The Event Medical Association, a new body representing medical providers working within the events industry, is set to launch at The Showman’s Show this month. The organisation, whose inception has been supported by the National Outdoor Event Association (NOEA), is part of a shared vision to build stronger foundations within the industry.
The Event Medical Association, or Event Medical, will answer the call to provide events with closer, more standardised, and coherent working practices within the sector, but to also address incoming governance that will regulate the medical treatment of attendees at events.
In its initial stages, Event Medical will sit on the NOEA Council and be part of its website, benefiting from the support resources available through the association. The creation of the association has also been massively supported by seed funding from The Showman’s Show, ahead of its launch today.
NOEA will also encourage dual membership of both associations amongst its many members concerned with medical support at events. The Event Medical Association will also launch with 12 members and is expected to double that support within a year.
The associations core objectives are:
- To promote the highest standards of medical care at outdoor events
- To encourage and support good clinical and corporate governance
- To encourage and support continued development of staff and volunteers, and the maintenance of their qualifications and competencies
- To share experience and good practice and provide mutual support
- To provide a forum for discussion and debate amongst event medical providers
- To represent the event medical sector and actively promote its good standing
Talking on the launch, one of the Event Medical Association’s co-founders, Chris Howes, commented, “The government is looking at regulation that will examine the way medicine is provided at major events and, for us, it’s important that the industry has a voice in these discussions, the Event Medical Association allows us to do this.”
He continues, “Many in the industry have also been calling for an association that represents the very highest quality of care given at events, and a clear articulation of what ‘good’ looks like for organisers. Again, this association can both map out and benchmark quality across the sector. At the Event Medical Association, we are bringing together businesses with shared values around quality care for the people we look after and support for the practitioners who provide it.”
“It remains a priority for NOEA to support the continual progression and professionalism of the industry. That is why, with our colleagues at The Showman’s Show, we have supported the set-up of the Event Medical Association,” commented Tom Clements, President, NOEA. “We already have a number of medical providers within the NOEA membership and, through our partnership with the Event Medical Association, we are able to give them dual membership to both,”
“This is exactly the sort of thing we want to be doing within the industry,” commented Johnny Lance, Event Director, The Showman’s Show. “This is an area that needs representation and, through our close partnership with NOEA, we’ve been able to help set them up and provide a launch platform for something that is entirely positive for the industry.”
Chris Howes concluded: “We’d like to thank both the National Outdoor Events Association (NOEA) and The Showman’s Show for their support in setting up this association.”