Because the processes of teaching and learning are inextricably intertwined, Steve Adelman writes often about safety and security issues at live events, and he is a widely-traveled speaker to audiences of event and venue professionals. And because of his immersion in these issues and lively presentation style, Steve Adelman frequently speaks as a subject matter expert for television, radio, digital, and print media throughout North America.
Publications
“First Responders,” Adelman on Venues, March 23, 2024
“KC Parade Thoughts,” Adelman on Venues, February 15, 2024
“GCMA Field Guide to Crowds,” January 2024 (editor and chapter author)
“Birth Announcement,” Adelman on Venues, September 28, 2023
“Standards,” Adelman on Venues, August 6, 2023
NFPA Fire Protection Handbook, National Fire Protection Association, 21st Edition, 2023 (chapter author)
“Parade Safety,” Adelman on Venues, April 10, 2023
“Let’s Make a New Mistake,” Adelman on Venues, January 22, 2023
“Between Ted Lasso and Eeyore,” Adelman on Venues, November 6, 2022
“How We Learn,” Adelman on Venues, October 2, 2022
“A Story One Can Write Today,” Adelman on Venues, August 14, 2022
“Cooperative Work,” Adelman on Venues, May 9, 2022
“From Masked to Maskless,” Adelman on Venues, April 8, 2022
“Cameroon is Important,” Adelman on Venues, February 4, 2022
“Crowd Safety: Q&A with Steven Adelman on the New Global Alliance,” LiveDesign, December 14, 2021
“The Allure of Certainty,” Adelman on Venues, December 4, 2021
“Last Night at Astroworld,” Adelman on Venues, November 6, 2021
“Health and Safety Guidance for In-Person Events,” Event Safety Alliance, October 11, 2021
“Mandates, Facts, and Objections,” Adelman on Venues, September 29, 2021
“When the Whole World Gets Sick, What Does that Mean for Wellness?” PCMA Convene, August 11, 2021
“Delta Dilemma: Live Industry Navigates More Contagious Variant, Changing Regulations,” Pollstar, July 30, 2021
“In My Tribe,” NFPA Journal, July 13, 2021
“Reopening Madness!” Adelman on Venues, June 11, 2021
“Yes, fans banned from arenas can face criminal charges if they return,” Verify, June 8, 2021
“Vaccine Passports? Meetings and Events Experts Chime In,” Meetings Today, June 1, 2021
“Vaccine Passports,” Adelman on Venues, April 12, 2021
“In Praise of Critical Thinking,” Adelman on Venues, February 20, 2021
“Steve’s Super Picks,” Adelman on Venues, February 5, 2021
“Goodbye 2020,” Adelman on Venues, December 30, 2020
“Dispatches from the Front Lines,” Adelman on Venues, November 28, 2020
“Vaccines: Liberty Regulated by Law,” Adelman on Venues, September 7, 2020
“How Theatre Makes Its Comeback,” Southern Theatre, Summer 2020, page 12
“Authority and Responsibility,” Adelman on Venues, August 8, 2020
“A Wave of Waivers,” DRI Customer Connection, July 28, 2020
“Risky Business,” NFPA Journal, July/August 2020
“Four Issues to Consider When Negotiating Event Contracts Amid COVID-19,” Event Marketer, July 6, 2020
“A Guide to Reopening Venues,” Panstadia, pages 36-39, June 29, 2020
“Working the Problem,” Adelman on Venues, June 13, 2020
“Event Safety Alliance Reopening Guide,” Adelman on Venues, May 11, 2020
“Four Questions About Coronavirus,” Adelman on Venues, April 22, 2020
“A Catastrophe of Lawyers,” Adelman on Venues, April 12, 2020
