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Date: October 18, 2007
Location: Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
1. Opening – Welcome and Introductions
John Mayberry (vice-chair) presides in absence of Ivo Kersmaekers.
Attending members:
John Mayberry (CAN)
Bert Determann (NL)
Timo Risku (FIN)
Sándór Böröcz (HUN)
Louis Janssen (NL) honorary member
The meeting is joined later by our host, José Antonio Prades Hung (CUB)
2. Appoint meeting secretary:
It is decided upon that Bert Determann will take notes and provides the minutes.
3. Communications and Correspondance:
We received regrets from:
Martin Tschermak (DUI)
Aleksandar Brkic (SER)
Marina Rachinova
Erik Westerlund (SWE)
Pavel Dautovsky (CZ)
Ivo Kersmaekers (BEL)
who points out that two points have to be taken into account:
Serbian Pilot Project
The help of fellow technicians
4. Minutes of the meeting in Prague last year:
- it is noted that Pu Lin was actually attending.
- The minutes are furthermore being agreed upon.
5. Business arising from the Prague minutes / Review of actions:
1. ‘All members to collect more examples of RA documents to the Chair’:
* Done (as far as)
2. ‘John Mayberry will contact Monona Rossol (.) to se of she knows of any databases of accidents in theatre’:
* Not done yet
3. ‘Bert Determann will supply a RA document from his company’:
Not done, await CEN (because all is going to be renewed)
4. ‘The Chair will ask other members of the TC for responses about RA’:
* Done
5. ‘John will ask members for examples of costing forms’:
* John has two, he has to send it to Ivo
6. ‘Bert and John (.) will form the ‘TC Prize’ Working Group’:
* to be discussed in Cuba.
7. ‘SPP Working Group (.)’:
* Discuss in Cuba (and change name?)
8. Working Group on technical information on the web’:
* No information. Who will fire up Andrej Sosnowski?
9. ‘Visibility of the TC’:
* No information, but probably no progress.
6. New items to be added to the agenda:
No new items to be added.
7. Reports from the Working Groups:
．CEN (Bert reports) on the CEN Working Group (WG 25) on ‘Lifting and Load Bearing within the Entertainment Industry and other Production Area’s’.
The coming agreement is mend to be a guideline, as in an official recommendation. As yet it does not surpass national legislation.
John points out the importance of taking the America’s along into these developments, for instance by contacting ESTA.
Questions are asked whether the Italians are part of the CEN group: indeed they are. The French are also involved, be it on the side, but nevertheless we see an increasing European development in these matters.
Sándór asks if eastern countries are involved. This is not the case. Nevertheless it is to be expected that they will be in the near future.
Timo emphasizes that the way this official European recommendation, the CEN Working Agreement, will be used is the most important thing. It has to be embedded in daily practice.
The draft version of the work is almost finished. It has been put out to be commented upon, as is a rule for CEN Working Agreements. The term for this obligatory has expired and the final version is expected in the beginning of 2008. It will be published then, and open to anyone who wants to use it.
The TC thanks the members of the CEN Working Group for their work.
．Risk Assessment: It is not clear whether Ivo has received any RA forms from members. It is not likely, because (knowing Ivo) he would have posted them on the site and / or email. Nevertheless: this matter can also be related to the CEN workshop, because it is an integral aspect of the CEN Working Agreement. In European context EN norms can also be taken into account, such as the 61508 Standard and the SIL 1-2-3 regulations. Information can be found on both the CEN and OISTAT sites. The ‘table’ and ‘formula’ as to establish the level of risk and measures to be taken can be found there.
．Costing Forms:
John will send them. As far as this TC meeting is concerned, this matter is closed.
．Martin Tschermack not being able to attend the meeting, the matter of ‘Changing Economics and the Responsibilities of the Technicians’ is postponed until Martin will be present.
．S.P.P: the Serbian Pilot Project; the initiative to help fellow technicians in countries that have more limited possibilities. The commission has to state that no actions have been taken yet. Sándór is member of the working group. It is noted by Sándór that language can be a difficulty. He is looking into the possible cooperation between Serbia and Hungary. Louis mentions his possibilities to maybe start up a project in Columbia, where he and his company are in business. Cuba will also be a possible field of work for him. He states that his company has set itself the task to initiate ‘SPP’ in the countries wherever they are active. The meeting agrees upon the renaming of the project. After some discussion it is decided that S.P.P will be short for: ‘Support to Practitioners Project’.
The commission emphasizes that direct questions for support are more than welcome.
．Gratitude is expressed to our Chair. The newsletter that our Chair Ivo is providing us is greatly appreciated. The contents are excellent and it is a reminder for the members to keep sharp and reminded on the tasks of the commission. Our part of the OISAT website is well looked after and up-to-date. The question rises if the Governing Board is also on the mailing list? It would accomplish cooperation.
8. Cooperation with other commissions:
．Oral History: the Dutch members report on the successful local projects, such as Dutch project on Oral History. This project is already mostly concluded, and is initiated to record stories of elder technicians, who were asked to meet and together review interesting and humorous stories of their working life on stage. Would it be possible to put a clip of these recordings on the website? The Dutch delegates will see if it is possible to provide Ivo with a CD of the project.
．Equipment History: times are changing quickly. Modern materials are replaced ever so quickly by yet even more sophisticated equipment. ‘Old’ equipment is easily disposed of, however it is interesting to keep record and track of samples of valuable materials that were used in theatre during the last decades. It is suggested to bring this idea under the attention of fellow organisations such as CITT and national OISTAT centres.
．A separate meeting regarding ‘the TC competition on Original Technical Solutions’ will take place in Cuba, we will report back.
9. Increase the local value of TC meetings: this matter relates mostly to attitude!
It is clear that our focus should be on local value. Presentations are getting better see this Cuban meeting. Lectures of Timo, Sándór, Louis, John and Bert are prove of this.
10. Invitations for next meetings: Is Houston already confirmed? Both John and Sándór are looking into possibilities for invitations:
．If all goes as planned, the meeting will be held together with the annual conference of the USITT and CITT.
．Hungarian invitation 2009: Sándór is working on it.
John tells us we can look forward to a possible invitation from the CITT in the coming years (2009/2010). He is working on it.
11. The Chair closes the meeting, while expressing our sincere thanks to our Cuban hosts and UNEAC, and especially to José Antonio.
