Live Design International (LDI) 2024

RIGZ is an all-new, two-day rigging intensive programmed in conjunction with expert riggers Tracy Nunnally and Eric Rouse for all riggers, facility managers, technical directors, designers, and all those interested in the ins and outs of rigging safety and practices. RIGZ carries ETCP renewal credits.

The two days include the following sessions featuring industry experts as well as a complimentary reception at Park on Fremont on Saturday evening, December 7. Please RSVP for the reception when you register for RIGZ.

RIGZ schedule:
Saturday, December 7:
9:00am: Welcome
9:30-11am: Rigging For Designers
Tracy Nunnally, Brandon Wardell & Kristi Ross-Clausen
Creative designers from all disciplines intersect with rigging at many points (pun intended) in their process. Often, the creative team does not have the information that the rigging designers need in order to effectively serve the project. Join professional riggers for a discussion of how creative designers can effectively include rigging designers into their process so that the interaction with the rigging team is positive and effective. In this session, we will discuss the most important information that rigging designers need in order to maintain the safest environment and what the creative team can expect from a rigging designer during the process. The successful participant will have a greater working knowledge of rigging design and the process by which a creative design gets rigged.
11:30-1:00pm: ANSI Standards & OSHA Codes
Jonathan Deull & Tyler DeLong
The entertainment industry has made great strides in structuring and codifying our processes. We now have documented guidance, by way of ANSI standards, that help us work efficiently and create safer worksites. While that was all being created, most of us also had to abide by OSHA codes created by federal and state governments that are also meant to create safer working environments. During this session we will discuss how ANSI and OSHA now work together to have a targeted effect on the entertainment industry. How do we navigate both of these bodies and which one do we really have to pay attention to? Well, as it turns out....both!
1:00pm-2pm: Lunch
2:00-3:30pm: Where Are We With Fall Protection Today? How Did We Get Here?
Bill Sapsis & Courtney Nichols
Falls are still the most highly cited accidents on job sites across many industries. Thanks to many pioneers in our industry, the level of awareness and understanding of providing protection for people working at heights has improved by leaps and bounds. However there is always room to improve. Why is it that we always seem to default to designing fall arrest systems vs fall restraint systems? What can we learn from today's entertainment venues and tours to help us design better fall protection systems for our workers? During this session we will discuss how fall protection has changed and where we can go from here.
4:00-5:00pm: What Do I Need To Know?
Eric Rouse, Tracy Nunnally, Tyler DeLong, Ethan Gilson, Courtney Nichols & Kristi Ross-Clausen
A look at the industry, employment trends, where the jobs are from beginner to expert, ETCP certification, and how to negotiate your career.
6:00pm: RIGZ reception at Park on Fremont (506 Fremont Street). Food and drinks will be served (please RSVP when you register for RIGZ)

Sunday, December 8:
9:00am: Welcome
9:30-11:00am: Mechanized And Automated Drum Hoists In Entertainment 
Rebecca Knipfer & Gareth Conner
Mechanized and automated rigging have become prevalent in our venues. The systems we encounter can be designed for one-off applications or for long-term installations. During this session we will look at two different approaches to mechanized or automated rigging. We will discuss the building blocks for these pieces of machinery to better understand the differences between them, and we will also explore maintenance and inspection. This session will also explore what the "must haves" are in any mechanized or automated system.
11:30am-1:00pm: Risk Assessment & Risk Reduction In Performer Flying & Aerial Rigging: Tools to Determine Levels of Risk. 
Jonathan Deull, Ed Leahy & Tracy Nunnally
Risk Assessment and Risk Reduction is a process that riggers have been doing for decades. However, we have not always been the best at recording the process in writing, so there is really no proof that we actually did it, and nothing after the fact that can be examined to see where an omission might have occurred. Written RA/RR assessment are becoming more commonplace for all types of installations, so having a somewhat uniform process is desirable. This session will take the participant through the process of identifying hazards and risks, evaluating and quantifying the probability and severity, mitigating the probability or severity or both, quantifying the residual risk, documenting the process, and repeating it until the risks are acceptable. The successful participant should be able to repeat this process and develop an RA/RR plan for their own facility or activity.
1:00pm-2pm: Lunch
2:00-3:30pm: Video Wall Rigging - Negotiating Reality vs What The Engineer Specified.....Can We Negotiate?
Mike Viehmeyer, Elmer Veith & Jeff Reder
High-resolution video walls are now so common that if a show doesn't have them the audience is completely lost on where to look. While there has been amazing progress in the design of the LED panels and the rigging, there can still be a cavalier attitude to some of the finer details that affect the safety of the production. The discussion here will be on those finer details that can mean the difference between a successful or unsuccessful outcome during load-in, strike, or inclement weather. What flexibility does the rigger have to make changes on-site when they are faced with reality? Do they need to check with the engineer on every little detail? Let's see what the engineer has to say about that!
4:00-5:00pm: Closing Panel: An opportunity to wrap up the discussions and provide an open forum for conversation about all that was discussed over the two days. There's no agenda for this one. We just want to see what people are thinking.