“Baseball and Bumper Cars,” Adelman on Venues, March 20, 2020
“Coronavirus and Event Cancellation,” Adelman on Venues, March 2, 2020
“What Could Go Wrong?” Minnesota Meetings + Events, Winter 2020, page 26
“Everybody Hurts,” Adelman on Venues, February 17, 2020
“Employees or Independent Contractors?” Adelman on Venues, January 3, 2020
“Questions for a New Decade,” Adelman on Venues, December 18, 2019
“Heading Into the Home Stretch,” The Crowd Magazine, December 2019, pp. 4-6
“The Duty of Care Regarding Active Shooters,” IFEA’s ie: The Business of International Events, Winter 2019, pp. 82-83
“Our Bright Future,” Adelman on Venues, November 7, 2019
“Thoughts for a New Year,” Adelman on Venues, September 30, 2019
“A Series of Unfortunate Events,” Adelman on Venues, August 5, 2019
“Threat Inflation,” Adelman on Venues, July 2019
“Foreseeably ‘Unreasonable,'” Adelman on Venues, April 2019
“The Straight and Narrow Path,” Adelman on Venues, February 2019
“7 O’Clock News / Silent Night,” Adelman on Venues, December 2018
“SSDD,” Adelman on Venues, November 2018
“Crowd Expectations,” Adelman on Venues, October 2018
“Employees Versus Independent Contractors,” Adelman on Venues, September 2018
“Last Night Before the Backstreet Boys,” Adelman on Venues, August 2018
“Expectations,” Adelman on Venues, July 2018
“Meet Selena,” Adelman on Venues, June 2018
“Rethinking ‘Situational Awareness,'” Adelman on Venues, April 2018
“Mode-of-Operation Law in Arizona and Illinois,” DRI Customer Connection, April 2018
“Responding to Parkland,” Adelman on Venues, February 2018
“Teaching Risk Management in Venues,” Adelman on Venues, January 2018
“The First Checklist for 2018,” Adelman on Venues, December 2017
“Teachable Moments from Las Vegas,” Adelman on Venues, October 2017
“Foreseeing ‘Murderous Assaults:’ Causation in Active Shooter Cases,” DRI Retail and Hospitality Committee, September 2017
“Netting and Kneeling,” Adelman on Venues, September 2017
“Fighting in the Street,” Adelman on Venues, August 2017
“Event Security and Black Swans,” Adelman on Venues, July 2017
“After Manchester,” Adelman on Venues, May 2017
“Lessons from Hamilton,” Adelman on Venues, May 2017
“The Myth of Situational Awareness,” Adelman on Venues, February 2017
“Oakland in Context,” Adelman on Venues, December 2016
“Safety, One Year After Paris,” Adelman on Venues, November 2016
“Wages and Hours,” Adelman on Venues, October 2016
“Reasonable Practices,” Adelman on Venues, September 2016
“We All Contain Multitudes,” Adelman on Venues, July 2016
“Run, Hide, Fight: Why the Current Version Doesn’t Work for Live Events, and How to Do Better,” Protocol, July 2016
“Train the Shepherds,” NFPA Journal, July 2016
“Insurance: A Sad Story with Two Important Morals,” ETCP Certifiable News, June 2016
“What’s Different About Orlando?“ Adelman on Venues, June 2016
“The Eggshell Skull Plaintiff,” Adelman on Venues, May 2016
“Duty of Care: It’s Better to Be Smart Than Dumb,” Adelman on Venues, March 2016
“The Indiana State Fair and the Importance of Contracts“ Adelman on Venues, February 2016
“What Makes You Feel Safe?“ Adelman on Venues, January 2016
“Paris in Perspective,” Adelman on Venues, November 2015
“The Trouble with Templates,” Adelman on Venues, October 2015
