Report of Glastonbury

Report of Glastonbury

In the contemporary world, the events industry has become diverse. There exist many types of events, and some are on high demand while others do not understand that there exists in-depth information concerning legislations. It is becoming increasingly important to understand the impacts of the events in the interest of sustainability, strategic management, as well as effectiveness, so as to maximize sponsorship funding. In some instance, there may be some level of acceptance that some negative impacts may affect the environment. Different types of events have rapidly evolved; therefore, event managers are required to understand the impacts and identify other stakeholders to enhance their needs, as well as objectives. There has been an increase in legislations and the growth of governance and corporate involvement in the organization of events. The environment of organizing events has become more complex, since some are operating at international levels. This study seeks to understand the main legal issues underpinning the staging of a commercial event, focusing on the Glastonbury case study.

The growth of cultural festivals recently has increasingly come under the scrutiny of funders, policymakers and planners. There are different evaluations and more in-depth studies on various potential impacts, including social, political, economic, physical, social, and environmental ones. The impacts associated with the events may not always be positive. Nevertheless, it is possible to accept that an event will have some negative impacts to the health and safety of the environment, whereas some event organizers may simply limit the scarce resources used in event delivery and conversely put in place event management (Armstrong 2001). Since events have become more commonplace in the society, it is necessary to enact legislations to make event organizers to ensure compliance. Glastonbury is a festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in England, and recognized for its commentary music. It also displays arts, comedy, cabarets, circus, and others forms of art. A farmer in Somerset who decided to hold the festivals organizes it. This review; therefore, specifically identifies the legislations that should be applicable to the social festivals such as the Glastonbury festival that associates with exposure to the environmental impacts. The festival associates with exposure to loud music that may cause damage to human and animal hearing.

The event context

The management of events involves the incorporation of the brands, as well as targeting the audience. Thus, in order to device an appropriate event concept, it is necessary to make well thought-out plans and logistics and include the co-ordination of the technical aspects before engaging in the actual modalities of the planned event. The post event analysis is particularly crucial in ensuring a valuable return to the investment and both have become essential drivers in the entire event industry. In the recent times, there is an increase in the festivals and the industry globally, meaning that the management of the festivals is no longer done without following the desired legislation. Events such as the Glastonbury festival associates with both positive and negative impacts to the communities they serve, as well as the surrounding environment (Baker Associates 2007). Glastonbury is a festival where music forms a part of the events. Many people come mainly to listen to the bands. Noise pollution has become a substantial environmental impact of social gatherings such as the Glastonbury festivals. In order to improve the living standards, it is vital to understand the impacts and ways to minimize them. Since those who attend the Glastonbury festivals are not undertaking any occupational activity, they are free to expose their ears to whatever sound levels they wish.

The music stages at Glastonbury have PA stacks so that even the smaller stacks can expose the event attendees and the organizers to extreme noise levels. However, the event attendees can withstand the sound levels for a short while. However, when an individual spends a long time in the festival at the stages, this causes noise pollution. Some people watch many bands play right in front of the PA stacks whereas others watch the next bands from the mixing position.

Moreover, the festival takes place near livestock that reared in the dairy farms. The environment also contains vital natural resources such as rivers and forests. For instance, the event may result into water pollution that may occur because of the contamination of the rivers that may happen when pollutants discharges in the rivers. When water pollution takes place, plants, living organisms, as well as human beings may be affected.

Legal issues

As an important part of an enjoyable event planning process, it is essential identify the hazards and assess the risks in order to control and minimize the potential threats to human health and the environment. Although events are different in sizes, nature, as well as type, it appropriate to assess, control, and monitor the associated risks. The festival results in environmental pollution; hence, there is a need to have legislations in place to enhance environmental protection. Thus, environmental management is particularly valuable to do that through the event management. Moreover, due to the recent increase of festivals and other events in the industry, the environment may be significantly degraded; hence, there is a need to create legislations to place restraints on the activities occurring from social events on the activities that may arise from the event activities.

Currently, there are various pieces of legislation to guard the environment. These include the control of noise at work regulations. Employees have the responsibility to make the staff aware of the dangers of the cumulative sound pressure that are associated to hearing loss; hence, provide them with ear protection. However, such legislation have not been understood by many people for so long, and have been exposed cumulative noise pollution in most of their lives; hence, they should be aware of the dangers of exposure to higher decibels of sound for a longer period.

High noise nuisance is harmful to an average individual; hence, it is necessary for the Courts to decide on the statutory impacts. Noise nuisance is covered with the Part III of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA), 1990, and it mandates the local authorities to deal with noise pollution from various premises including land, if the level of noise generated constitutes a statutory nuisance. If the exposure to noise pollution continues, the local authorities allow consideration necessary steps to warn the source of pollution, after an objection by other stakeholders asking for reducing noise pollution. If the exposure to the noise persists, a relevant authority, should call anytime to assess the noise levels. With satisfaction that the statutory noise nuisance exists, a notice must be issued requiring the event to be stopped, and if the organizers have no reasonable excuse and do not comply with the provided notice, then the event organizers can be prosecuted. Moreover, if it ascertained that noise pollution is being caused, the court will be in a position to accept the view.

