With less than a week until the big one – Festival Sunday, we’re busy busy behind the scenes… and so the blog goes on.
This week we meet Mel and Emily. Wow, a double dose of fascinating information you ask? Yes. Between these two, they’ve spoken, emailed or met every single person performing, working, sponsoring, residing, photographing or trading on site on Festival Sunday. Attention-to-detailers, they know how to work a big spreadsheet and keep track of a million tiny pieces of important information.
First up: Mel.
Hi Mel, introduce yourself please.
Hi, I’m Mel, the Festival Accreditation Coordinator. I issue all passes, permits and carparking for Festival Sunday. I make sure people get where they need to be.
What will you be doing on Festival Sunday?
I’m in the site office all day… on the radio traffic channel responding to any issues that come up across the site and at the accreditation check points. I reissue passes to people who’ve forgotten or lost theirs.
How many pieces of accreditation do you issue?
Approximately 7,000. That’s artists’ passes, staff passes, meal tickets, resident car access passes... and as I said before; car parking passes.
Yes, I’ve seen your massive spreadsheets.
Aha – there’s a lot of information to collate. I start from about 10 weeks before Festival Sunday, firstly gathering all the St Kilda resident information then working through staff, contractors and artists. About 80% of my job is done in the last 3 weeks leading into the Festival.
So, you’re really busy right now, then. Just one more important question...
I hear you’re really good at music trivia. What 1976 chart topping song did Barry Manilow sing, but not write?
I write the songs?
Yep. good.
Ok and on to Emily:
Hi Emily, introduce yourself please.
Hi, I’m Emily, I’m the Production Safety Administrator. I ensure that everyone working on site: staff, contractors, traders and sponsors is safety inducted – that they all complete the safety induction test. Then I issue them with their safety card.
I also collate all the Festival Health and Safety documents and help prepare risk assessments for the events, activities and any construction happening on site.
Safe. What will you be doing on Festival Sunday?
I’ll be patrolling the site to make sure it’s safe. And conducting spot checks; checking that everyone’s got their safety card on them.
Aha – “patrolling”... as in Safety Police?
Kind of.
So, you’ve done the safety test then?
Yes.
Did you get full marks?
Of course.
Let’s see just how safe are you Emily Production Safety Administrator:
How may biohazards enter your body?
Um… ok, they can be ingested, inhaled and/ or absorbed.
Correct.
To avoid tipping or rolling a golf buggy over, what precautions should you take?
You should never use a Golf Buggy on excessive gradient slopes or where a roll over hazard exists. You must drive the vehicle only as fast as terrain and safety considerations allow... you should only drive the vehicle straight up and straight down slopes, and slow down before corners.
Ok, I think you’re safe.
Actually, I think you’re both amazingly safe. You may get back to your spreadsheets now, thanks for your time.