“Baseball Stadium Safety, Inning 2: Eyes on the Ball,” Adelman on Venues, September 2015
“Take Me Out to the Ballgame – I’m Not Scared,” Adelman on Venues, July 2015
“Best Practices: A Legal Disclaimer,” Protocol: The Journal of the Entertainment Technology Industry, Summer 2015
“‘… Under the Same or Similar Circumstances,'” Adelman on Venues, May 2015
“Jobsite Safety: When the Cause of the Incident Is Not the Cause of Death,” Adelman on Venues, January 2015
“Ray Rice, False Ignorance and the ‘New Privacy,‘” Adelman on Venues, September 2014
“Comparative Fault and Individual Responsibility,” Adelman on Venues, September 2014
“What Does It Mean to Be ‘Reasonable’?“ Adelman on Venues, February 2014
“Allied in Safety,” NFPA Journal, July/August 2013
“‘What We’ve Got Here Is a Failure to Communicate,'” Adelman on Venues, June 2013
“Lessons from the Marathon,” Adelman on Venues, April 2013
“The ‘Baseball Rule’ and Ticket Disclaimers,” Adelman on Venues, March 2013
“A Reasonably Hard Shell: Making Your Venue Safe, Secure and Prepared to Handle a Crisis,” Facility Manager, December 2012/January 2013
“The Rebirth of Fenway,” NFPA Journal, July/August 2012
“The Right to Remain Silent” Adelman on Venues, April 2012
“‘Can I?’ Versus ‘Should I?’” Adelman on Venues, November 2011
“What Good Is a Lawyer if the Answer to Every Question Is, ‘It Depends’?“ Adelman on Venues, October 2011
“Rules to Live By: Statutes, Codes and Treatises,” Facility Manager, August/September 2011
“Concerts: Hot Fun in the Summertime,” Adelman on Venues, June 2011
“A Matter of Opinion: How to Choose an Expert Witness,” Facility Manager, February March 2011
“The Court of Public Opinion,” The Flip Side, October 2010
“‘I’ll Drink to That’: Minimizing the Risk of Intoxicated Patrons,” Facility Manager, August-September 2010
“‘Open the Doors!’: The Problem of Ingress,” Facility Manager, August-September 2009
“‘The University Community Is Urged to Be Cautious’: The Law of Guns on Campus,”
Venue Safety & Security, Summer 2008
“Helping the Disabled in an Emergency,” Venue Safety & Security, Fall 2007
“To Serve and Protect: The Problem of Underage Drinking,” Venue Safety & Security, Summer 2007
“The Modern Civil Justice System,” Class in America: An Encyclopedia (Greenwood Press, 2007)
“Won’t Get Fooled Again: Litigating Crowd Crush Cases,” Trial, June 2004
Media Appearances
Steve Adelman has appeared in the following national and local media:
Today
CBS This Morning
NBC Nightly News
ESPN Outside the Lines
Fox News
ESPN Radio
USA Today
The New York Times
Associated Press
Time
The Christian Science Monitor
Rolling Stone
Billboard
Buzzfeed
CTV Canada AM
The Globe and Mail (Canada)
Pollstar
NFPA Journal
Protocol
Baltimore Sun
Boston Globe
Chicago Tribune
San Francisco Chronicle
KNXV TV, Phoenix
KPHO TV, Phoenix
KPNX TV, Phoenix
KSAZ TV, Phoenix
KSWB TV, San Diego
KGUN TV, Tucson
WTTG TV, Washington, DC
WFAN Radio, New York
KTAR Radio, Phoenix
KCBS Radio, San Francisco
KPCC Southern California Public Radio
Many of his appearances can be seen on his YouTube channel.
Recent Presentations
Steve Adelman is invited by many organizations to give his dynamic and informed presentations regarding risk and safety at live events. Here is a list of recent public presentations, with video or audio links where available.
