Event to address managing risks of COVID on dancefloors

It’s not a good time to be a raver. Later this month when NSW hits its second Freedom Day, nightclubs open but dancefloors remain closed.

In South Australia, DJs and venues have a petition demanding all restrictions in their sector be dropped.

Jane Slingo, director of the Sydney-based Electronic Music Conference (EMC), observed: “Businesses and workers in the electronic / dance music live industry have been and continue to be particularly restricted to trade.

“There is a keenness to understand the additional measures that can be implemented to support safe reopening and to give maximum protection to patrons and staff in indoor venues.”

To that end, the EMC is presenting a special edition of EMC Connect called Dance Like Everyone’s Watching: Managing The Risks Of Dancing Indoors In A COVID World.

The virtual event will deep dive into risk mitigation and additional health measures, combining science, technology and nightlife.

The seminar brings together leading experts in air ventilation and rapid testing, with figures from European countries where these measures have been implemented in policy and operational frameworks.

The speakers are professor Lidia Morawska of the International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health; associate professor David Anderson who is chief scientific officer of Burnet Diagnostics Initiative; Lutz Leichsenring, co-founder and partner of VibeLab; and Robbe Van Bogaert, founder of Eventsure in Antwerp.

It will be facilitated by Tope Adepoyibi, senior public health practitioner at Naarm/Melbourne.

Key topics the panel will address:

• Air ventilation options, and considerations with regard to costs, supply, building and sound regulations
• Measuring CO2, costs and the impact in countries where this has been legislated
• Rapid testing and the impacts this additional measure has had in countries that have reopened / are reopening.

This edition of EMC Connect is primarily for owners, operators and people working in nightclubs, events and venues where dancing indoors is essential for operation.

It will also provide a chance for the EDM sector to discuss the recently announced reopening roadmaps, and how this impacts the state and national ecosystem.

The event is on Monday October 25 at 6pm AEDT. Attendance is free, and you can register here.