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Electric Daisy Carnival promoter Insomniac Events hires new security team to oversee safety protocols

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Electric Daisy Carnival promoter Insomniac Events on Friday announced the hiring of a new security team to oversee protocols for all of its upcoming events. The Electric Daisy Carnival at Exposition Park and the L.A. Coliseum was hammered with criticism when a 15-year-old girl died of a suspected overdose a few days after attending the June 24-25 event.

In the aftermath, YouTube clips depicting the chaos at the EDC, including dozens, if not hundreds, of fans scaling security fences separating different tiers of the Coliseum, revealed a problematic security system. The clips, along with the death, resulted in the city banning such events from city-owned properties.

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The statement reads as follows:

Insomniac Events has hired Investigative Advisory Group (IAG), a consulting firm that has experience creating overall safety and security protocols for large venues, to analyze Insomniac’s current and proposed safety protocols and procedures for the company’s music festivals throughout the United States. These safety protocols will create new standard operating procedures adapted to the new challenges involved in music festivals, including Electric Daisy Carnival. These recommendations will further augment guest safety by building on Insomniac’s existing protocols, which include extensive advance planning with local governments and public safety authorities, including fire and police departments. Effective immediately, Insomniac has also established an ’18 and older’ policy for all of the company’s dance music festivals until such time as Insomniac implements IAG’s recommended standard operating procedures. Insomniac has purchased handheld ID scanners, which will be used at all future ’18 and older’ Insomniac events. Insomniac will refund the full ticket price to anyone under the age of 18 who has already purchased tickets to upcoming Insomniac dance music festivals. Ticketholders under the age of 18 can send an email to refunds@insomniac.com detailing their name, phone number and the name of the event and outlet where they bought the ticket (e.g. Ticketmaster, GrooveTickets, or retail store). ‘All the wonderful people who help make our events so special deserve not only the best entertainment, but the most comprehensive safety and security measures available. We are confident that Investigative Advisory Group will provide the right additions to our existing procedures, and help us to continue to raise the bar for music events,’ says Pasquale Rotella, Insomniac’s CEO. ‘Over the past 17 years, Insomniac has created some of the largest and most successful dance music festivals in North America. We love our community and strive to be the best at what we do, and this includes event safety. ‘Though dance music is enjoyed by people of all ages, we are introducing an 18 and older policy at our events as we await Investigative Advisory Group’s recommendations. Insomniac remains committed to providing a place for our guests to celebrate safely, and we plan to share our findings with all of our event venues.’

We’ll keep you posted on updated news.

-- Randall Roberts

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