on before-the-job training and hazard risk awareness. How do you effectively build a safety culture and train workers who work for multiple companies while working for you? How do you budget for a training program for workers who are not 100% committed to your organization due to the gig nature of their work? Where can you deliver maximum impact? These questions will be explored, with a detailed look into the implementation of Crew Supply’s health and safety program, safety training practices, resources and safety materials.

Breakout Session | Insuring the Spotlight: How Global Insurance Trends will Impact Canada's Live Event Scene | Neil Macpherson (moderator), panelists to be announced

The global insurance landscape is evolving rapidly, with significant implications for Canada’s live events industry. Adverse weather events, driven by climate change, are increasing in frequency and severity leading to heightened risks of event cancellations, potential injury to attendees and property damage. These global trends, along with social inflation and nuclear verdicts, are influencing insurance pricing, availability, and underwriting practices in Canada. For members of the ESAC, understanding and adapting to these shifts is critical.

Key insurance products such as event cancellation, general liability, adverse weather, and non-appearance insurance offer essential risk transfer mechanisms. Underwriters assess risk based on event type, location, safety protocols, and claims history. Demonstrating best practices — such as robust emergency planning, vendor management, and crowd management — can lead to more favorable policy terms and conditions.

Global pressures, including rising reinsurance costs and reduced insurer capacity, are impacting Canadian markets, making it vital for event organizers to proactively manage exposures. ESAC members face unique risks, including weather disruptions, crowd safety incidents, equipment loss, and cyber threats. Implementing comprehensive risk management strategies not only mitigates these exposures but also strengthens insurability.

The presentation will highlight the importance of aligning with industry best practices and leveraging appropriate insurance products to navigate an increasingly complex risk environment. By understanding how underwriters evaluate risk and how global trends influence local markets, ESAC members can protect their events and ensure long-term sustainability.

Breakout Session | Front of Stage Barrier Safety | Andy Hollinson

Sponsored By: EPS

Everyone who is involved in the use of front of stage barriers (venue managers, event organizers, engineers, crew and security) needs to understand the purpose of pit barriers and how to protect people within the barrier system. This session will focus on how to inspect and sign off on barriers and it includes a practical demonstration. 

ADHD in Entertainment and Events. Curse? Superpower? Or Both! | Rick Green

In 2001, comedy writer/producer/actor/director Rick Green was diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The knowledge was life-changing, but the resistance, scorn, and misinformation he encountered was shocking. His solution was to create the acclaimed PBS documentary, "ADD & Loving It?!”

In this talk Rick will bust 7 common myths and show how ADHD can affect every realm of life, for better or worse, depending on whether or not one knows they have it. About 4 to 6% of adults have inherited this unique, gene-driven neurology. Unfortunately most adults are undiagnosed. They struggle, believing they are lazy, weak-willed, or stupid. They wonder ‘What’s wrong with me?”

So getting a proper assessment is life changing. This is a good news diagnosis. "Suddenly my whole life makes sense!"

Rick knows in some situations has ADHD has given him an advantage. It's possible to be wildly successful. Just ask Channing Tatum, Emma Watson, Howie Mandel, or tens of thousands of people working television, theatre, music, film, and the arts. They have focused on their strengths, such as lateral thinking, risk-taking, cross-disciplinary thinking, a visual imagination, ideation, enthusiasm, novelty-seeking, and an ability to "hyper-focus when interested.”

The key to harnessing this unique neurology is to understand it is NOT an illness. You're not damaged or broken. You think and process information differently.

Rick will explore the long history of this ‘Hunter Mindset,’ then outline what constitutes a 'proper diagnosis,’ and conclude with simple strategies ADDers use to thrive.

SPEAKERS