Moreover, since the festivals, sometimes, takes place at night, this also constitutes a night time offence. In the UK, there exists am Anti-Social Behavior Act 2003 amended by the noise ACT of 2006 that mandates the local authorities to monitor the night time noise emitted. Upon the acceptance by the health officer that the noise produced exceeds the permitted levels, the event organizers may be served with a warning notice. When the warning is not taken seriously, a local authority officer may constitute a fine that cannot not exceed a fixed penalty of £1000, which must be settled within 14 days that may not be followed y any further action. However, if the noise created persists and the complaint by other stakeholders continues following the issuance of a warning notice, the local authority officer may enter the event and confiscate the equipment that are used to create the nuisance. Nonetheless, obstructing the confiscation relates to a fine not exceeding £1000.

The other legislation that may be applicable to the festival is the Rivers (Prevention of Pollution) Act 1961. The legislation stipulates that in legal procedure, it will be assumed that any sample of affluent taken at the chamber of inspection, or other places that are provided with any condition imposed under the Act of the 7th section of the principle Act, relating to any water body, is an illustration of what passed from land or premises to the water sources. Thus, the water officials may agree with the proprietor or occupier of the land or the premise that the effluents originate or are discharged in exercise of the relevant water authority rights provided under the section 11 of the Act. In addition, it may be applicable to any other enactment or samples derived from the effluents discharged or passing into any water body.

Moreover, the Act provides that, in any legal proceeding, it shall be presumed that any waste material not taken at a fixed point is an illustration of what passed from land or premises to those waters, unless stipulated otherwise. Furthermore, the legislation states that any agreement under the foregoing subsections shall be effective in relation to the land or premises not taking into consideration any changes in the occupation; however, the occupant at the time of pollution may declare that the problem will cease to have effect. On the other hand, in default of the agreement, as provided by the foregoing provision of the stated section, the water official may make application to the water ministry. It can also be made to the minister to take into account any representations forwarded to him or her by the occupier of the premise or land or any other party appearing to the ministry being interested in fixing the point at which the samples are obtained from. The responsible ministry may occasionally review the application of the water authority or the owner of the premise or occupier of the land review and make a variation to any decision considered in this subsection. The water officials shall be required to maintain a register containing such information as may be directed by the Ministry. This helps direct the sample points that are fixed under the foregoing provisions under the subsection. Any interested party that may be interested shall leave the states register open to inspection at all reasonable times. Generally, events are associated with pollution causing harm to health and the environment.

Conclusion

The cultural set up of the Glastonbury festival includes a typically large scale and a short-term festival that attracts many attendees, as well as media coverage. The most noteworthy aspect to consider is the measurement of the impacts of the cultural events with assessment of the visitor expenditure. This helps determine the direct, as well as indirect contribution of the event to the economy of the country both local and regional. The economic evaluation of the Glastonbury Festival impact expands on this approach by considering the economic impacts such as the contribution of the festival to the local entrepreneurial culture. It is necessary determining the value derived from the utility visitors from various sections of the festival. This helps determine the significance of the diverse aspects of the festival and how they are valued differently. Events are associated with impacts being ignored since the festival organizers may find the negative consequences such as noise and water pollution to increase conflict between the attendees and the local community. To some extent, this assumption holds true for large scale festivals such as the Glastonbury festival. In most instances, the environmental impacts have remained virtually ignored. Thus, Armstrong (2001) suggests that the festival organizers and the event promoters should understand the underpinning legislations in order to improve the quality of the environment to enhance sustainability. The positive value of the events and the appropriate enforcement policies may appear to be familiar issues; however, in the context of environmental conservation, there are many debates regarding the law.

Recommendations

The social events are associated with environmental impacts, socio cultural, and the political effects. However, it is essential to deal with the environmental impacts since the organizers of the events have ignored the economic impacts. The socio-economic implications are less quantifiable; thus, in order to reduce the potential negative impacts and to minimize positive impacts, it is essential to comply with the health and safety of visitors and employees to ensure that an individual complies with the UK pollution laws that comprise of noise and water pollution. Thus, since water pollution originated from different sources, such as waste products, it is vital to obtain a permit from the Ministry of the environment before the event organizers discharges any waste product to the water body. It is mandatory to obtain consent from the local authority if the event may lead to any discharge in the water body by discharging both solid and liquid waste into sewers. However, it is not the role of the local authorities to have power due to the mandated to them by law to close down the event when there is too much noise generated from the festivals, especially at night. The most appropriate measures that are designed to minimize or prevent noise pollution are the use of ear protection gears. It is crucial to give ears a break by making use of earplugs.

It is also necessary to possess personal sound systems, since the festival is characterized by a pretty well covered music. Other measures include the confiscation of rogue systems through patrolling the campsites in order to reveal the rogues systems. Other measure to prevent or minimize noise pollution is the use of induction loops that are provided to allow the event attendees not to be affected (Hoyle, L H. 2003). In the events organization, the event greening process producing results with a particular concern to the environment is vital (Beck-Burridge & Walton 2001). Incorporating sustainability in the management of social events leads to the incorporation of socio-environmentally responsible decision-making process into the panning, as well as the organization and the implementation of participation in the festivals. The process involves the principles of sustainability, as well as better practices in all event levels and organizations. In addition, this process makes an event to be hosted in a highly responsible and sustainable manner. Greening an event is a representation of the total packages of intervention that needs to be undertaken in an integrated approach. (Tarlow 2002) The process of greening an event begins by the inception of the project. Furthermore, it should incorporate all stakeholders such as event attendees, event organizers, suppliers, and subcontractors, as well as venue.