2026 CONFERENCE - DAY 3
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
SESSIONS
Day 3 Keynote - From Planning to Pitch: Security & Crowd Safety Coordinator for FIFA World Cup | Aaron Billesberger
The scale and global visibility of the FIFA World Cup 2026 present unprecedented challenges for security and crowd safety professionals. With matches hosted across 3 countries and 16 host cities, success depends on seamless coordination between public safety agencies, private security partners, event organizers, and international stakeholders.
This session explores how integrated planning and real-time collaboration are essential to managing risk in complex, high-density environments. Attendees will gain insight into multi-agency command structures, intelligence sharing, and communication strategies that support unified decision-making before and during major events. The discussion will also examine crowd management principles and contingency planning approaches designed to enhance situational awareness and resilience.
Drawing on lessons learned, this session will provide practical strategies for aligning security operations with crowd safety objectives. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how to coordinate across jurisdictions, adapt to evolving threats, and deliver safe, secure, and successful events at scale.
The Human Side of Safety | Tenille Goodspeed, Leah Murphy
At live events, safety is often discussed through logistics, regulations, and emergency planning but behind every policy are people with different needs, experiences, and expectations. “The Human Side of Safety” explores how event organizers can build safer, more inclusive environments by considering the lived experiences of everyone who interacts with a festival or event site. This panel will examine how safety planning extends beyond compliance and into community care. How safety practices impact staff, volunteers, artists, contractors, audiences, local residents, and patrons with accessibility needs, including wheelchair users and individuals requiring sensory or mobility accommodations. Topics will include accessible site design, equitable communication strategies, volunteer and staff wellbeing, audience support systems, and creating operational cultures where people feel respected, informed, and empowered to ask for help. The discussion will also address the importance of representation in safety planning and decision-making, ensuring that diverse voices are included when designing event experiences. This session is intended for event producers, operations teams, venue managers, and safety professionals seeking practical, people-centered approaches to building safer and more welcoming events for all.
Making Safety Meetings Matter: From Routine to Real Impact | Claire Mocock
Safety meetings, toolbox talks, and briefings are a core part of any health and safety program, but they are often routine, rushed, or treated as a checkbox exercise. In many cases, supervisors and those leading these conversations are not given the training, tools, or resources needed to deliver them effectively.
This session focuses on how to make these safety conversations practical, engaging, and relevant. Drawing on over 15 years of experience in health and safety across multiple industries, it will explore what works, what does not, and why many safety meetings may fail to be a valuable element in a health and safety program.
Attendees will learn simple approaches to improve participation, keep content relevant, and connect discussions to real hazards on site. The session will also highlight how to better support supervisors and crew leads with the right tools, clear expectations, and practical training so they can confidently lead effective safety briefings.
There will be an interactive component where participants break into small groups to refine a toolbox talk and practice delivering it. This gives attendees a chance to build confidence and leave with practical skills they can apply right away.
Live event environments demand that leaders build and lead teams quickly, often with individuals who have never worked together before, while managing client expectations and responding to evolving threats. In these conditions, success is not determined by the quality of the plan alone, but by how people perform under pressure and when conditions change.
Drawing on experience from decades of crisis response, military operations, and corporate security, this session explores how human performance shapes outcomes in high-risk, time-compressed environments. It examines why teams struggle in critical moments, how individuals respond differently under stress, and what leaders can do to rapidly create alignment, trust, and clarity.
Participants will be introduced to practical, field-tested approaches to building fast-forming teams and improving decision-making in dynamic situations. The session will also explore the reality that “the threat has a vote,” and how leaders and teams can better anticipate, detect, and respond to emerging risks while maintaining team cohesion and stakeholder confidence.
This session will briefly explore the value of understanding how individuals naturally respond under pressure and how behavioural tendencies influence team performance.
This is not a theoretical discussion. Attendees will leave with simple, actionable techniques that can be applied immediately in event environments—from control rooms to front-line operations—enhancing both team effectiveness and overall event safety.
From Plan to Practice: Delivering Festival Ingress and Egress in Urban and Coastal Settings | John Badcock
This session will use case studies from UK festivals held in city parks to explore the practical realities of planning and delivering crowd ingress and egress operations.
In real-world applications, multiple disciplines, including site operations and infrastructure deployment teams, safety managers, security and stewarding teams, municipal transport providers, event management, and communications teams must work together to deliver safe and effective audience movement before and after events.