University of Oklahoma School of Meteorology, virtual class lecture, March 2023
SERMAnar, Colorado Springs, CO, March 2023
Sports and Entertainment Risk Management Alliance, podcast interview, February 2024
Mass Gathering Medicine Summit, New York, NY, November 2023
Event Safety Summit, Houston, TX, November 2023
Colorado Bar Association, virtual continuing legal education, November 2023
Event Safety Alliance Canada, Ottawa, ON, October 2023
International Festivals and Events Association, McAllen, TX, October 2023
Chacruna Institute, webinar, October 2023
NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants), Anaheim, CA, April 2023
Managing Your Perimeter, podcast interview, February 2023
Weather Planning for Mass Gatherings Workshop, Austin, TX, January 2023
Boston College Law School, class lecture, Newton, MA, November 2022
National Independent Venue Association, virtual presentation, November 2022
WGN Legal Face-Off, podcast interview, August 2022
National Automobile Dealers Association, Auto Shows of North America annual conference, Carlsbad, CA, July 2022
Super Bowl Host Steering Committee, Phoenix, AZ, June 2022
University of California – San Diego, virtual class lecture, May 2022
Minnesota Festivals and Events Association, virtual presentation, April 2022
University of Oklahoma School of Meteorology, virtual class lecture, April 2022
Arizona State University, Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, virtual class lecture, March 2022
Event Safety Alliance, Event Safety Summit, Lititz, PA, March 2022
ILEA (International Live Event Association), Northern California Chapter, keynote presentation, San Francisco, CA, March 2022
University of the West Indies, Entertainment Law virtual class lecture, March 2022
USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology), Baltimore, MD, March 2022
Actsafe, virtual presentation, February 2022
American Pyrotechnics Association, virtual keynote presentation, February 2022
North Carolina Festivals & Events Association, virtual keynote presentation, January 2022
NAMM, webinar, January 2022
Soundgirls, webinar, December 2021
Event Safety Alliance, interview with epidemiologist and science communicator Jessica Malaty Rivera, December 2021
North American Contingency Association (“NACA”), virtual keynote presentation, October 2021
Cvent, webinar, October 2021
Event Transformation Podcast, interview, October 2021
Event Leadership Institute (“ESI”), webinar, September 2021
Professional Conference Management Association (“PCMA”), webinar, September 2021
Florida Festivals & Events Association, keynote presentation, Orlando, FL, August 2021
Event Leadership Institute, webinar, August 2021
The Event Hustlers, podcast, August 2021
International Congress and Convention Association (“ICCA”), webinar, August 2021
Signal to Noise, podcast, July 2021
National Weather Service Central Region, webinar, July 2021
Summer NAMM, Nashville, TN, July 2021
Independent Venue Week, virtual panel discussion, July 2021
All Things Risk, podcast, July 2021
California Presenters, webinar, June 2021
Event Leadership Institute, panel discussion, June 2021
League of Historic American Theatres, webinar, May 2021
National Weather Service of Northern Indiana, webinar, May 2021
American Bar Association Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries, webinar, May 2021
Yale University School of Drama, virtual class instruction, May 2021
Rochester Area Community Foundation, webinar, April2021
Portable Sanitation Association International, webinar, April 2021
Touring Talk, Clubhouse panel, April 2021
Espousal South Africa, webinar, March 2021
Minnesota Festivals and Events Association, webinar, March 2021
University of Oklahoma, class instruction, March 2021
North Carolina Arts Day, webinar, March 2021
U.S. State Department, Major Events Department on Safety and Health, webinar, March 2021
Colorado Bar Association, webinar, March 2021
Arizona State University, class presentation, March 2021
United States Institute for Theatre Technology (“USITT”), webinar, March 2021
Actsafe, webinar, February 2021
Southeast Festivals and Events Association, webinar, February 2021
The Future of the Event Industry, Skift webinar, February 2021
Soccerex, webinar, February 2021
American Pyrotechnics Association, webinar, February 2021
North Carolina Festivals and Events Association, webinar, February 2021
United Soccer League (“USL”), webinar, January 2021
National Association of Music Manufacturers (“NAMM”), webinar, January 2021
Event Safety Alliance (“ESA”), webinar, December 2020
International Association of Destination Wedding Professionals – Mexico, webinar, December 2020
International Live Events Association (“ILEA”) Northern California chapter, webinar, December 2020
Texas Sounds and Cities, webinar, November 2020
ILEA Sonoma chapter, webinar, November 2020
International Institute for Race Medicine, webinar, November 2020
Association of Luxury Suite Directors, webinar, October 2020
ILEA Boston chapter, webinar, October 2020
American Bar Association, Forum on the Entertainment & Sports Industries, webinar keynote address, October 2020
Actsafe, webinar, October 2020
National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (“NCS4”), webinar, October 2020
Southeastern Theatre Conference, webinar, October 2020
Rochester Fringe Festival FringeTalk, webinar, September 2020
Espousal India, webinar, September 2020
Arizona Association of Defense Counsel, webinar, September 2020
A Turn of Events, webinar, August 2020
Signal to Noise, podcast, August 2020
Association of California Symphony Orchestras, webinar, August 2020
EventMB, “The Future of the Event Industry,” webinar, July 2020
Canadian Live Music Association, webinar, July 2020
International Association for Catering and Events (“NACE”), webinar, July 2020
International Festivals and Events Association (“IFEA”), webinar, July 2020
International Association of Venue Managers (“IAVM”), webinar, July 2020
International Live Events Association (“ILEA”), webinar, June 2020
Detroit 2030 District, webinar, June 2020
Automobile Shows of North America, webinar, June 2020
Indianapolis Bar Association, webinar, June 2020
Alaska Mass Gathering Project ECHO, webinar, June 2020
Non-Profit Venue Discussion Group, webinar, June 2020
Production Managers Forum, webinar, June 2020
International Festivals and Events Association (“IFEA”), webinar, June 2020
American Association of Community Theatres, webinar, June 2020
League of Historic American Theatres, webinar, June 2020
ILEA Austin chapter, webinar, May 2020
Consortium of Eastern Regional Theatres, webinar, May 2020
American Association of Community Theatres, webinar, May 2020
Major University Presenters, webinar, May 2020
Association for Electronic Music, webinar, May 2020
Association of Performing Arts Professionals, webinar, May 2020
National Association for Catering and Events, webinar, May 2020
Pollstar, webinar, May 2020
National Independent Venue Association, webinar, May 2020
IFEA, webinar, May 2020
Canadian Live Music Association, webinar, May 2020
U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology (“USITT”), webinar, May 2020
Blerter, webinar, April 2020
ILEA, webinar, April 2020
Festforums, webinar, March 2020
Actsafe (keynote address), Vancouver, BC, March 2020
ILEA, San Diego, CA, February 2020
IFEA, webinar, February 2020
Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (“ATAP”), Livermore, CA, December 2019
Blerter, webinar, December 2019
ESA Event Safety Summit, Lititz, PA, November 2019
ILEA, webinar, October 2019
Canadian Severe Weather Workshop, Mississauga, ON, October 2019
IFEA, Williamsburg, VA, September 2019
ILEA Live!, Minneapolis, MN, August 2019
Major University Presenters, Hanover, NH, July 2019
Art of Mass Gatherings, Denver, CO, June 2019
University of California Risk Summit, Anaheim, CA, May 2019
Experiential Marketing Summit, Las Vegas, NV, May 2019
Canadian Event Safety Summit, Toronto, ON, April 2019
USITT, Louisville, KY, March 2019
Actsafe (keynote address), Vancouver, BC, March 2019
American Pyrotechnics Association, Las Vegas, NV, February 2019
Colorado Bar Association Sports and Entertainment Section, Denver, CO, January 2019
National Association of Music Merchants (“NAMM”) Show, Anaheim, CA, January 2019
Tour Link Pro, Tucson, AZ, January 2019
American Meteorological Society, Phoenix, AZ, January 2019
ESA Event Safety Summit, Lititz, PA, November 2018
State Bar of Arizona and Sports Lawyers Association, Phoenix, AZ, November 2018
American Bar Association Forum on the Entertainment & Sports Industries, Las Vegas, NV, October 2018
International Festivals & Events Association (“IFEA”), San Diego, CA, October 2018
Resort Hotel Association, Sedona, AZ, July 2018
Sports Law Association, Tempe, AZ, March 2018
ESA Severe Weather Summit, Norman, OK, March 2018
USITT, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, March 2018
International Association of Venue Managers (“IAVM”), Salt Lake City, UT, February 2018
NAMM Show, Anaheim, CA, January 2018
FlyCon, New Orleans, LA, January 2018
Event Safety Summit, Lititz, PA, December 2017
LDI (Live Design International), Las Vegas, NV, November 2017
DRI Retail and Hospitality Conference, Chicago, IL, May 2017
Coliseum Summit Americas, Las Vegas, NV, April 2017
Canadian Event Safety Summit, Toronto, ON, April 2017
ESA Severe Weather Summit, Norman, OK, March 2017
ISS 24/7 Focus Group, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, February 2017
Mass Gathering Medicine Summit, Las Vegas, NV, February 2017
ESA Event Safety Summit, Lititz, PA, November 2016
Billboard Touring Conference, Los Angeles, CA, November 2016
LDI Live Outside, Las Vegas, NV, October 2016
Entertainment Services Technology Association (“ESTA”), Las Vegas, NV, October 2016
Arizona Presenters Alliance, Sedona, AZ, August, 2016
IAVM, Phoenix, AZ, July 2016
National Center for Spectator Sport Safety and Security (“NCS4”), Phoenix, AZ, July 2016
Canadian Event Safety Summit, Toronto, ON, May 2016
Mass Gathering Medicine Summit, New York, NY, April 2016
International Tourism Safety Conference, Las Vegas, NV, April 2016
ESA Severe Weather Summit, Norman, OK, March 2016
IAVM Academy for Venue Safety & Security, Dallas, TX, February 2016
IAVM, Phoenix, AZ, January 2016
ESA Event Safety Summit, Lititz, PA, December 2015
IAVM Venue Management School, Wheeling, WV, June 2015
International Tourism Safety Conference, Las Vegas, NV, April 2015
IAVM, Spokane, WA, April 2015
ESA Severe Weather Summit, Norman, OK, March 2015
IAVM Academy for Venue Safety & Security, Dallas, TX, March 2015
ESA Event Safety Summit, Lititz, PA, December 2014
Billboard Touring Conference, Los Angeles, CA, November 2014
LDI, Las Vegas, NV, November 2014
National Fire Protection Association, Las Vegas, NV, June 2014
IAVM, Portland, OR, May 2014
North American Contingency Association (“NACA”), San Diego, CA, May 2014
IAVM Severe Weather Planning and Preparedness course, Norman, OK, March 2014
IAVM Academy for Venue Safety & Security, Dallas, TX, February 2014
TourLink, Scottsdale, AZ, February 2014
IAVM International Crowd Management Conference, San Antonio, TX, November 2013
Arizona State University Sports and Entertainment Law Conference, Tempe, AZ, November 2013
California Tourism Safety & Security Conference, Anaheim, CA, September 2013
Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (“LEAD”), Washington, DC, August 2013
IAVM VenueConnect, New Orleans, LA, July 2013
IAVM, Los Angeles, CA, May 2013
Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, February 2013
IAVM Academy for Venue Safety & Security, Dallas, TX, February 2013
Event Live! 2013, Las Vegas, NV, February 2013
AEG Expo, Los Angeles, CA, February 2013
IAVM, Phoenix, AZ, January 2013
Sports and Entertainment Venues Tomorrow, Columbia, SC, November 2012
IAVM International Crowd Management Conference, Phoenix, AZ, November 2012
Arizona State University Conference on Sports and Entertainment Law, Tempe, AZ, October 2012