Christmas may be done and dusted but only yesterday did the subject of “did I have a nice holiday?” crop up. I recalled a situation that arose on Christmas Eve, as my family gathered in my parent’s back garden to watch a flurry of fireworks. To my horror, I witnessed my older brother emerging out of the shed with a packet of rockets. Smoking a cigarette. As you can imagine, my mum, my sister and I went berserk. My dad on the other hand shunned the situation – and by the way, this is a man who refuses to have candles in the house because they are a fire hazard.

Instantly, I berated the idiot, called him more than an idiot and relayed the consequences. Recalling this story, which I admittedly told with not only disbelief but also with comic undertones, the serious issue of health and safety did raise its’ head – but not so high that it needed a ladder!

As you will see by turning to page six, February’s health and safety article and correspondence in the January issue prompted more of you to respond. Something that I am grateful for – it’s great to hear your thoughts and it also proves still how much of a contentious issue health and safety is. And always will be, no doubt.

Going back to my story… the group (all event professionals) I was telling the tale to began to raise some interesting points. One: By making health and safety idiot proof, is it giving idiots carte blanche to enter an industry? Two: If we make health and safety idiot proof, will the events world eventually be filled with idiots? Three: Are we eroding a skills base by making things “fool-proof”?

Interesting stuff I think you’d agree and one I’m sure some of you will have an opinion on. Please do send me a letter and let me know what you think.

On a not so controversial note, this month has been a hectic one for launches and news so I’m glad to see that 2010 is finally in full swing. Gadget Show Live has extended its’ tenancy as there’s an unprecedented demand for tickets and drp group has become the first events agency in the world to achieve both ISO 14001 and BS 8901, but there’ll be more on sustainability next month.

In the meantime, and as always, happy reading, and I look forward to hearing your stories.