LinkedIn: A long time ago, the live events industry did not have all the safety regulations in place that you see today. An audiovisual company could go into a hotel with truss and motors, and rig the equipment for the show. Regulations were lax, prices were reasonable, and companies were given freedom to put on events without many restrictions. Unfortunately, there are many potential hazards in live show environments, and minimal safety regulations can lead to accidents if an equipment provider is not properly trained. Ultimately, hotels realized that hoisting heavy equipment over people’s heads posed a serious safety and liability issue, and began to implement restrictions that gave them control over rigging in their venues. While added safety is critical, a new era of rigging was born where complete control by the venue opened the door for price gouging and exploitation of the system.
5 comments:
I think this is a really good article on a part of the industry we some times for get about when talking about live entertainment, I was shocked to discover that the 2008 depression had such an in pack on rigging. joined the touring work force 2013 and felt with motors everyday. We were lucky to have had owned all the motor and truss equipment, and did not have to rent. Now I will say being a rigger is one of, if not the highest paid position in the industry right now.I would wonder if the labor cost saw any effect on the affordability in the hotel event industry. You can defiantly tell that the labor for rigging is going up every year or so, but is it hindering the quality of work. I think it is just very hard to get companies to agree to new contracts.
In general, I'd say it's still beneficial to all involved parties that more regulations were put in place for rigging. They ensure safety and control industry-wide quality of work as well. Some of the rules may be too rigid and not reflective of the particular specifics in each venue or system, but it's still better than an anarchy with no rules for safety. If the price raise is due to the regulations and systems being put to the industry, it couldn't be helped and maybe even a better thing because it would mean everyone is getting paid properly for the work. But the article is saying that the rigging companies and venues are ripping the clients off with rental prices. Such unfair practices should be banned and regulated, but also I think we have to consider what brought the practices in the first place. Is it because the wage is not competitive? (Based on the comment above, the answer is no) Or is it because the demand surpasses the supply? Or is it because the system does not allow room for healthy competition and therefore lead to oligopoly?
This is similar to what we discussed with Mr. Sapsiss the other day. I was very interested to see what this article was about. I saw it was on LinkedIn and was titled a rigged system so I assumed it was about a rigged hiring system, like the idea that you have to know someone. I was surprised but not disappointed to find out that it was about the rigged system of rigging. This article was about something I knew nothing about and it opened my eyes to the struggles that a sector of our industry is going through. With more litigation, rules, licenses, certifications and everything of the sort, it is no surprise that prices have gone up and rules have multiplied for something maybe as simple as rigging some speakers. I typically don’t think of this industry as such a huge money-making industry but it seems as though certain sectors of this industry are trying to change that. I don’t know the intricacies of what is going on, but it is unfortunate that prices are so high for some simple things.
I do not agree with the author of this article. It seems like his point is that one can simply rent the equipment themselves and pay laborers to install it for a much lower cost than hiring a rigging company. However, these rigging companies are guaranteed to follow safety standards (even if the hotel has to purchase more rigging points or extra equipment). The company will also be held liable for the rigging in the event that something goes wrong – protecting the hotel from lawsuits. Rigging is a dangerous enterprise that should be regulated (possibly even more heavily than it currently is). Rigging accidents still happen. Just Saturday night a prop fell onto and injured Marilyn Manson during a show. Can you imagine the same circumstance falling over a crowd of people (such as those in a hotel). So I am not sure if the high price of hiring a rigging company is the effect of price gouging or simply a result of increased and very necessary regulations.
At first I was very much opposed to what the author was saying. He seemed to be complaining that there were too many safety rules in place in the rigging industry in general. As I read on I realized that wasn't what he was talking about at all. I never knew this was such a problem in the hotel industry. To grossly overcharge and then call it safety? I suppose a large part of it is also liability. If they limit height and load capacity, they limit accidents. Bu the more you charge for standard equipment, the more that group coming in are going to try and get around it. I wish there was a better regulator of these practices, though I'm not surprised there isn't. The hotel industry is very powerful and could probably take out the rigging and entertainment companies that are complaining. I would really like to learn more about this problem, because whats happening isn't ok.
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