EVENT CONTROL: Interview with Peter Ward and Eric Solem, WeTrack

In this latest industry interview, we hear from Eric Solem, Commercial Director and Peter Ward, Managing Director at WeTrack. Conceived during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games with a commitment to make better planning and control tools for the events industry, WeTrack now work with clients globally helping some of the largest and most famous events, venues and organisations in the world.

Firstly, the duo discuss how, in the white paper “Best Practices for Event Control in the ‘New Normal’”, Craig Mathie Managing Director of Bournemouth 7s Festival said that COVID has to become something that sits in the matrix of the risk that we are facing, rather than the sole focus.

Next, they talk about what advice they would give to those working in event control and whether they expect event controllers to be facing a lot of COVID-related incidents or will the COVID burden mostly fall on the pre-event planning, contingency planning and testing.

They then take on the the biggest challenges that COVID-19 has brought on event and venue managers, and analyse whether event and venue managers have an even bigger responsibility for the world and communities around them. Before going on to discuss how venues can tighten up their checks processes at a time when regulations and scrutiny have increased considerably and how venues can ease staff fears about the risks surrounding COVID-19.

Finally, the pair speak about how, before the pandemic, terrorism seemed to be the biggest threat to events and venues, and how important Martyn’s Law legislation will be in the UK if and when it is passed, in addition to what further resources they would recommend for events and venues re-opening their doors.

White Paper