Rather than focusing purely on crowd theory, legal frameworks or headline attendance figures, the session will concentrate on the operational detail required to make plans work in practice. Topics will include the implementation of infrastructure and signage, briefings, staffing and deployment, contingency planning, communication strategies, coordination with transport operators, and adapting plans to changing operational conditions. The session will also explore how assumptions made during the planning phase can differ significantly once audiences, weather, transport pressures and live operational demands are introduced.
The aim is to provide a practical and honest discussion about the challenges of turning “good plans on paper” into effective delivery on the ground, while sharing lessons learned and approaches that helped overcome common operational issues through usable examples attendees can adapt and apply to improve their own events, audience experience and attendee safety.
Event Lighting Installs - Hazards and Tips | Evan Sandham
Have you ever watched a lighting install and wondered, "huh, are they doing that right?". This session is for technical or non-technical people working as managers or supervisors for municipalities, institutions, festivals, or events - indoor and outdoor. Topics covered include truss, lighting hangs, temporary power, and more.
Peer to Peer Conversations - Crafting a National Vision for Event Safety (Part 2)
Session Description Coming Soon.
Crowd Safety in Canada: Changing Up the Gears | Jordan Myers (moderator), Aaron Billesberger, Andy Hollinson, Suzannah Patmois, Eric Stuart
After an introduction and discussion on latest trends/challenge's in crowd safety (post world cup), we will move onto the main discussion hosted by Jordan on how we moved forward in enhancing crowd safety in Canada by greater independence and reliance from those overseas.
Our National Vision for Event Safety | Kerrie Blizard
Session Description Coming Soon.
SPEAKERS
John Badcock
Event Operations and Safety Director, SXSW LLC
| Originally from the UK, John Badcock currently spends six months of each year as Operations and Safety Director for SXSW in Austin, Texas, having first joined the organisation as Event Safety Coordinator in 2014. From 2024 to 2026, John served as Operations Director for TAIT, the Producing Partner for the launch of SXSW London, and in 2023 supported the inaugural SXSW Sydney on site. Outside of SXSW, John has over 16 years' experience delivering operations for UK greenfield events with Live Nation, Superstruct Entertainment, and other promoters. His expertise includes event operations, crowd management planning, emergency planning, 3Cs (Command, Control and Communication), and control room management. He has held senior control room roles at major festivals and events, including serving as Overnight Senior Control Room Manager during the state funeral of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. John was on the Board of Directors of the Event Safety Alliance from 2021 to 2024. |
Aaron Billesburger
Director of Special Projects & Training, Guardteck Security Co.
| Aaron is a nationally recognized and respected leader in security and crowd safety management, bringing over three decades of combined experience working with the Correctional Service of Canada and at over 1,200 live events. He has led security teams at some of the highest profile and complex events, including the 2007 FIFA U20 World Cup, 2010 Winter Olympics, 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, 2018 G7 Finance and Development Ministers and Central Bank Governors meetings, 2024 Grey Cup Festival, and 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup. Other events have included the BMO Marathon – Vancouver, Canada Day - Vancouver, the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival, the Festival Lawn at Deer Lake Park, and various other Live Nation festivals and stadium concerts in western Canada. Aaron currently serves on the Event Safety Alliance of Canada Board of Directors. He has recently concluded his tenor as Senior Manager, Safety & Security – Competition Venue Vancouver for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup; a position he accepted after taking leave from his position as Senior Director of Special Projects & Training with Guardteck Security Co. As a long-standing advocate for creating safer event spaces, Aaron brings a deep commitment to collaboration, education, and evidence-based practice. He has worked extensively with multidisciplinary teams to improve safety and security through site design, operational planning, incident and emergency response and recovery across the live-events sector. As a recognized educator and speaker, he has presented at several major industry conferences, helping strengthen safety literacy and shared learning. Aaron is dedicated to advancing safety standards and fostering local, regional, national and international collaboration to build a more resilient, informed, and proactive event safety culture. |
Kerrie Blizard
Director, Public Safety and Environment, Calgary Stampede
| Kerrie Blizard is the Director, Public Safety and Environment with the Calgary Stampede. The Calgary Stampede is most famous for its community festival in July where it welcomes approximately 1.4 million guests over 10 days, but Stampede Park is a busy place all year hosting hundreds of third-party events including conventions, consumer shows, corporate and private events as well as agriculture and youth events. With more than 25 years’ experience in tourism, hospitality and live events, Kerrie has had the opportunity to work in several roles including event management, guest experience, food and beverage, crowd, queue and traffic management and sustainability. It is this breadth of experience that has allowed her the opportunity to be a part of many high-profile events including Royal visits, government summits, conventions, and festivals. Her passion resides with events that engage the public and bring people together in celebration safely. Kerrie is committed to elevating safety practices and resources within the event industry and has recently joined the Event Safety Alliance Canada as a board member where she can continue to make a difference in this area. |
