The Association of African Exhibition Organisers
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Membership
  • Education
    • AAXO Exhibition and Event Masterclass
    • CEM Training
  • Directory
  • Career Centre
  • ROAR Awards
  • Expo Calendar
+27 (0) 11 465 8955
aaxo@aaxo.co.za
+27 (0) 11 465 8955
aaxo@aaxo.co.za
AAXO logo-white

THE VOICE OF CREDIBILITY & PROFESSIONALISM FOR EXHIBITION ORGANISERS

Become a Member
Member Login
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Membership
  • Education
    • AAXO Exhibition and Event Masterclass
    • CEM Training
  • Directory
  • Career Centre
  • ROAR Awards
  • Expo Calendar
AAXO logo-white
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Membership
  • Education
    • AAXO Exhibition and Event Masterclass
    • CEM Training
  • Directory
  • Career Centre
  • ROAR Awards
  • Expo Calendar
6th Jul 2021

PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATION FOR EVENT SAFETY OFFICERS GIVES CREDENCE TO THE PROFESSION

Press Release

SACIA’s Event Safety Council professional designations for Event Safety Officers were approved by the SAQA Board on 20 November 2020. The Event Safety Practitioner and Event Safety Professional designations require applicants to demonstrate their competence via a written exam and provide a Portfolio of Evidence supporting their claim. Five well-known industry experts achieved the Certified Event Safety Practitioner designation in April 2021, marking the first formal recognition of individual competence in this field. A further five applicants are expected to gain their designation within the coming month with more applications under review for the last half of 2021.

 

Event Safety is a relatively new field of specialisation. This function has typically been provided by security companies, with military or police backgrounds that have previously offered a safety solution as part of their security services. However, it has become clear that managing safety in the complex event environment is a profession and discipline of its own. While a grounding in Occupational Health and Safety is imperative, it does not meet all the event safety needs in the event space. Event safety is a process in which on-the-job, relevant event experience is critical when applying event safety principles with OH&S grounding.

 

SACIA’s Event Safety Council, an association of event safety specialists and event safety companies in South Africa, has embarked on a journey to achieve recognition as a Professional Body in the same way that the Engineering Council or the Electrical Contractors Association of South Africa (ECA) are recognised.

 

“A formal designation is the first step in recognising prior learning and understanding. The second step is creating a career path from a zero base to becoming an Event Safety Professional. The third is to include event safety in formal event management courses, and the fourth is providing specific event safety training from ground level up,” says Mike Lord, Interim Chair of the Event Safety Council and Director of Alliance Safety Management.  Lord was one of the first to achieve the Certified Event Safety Practitioner Designation earlier this year. “The Practitioner Designation is currently the only available tool for event safety specialists to attain a designation as an event safety officer as defined by the Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act (SASREA). I am proud to be one of the first to be recognised for the skills and knowledge I have attained through my 20 years in event safety. Although many of my clients already recognise the importance of duty of care and understand the roles and responsibilities of an event safety officer, having a formal designation gives them additional peace-of-mind that they are dealing with competent personnel.”

 

Phrosnè Phillips, Director of GoSeeDo EC, Port Elizabeth, agrees.  “I feel so much more confident in the recognition received, and I know that the designation reassures my clients that their event will be compliant and safe. It positions me as an expert in my field, and suddenly, the client focus has changed from a preoccupation with costs to a focus on how well their event safety can be done,” she says.  “I am now part of a community of specialists with whom I can engage and exchange ideas. The document also helps in terms of strengthening applications and tender documents. I am so glad that this is happening and that I am one of the first in the Eastern Cape to have this designation – we have to start somewhere.”

 

“This designation has been a long time coming,” adds George Skazikis, Director of Operations at Evsol EventSafe Specialised Services, who was also awarded the designation in April. “It just makes sense to have an event-specific designation – too many individuals with insufficient experience in event safety sell themselves as experts. Like the security industry, someone should only be allowed to work as an event safety officer if they are registered with an official body and meet the required criteria,”

 

“This designation is now accessible to everyone who wants to build on a career in event safety, and there is a real need for competent event safety practitioners,” says Thomas Cameron, Senior Disaster Management Officer for Nelson Mandela Bay Metro. Cameron is also amongst the first group to have earned the Certified Event Safety Practitioner designation.    “The event industry is flooded with event organisers, many of whom have neither sufficient experience nor understanding of the importance of dealing with safety and security matters. They also have limited access to safety expertise for their events. So, on the one hand, the designation offers event organisers direction when searching for a competent event safety practitioner. On the other, it offers regulatory bodies such as city JOCs an option to consider it as one of their requirements to confirm the competence of the appointed safety officer.”

 

Phil Prinsloo, MD of Eyethu Events (Pty) Ltd, wholeheartedly supports the effort to regulate the events industry and adhere to world-class standards.  “Achieving this designation made me proud. It was an opportunity to present my knowledge and experience to my peers for evaluation and receive validation. We must drive International Standards. Most of our counterparts have both designations and recognition for these. Our international clients expect no less and I received an immediate positive reaction from our long term existing clients.”

 

The events industry is a fledgling industry within the context of post-apartheid South Africa. There is little formal training from colleges and universities, and learning is primarily on-the-job, like in the trade environment. “We need to remember our first major events, beyond President Nelson Mandela’s Inauguration, were the Rugby World Cup in 1995 and the African Nations Cup in 1996,” says Lord. “It’s only been 26 years since then. Our event sector has matured quickly from having no venues to speak of in 1994 to having major international stadiums in each city and International Convention Centres and Arenas in every major metro. As a result, the demands in event safety have grown exponentially.”

 

The Safety at Sports and Recreational Events act, 2010 (SASREA) stipulates that the planning, management and enforcement of safety at events MUST be handled by people experienced in the field of event safety. The event safety designations formally recognise those with experience and knowledge in event safety within the sector. As the first of its kind globally to offer an event safety designation, the event safety designation will be a mechanism that will enhance safety standards and practises in South Africa further advancing our country as a mega-event destination across the world.

 

####

 

ISSUED ON BEHALF OF SACIA

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Robyn D’Alessandro

Cell: +27 (0) 67 684 3376

Email: robyn@sacia.org

Website: www.sacia.org

MIKE LORD TAKES EVENTS INDUSTRY SAFETY STANDARD FORWARD AS CHAIR OF THE SABS TC264 COMMITTEE REVISED COVID-19 OHS DIRECTION FOR WORKPLACES

Related Posts

(Propak Africa 2019 and co-located expos pic) Exhibitors are looking forward to face-to-face interaction with visitors again

Member News, Press Release

PACK SMART AT PROPAK AFRICA

Member News, Press Release

THE COMPELLING CASE FOR ENERGY STORAGE IF AFRICA IS TO ACHIEVE NET ZERO IN CARBON EMISSIONS

Member News, Press Release

WHY ETAILERS ARE MISSING OUT ON BILLIONS IN SALES: CEM AFRICA FEATURES LATEST SA DIGITAL CX REPORT

The Association of African Exhibition Organisers

Latest news

  • PRODUCT LAUNCHES AND LIVE DEMOS AT LARGEST HERVAC TRADE EXHIBITION
  • MAKE CONNECTIONS THAT MATTER AT ELECTRA MINING AFRICA 2022
  • THE RAND SHOW 2022 – A WIN WIN
  • AFRICAN MINISTERS AT THE ITIC-WTM AFRICAN TOURISM INVESTMENT SUMMIT CALL FOR AFRICA TO UNITE
  • VOICES OF THE EXHIBITION INDUSTRY

Contact Us

© The Association of African Exhibition Organisers 2022
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT