There is a keen desire among the community to reach out and talk about finding safer and more efficient ways to do our job. study; nevertheless the results were very interesting. You’ll have to wait for Ron to publish the fi ndings as I’ve lost my notes on this session, but suffi ce it to say that the number of reported failures—under a hundred in the last twenty years or so—represents such a tiny fraction of the number of hoists in service, that it’s barely noticeable. Needless to say, the discussion turned to the previous session’s topic of why we need two brakes in a chain hoist. The answer was unanimous. The other question: who suggested two brakes in the fi rst place, remained unanswered. The Director of Conisbee Consulting, Bob Stagg, led the last offi cial session of the day, “When Design Meets Reality.” Bob, a structural engineer by trade, showed us the trials and tribulations of preparing the Royal Albert Hall for the Cirque du Soleil show Saltimbanco . It’s kind of like working on an old house. Every time you start doing one thing it always leads to something else. The day ended with a Q&A. The topics ranged from standards to qualifi cations, over to shackles, and back to the two-brake hoist system. Right on the heels of the Q&A was the closing reception. This involved more discussion, but this time with a beer in hand. The general consensus was that the 2011 conference was every bit as good as 2010 and surpassed it on a number of levels. It’s obvious that the rigging industry wants, and needs, this type of event. 175 people from 18 countries sitting in the room for two days proved that. There is a keen desire among the community to reach out and talk about fi nding safer and more effi cient ways to do our job. People also want to know what legislation exists that may have an effect on their work. It is also clear that more discussion is needed to insure that all the terms, defi nitions, and designations mean the same for those of us working not only in various parts of Europe but also North America. As the closing reception was starting to break up the talk continued on what the third annual PLASA Rigging Conference would be like. If it’s anything like the fi rst two, it will surely be a winner. Take a bow, Mr. Higgs and the folks at PLASA Events. You’ve got a hit on your hands. Bill Sapsis has been leading the charge at Sapsis Rigging, Inc. since 1981. Bill is an At-Large member of the PLASA Governing Body. He is the Chair of the Rigging Working Group, a member of the ETCP Council, and Chair of the Subject Matter Expert committee for the ETCP Rigging Certification. Bill is a founding member of the Long Reach Long Riders and was named the recipient of the Eva Swan Award, PLASA in North America’s highest honor, in 2010. FALL 2011 87 PROTOCOL