Tenille Goodspeed
Executive Director, Halifax Jazz Festival
| Speaker Bio Coming Soon. |
Andy Hollinson
CEO, The Square Metre Group
| Andy Hollinson is the CEO of The Square Metre Group, a globally recognised consultancy specialising in crowd safety management, event safety, training and strategic operational planning. With a Foundation Degree in Crowd Safety Management and a First Class BA (Hons) in Crowd Safety Management, Andy combines academic excellence with nearly three decades of practical experience across some of the world’s largest events, sports grounds, live music venues, festivals and transport hubs. Andy is a highly experienced crowd safety consultant and trainer, working internationally with event organisers, public authorities, venue operators and major rights holders to support the safe planning and delivery of complex, high-profile events. His work includes crowd management planning, capacity assessment, ingress and egress strategy, last-of--mile operations, front of stage and barrier safety, emergency preparedness, operational command structures, and staff training. Andy has recently undertaken major crowd safety consultancy roles in Canada, including serving as Crowd Safety Consultant and Strategic Crowd Safety Lead for the City of Toronto for external operations at the FIFA World Cup 2026. In this role, Andy led strategic safety planning for external operations, including last-mile planning, ingress and egress strategy, crowd movement, operational controls, and the FIFA Fan Festival. Andy then took the position of tactical crowd safety lead to implement the plans. His work supported the development of robust, proportionate, and operationally deliverable crowd safety arrangements for one of the world’s most complex major-event environments. Andy’s expertise and practical approach have made him a sought-after advisor for major events and venues worldwide. His combination of experience, academic knowledge and training capability enables him to provide high-quality advice and education to professionals responsible for managing crowds in complex and dynamic environments. As the leader of The Square Metre Group, Andy continues to support the development of crowd safety practice globally, helping organisations to apply recognised crowd management principles, improve operational resilience, and deliver safer event environments. Andy is a Fellow of the Institute of Strategic Risk Management (ISRM) and holds the following qualifications:
Andy is currently working towards a Master of Laws (LLM) degree, with expected completion in 2026. |
Claire Mocock, MBA, CRSP
Founder & Principal Consultant, Canary Safety and Risk Consulting Inc.
| Claire Mocock, MBA, CRSP, is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Canary Safety and Risk Consulting Inc. Claire is an accomplished health and safety professional with a solid foundation in safety, science, and business, combined with a proven track record across diverse industries, including research and education, property management, gaming and casinos, transportation, utilities, construction, and live events including professional sports, concerts, and festivals. Claire is recognized for her ability to build and implement effective safety management systems, policies and processes that align with both the organization and its people. Claire has a “progress over perfection” mindset and passion for health and safety which makes her effective at driving culture change to proactively manage and mitigate risks within the workplace. Claire works in many jurisdictions and provinces in Canada making her well-versed in OHS legislation with the ability to take a national approach to OHS that utilizes technology and builds efficiencies and scalability in H&S requirements, documentation and due diligence. Claire is the proud recipient of the 2024 Scott Johnson Memorial Award. |
Leah Murphy
Operations Manager, Halifax Jazz Festival
| Leah Murphy is the Operations Manager for the Halifax Jazz Festival, where she leads the planning and execution of site operations, accessibility initiatives, volunteer coordination, and event safety for one of Atlantic Canada's premier music festivals. With a passion for creating safe, welcoming, inclusive and fun event experiences, Leah believes that successful event safety is built on strong relationships, clear communication, and a culture of care. |
Jordan Myers
Public Safety & Event Operations Practitioner-Consultant, Independent / ESAC, GCMA, ISRM, IAEM
| Jordan Myers is a Vancouver-based public safety, crowd safety, and event operations practitioner with more than 23 years of experience across special events, endurance sport, public realm operations, emergency management, first response, event production, and community-based projects. His work sits at the intersection of crowd safety, permitting, interagency coordination, responder access, event medical planning, and the practical realities of keeping public gatherings both safe and human. He has supported large and small-scale events, multi-agency deployments, clinical teams, field operations, field hospitals, and community arts initiatives in Canada and internationally. Jordan is currently completing graduate studies, an MBA focused on circularity and resilience, and a MSc in Emergency Management and Risk. Before moving to Canada, he worked as a Wilderness Ranger/Wildland Firefighter with the US Forest Service. He lives in Vancouver with his wife and daughter. |
Suzannah Patmios
Crowd Safety & Security Consultant / Project Manager, Event Safety Professionals, Project by 91
| Suzannah (Suz) Patmios has been involved in corporate management for the last 20 years in various operational, consulting and strategic management roles. Starting in 2013 she began producing boutique events across North America. Having undertaken safety, auditing and policy recommendation work since 2018, she has been both studying and working in crowd safety and event risk management; which is now her primary work focus. She currently works as a project manager for various festivals in an event and crowd safety planning capacity. She previously held the role of Crowd Safety Manager at Ottawa Bluesfest for four years and is now their Festival Safety and Security Manager with responsibilities for overall festival safety, security and crowd management. In addition, she works as an Event Safety Director for Projects By 91 based in Toronto. Suz co-founded the Event Safety Professionals Company along with partners Jason Gordon, Scott Pollard, Mark Ford, Cindy Sypher and Graham Hicks. ESP works across all facets of safety management and planning in events. |
Evan Sandham
Owner / Primary Consultant, Production Health & Safety
| Evan is the primary consultant with Production Health & Safety, based in Toronto. Specializing in both Live Events and Film & TV, his areas of focus include site safety, location risk assessments, venue inspections, legislative compliance, production management, technical direction, and festival accessibility programs. With a background in theatre and live event production, he has worked to integrate health & safety practices from mainstream industry to the entertainment world and patiently educate those who “have been doing this for 30 years and never had a problem”. Evan is a graduate of the Ryerson (now TMU) Theatre School and School of Occupational and Public Health. He is an active member of the Canadian Institute for Theatre Technology and Health & Safety Professionals Canada (formerly the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering). When not hard at work, Evan enjoys conversations that aren't about work, outdoor adventures, and road trips to small towns with ‘world's largest’ monuments. |
James Strickland
Managing Partner, RCAS
| James Strickland brings over 30 years of crisis leadership experience from the Canadian Special Operations Forces, law enforcement, and the corporate sector. He has planned and commanded complex, politically sensitive military and civilian operations both domestically and internationally. As Director General Public Safety and Security for the Ottawa International Airshow, he oversaw the comprehensive safety, security, and crisis response framework for one of Canada’s largest public events, integrating multi-agency coordination and contingency planning. In the corporate arena, James built and led Global Security and Crisis Operations for Canopy Growth Corporation, developing and implementing crisis management mechanisms across five continents. His expertise includes risk assessment, contingency planning, security operations, and leading through disruption. Today, he coaches and mentors leaders in crisis readiness, helping organizations anticipate, prepare, and respond effectively to critical incidents, with a focus on high-profile, high-stakes decision scenarios. |
Eric Stuart, QPM, BA
Director, Gentian Events
 | Eric Stuart QPM, BA, is the director of Gentian Events, and also the retired chair of both the UK Crowd Management Association and the Global Crowd Management Alliance. He has been involved in Crowd Safety for nearly 20 years and was the police planning lead for Notting Hill Carnival 1.1 million, London New Year’s Eve of 450k and the 70-day London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, viewed by an estimated 14 million people. At the end of his service, he was awarded the Queen’s Policing medal for dedication to duty, leadership and professionalism in his 33 years of police service. He was a witness at the Manchester Arena Inquiry, specifically in relation to the role of private security in counter terrorism roles. He is currently acting as a tactical advisor to the Metropolitan Police in London investigating a double fatality in a crowd crush at the O2 Academy Brixton in December 2022. He was the author of three aspects of the Baroness Casey Review into the Wembley Euro 2020 Finals disorder, particularly Wembley’s fitness to continue to operate, the impact of security shortages and skills and lastly, the crowd safety issues that led to the declaration of the nearest of near misses since Hillsborough. He was a Crowd Safety Manager for events ranging from summer festivals and concerts through to Edinburgh Hogmanay and is also engaged with crowd management at many complex ‘crowded space’ environments including large shopping centres and religious gatherings across the US, Canada and the UK. The largest of these include the 800,000 Vaisakhi Parade in Vancouver, BC, Canada. He was the crowd safety advisor to the Calgary Stampede and Global crowd advisor to F1 Grand Prix races. He holds a FdA and BA in Crowd Safety Management and was the co-author of the 2015 and 2019 UK Good Practice Guide to working in Safety Advisory Groups. He authored and reviewed chapters of the ‘Safer Crowds, Safer Venues’ published in 2023. He has recently completed a review of crowd safety aspects of the Liverpool FC Victory Parade in May 2025. |
Programming and speakers are subject to change.
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