Safety Sistas – Details, episodes & analysis

This episode does not hold back, covering many angles and challenging topics. Rachel Jackson, a freelance crowd management and event operations professional and I discuss the change in crowd behaviour post lockdown, the challenges and opportunities facing women who work in security and safety, Zone Ex, burnout and more. Rachel does not hold back in her honesty and wisdom of her experience in working major events at home and abroad, which I hope will inspire and "enfire" you as you listen.

Rachel's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-kate-jackson/

Ise's website: https://www.isemurphy.com

Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/isemurphy

Marcel, who is Senior Lecturer in Crowd Science at Manchester Metropolitan University is a friend, colleague and teacher, whom I met when studying the MSc in Crowd Safety and Risk Analysis. There were many routes this episode could have gone down has I had so many questions to ask. What I value about Marcel is his exceptionally unique perspective and outlook on life and situations, always challenging me to see things differently. This approach has aided him in developing unique solutions to challenges at the major marathons he works on across the globe. In this discussion, he shares his experience of responding to a bomb threat at one of the marathons he worked on, demonstrating the importance of training, experience and self awareness when working in a control room. We discuss an important event in his military career, his journey to crowd science, deviant behaviour in audiences and the importance of working as a team.

Marcel’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcel-altenburg-596382123/

Ise's website: https://www.isemurphy.com

Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/isemurphy

After the release of BBC’s File on 4 undercover investigation, on the 3 October 2023, into “sham training” in the security industry, Íse sits down with Ann Marie Chebib, Managing Director of Select Security and Secretary of UK Crowd Management Association and Global Crowd Management Alliance and KT Sonnen (from our first episode), COO of Invictus Professional Training and PhD student to frame this issue in the wider context of the industry. We take a step back to look at the bigger picture and understand the causes and conditions that come together to influence industry practice. Join me in learning insights from Anne Marie and KT to the reality of the industry, from the challenges we face to the evolution of our industry in professionalising and improving competency to keep people safe at events.

BBC News article: ⁠https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66923084⁠

Segment from Íse’s dissertation into legislation and regulation on crowd safety: https://www.isemurphy.com/legislation-regulation-and-crowd-safety/

Ann Marie Chebib: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-marie-chebib-86974849/

KT Sonnen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kt-sonnen/

Ise Murphy-Morris: https://isemurphy.com

Acronyms and initialisms:

AO = Awarding Organisation

SIA = ⁠Security Industry Authority ⁠

UKCMA = ⁠United Kingdom Crowd Management Association⁠

GCMA = ⁠Global Crowd Management Alliance⁠

NTIA = Night Time Industry Association

SGSA = Sports Ground Safety Authority

EIF = Event Industry Forum

Janthea Bridgen is CEO of Nipperbout, providing child care and children’s activities for the events industry. We talk about how she got to where she is today, what it takes to provide best practice and what challenges she faces in the industry. She shares fascinating insights in how she risk assesses events, debunks a theory that sometimes divides event safety teams and what she would like to see change in 10 years time. I learned so much from listening to Janthea and hope that you too can take home some of the wisdom she shares in how we can all work together to keep children safe at our events.

We couldn’t cover everything we wanted to in this episode and I will be inviting her back soon. Some of the things we are keen to cover next time are;

• the times during an event in crowds when the risk to losing a child increases
• the risks associated with toilets
• the risk of losing children via fire escapes

For more information on Janthea:

Website: https://www.nipperbout.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jantheabrigden/

For more information on Íse: Websites:

https://www.isemurphy.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isemurphymorris/

Welcome to our first episode of Safety Sistas! The podcast about the people who keep you safe. I interview people who fascinate me with their experience, wisdom and knowledge in the world of safety and I want to celebrate the work they do behind the scenes to keep us all safe at events (and beyond). We kick things off with a bang with the wise and hilarious KT Sonnen. KT has worked in event security and medical for almost twenty years, is COO of Invictus Professional Training and now a full time PhD student. She shares with us how she got into this niche sector, how her career evolved and why she is now studying for a PhD on the behavioural science of protective security. Prepare to be taken on a rollercoaster ride as we navigate her experience, stories and how she learned a lot about crowd management from cows. Yes that’s not a typo. There was so much packed into this short hour so I hope to welcome KT back soon to go deeper into some of the critical topics we discussed for the future of the events industry. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and follow the show.

If you wish to support my work, you can buy me a coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/isemurphy

For more information on her company Invictus Pro Training: https://www.invictusprotraining.co.uk/

For more information on Íse: Websites: https://www.isemurphy.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isemurphymorris/

John Dundas, a Radio and Spectrum Manager for major events, provides insight into the world of spectrum management and how this work underpins Command, Control and Communications, sharing how his unique background taught him problem solving.

I learn just how much work goes into spectrum planning and how events cannot operate without good strategies. Learn how this is key to interoperability, what we can learn from Manchester Arena attack and Astroworld, and the critical importance of the big red button. We discuss the debated use of code words and key protocol tips for operating a radio. I have always been amazed by John’s breadth and dept of experience and hope you will enjoy this episode as much as I did.

John's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johndundas/

Ise's website: https://www.isemurphy.com

Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/isemurphy

Some of the initialisms include:

C3 - Command, Control, Communication

FA - Functional Area

Glasgow 2014 - Commonwealth Games

Code Words: Link to Episode 2 with Janthea

I start with a solo chat about my experience at IBIT 2024 conference on event safety and security in Cologne, Germany before sharing three interviews with Roxana, Alexandra and May-Britt, three women who are spearheading change in the industry. With varied backgrounds in production and event safety, they share their views on their role in the industry, what inspires them, what draws them to be part of the YES Group (as part of the Yourope Festival Association), licensing, integrated planning, Gen Z, and what they want to see in the future.

Roxana Luca https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucaroxana/

Alexandra Von Samson https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-von-samson-718a1767/

May-Britt Morgenstern https://www.linkedin.com/in/may-britt-morgenstern-4862b220b/

Ise Murphy-Morris: https://isemurphy.com

Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/isemurphy

Olivia Bellas, a facilitator who empowers people to make sense of complex work, speaks with Íse about the importance of creating an environment with purpose to get the most out of meetings and gatherings. We explore the power of facilitation to create safety, empower people and make big change.

Support the show: If you enjoyed this episode and want to say thanks, you can leave a tip.

About Olivia: A facilitator at the intersection of arts, digital, charity and government spaces, with a 25 year track record of leading social impact work through fundraising, designing and evaluating. Putting people first is at the heart of what Olivia does, to generate untapped insights. She reframes learning, development, relationship building - bringing distinctive value by merging traditional and digital practices.

For more information see her website https://olivia-bellas.com/

Ise Murphy-Morris: isemurphy.com

In this episode I get to chat to Becca Wilusz, Assistant Director of Athletics / Game Operations & Championships at Duke University in North Carolina. Becca discusses her unusual career path into crowd safety at events, how she designs event plans, applies her background in biomedical engineering to planning, risk and data analysis and how her team work with students and student bodies to manage crowds. We only scratched the surface of Becca’s extensive experience and knowledge so I look forward to inviting her back very soon for part two. I hope you enjoy.

Support the show here!

Ise Murphy-Morris: https://isemurphy.com

Becca's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beccawiluszphd/