VSB United

Hey friends, it’s me again! Today we’re starting a little more relaxed than usual, at 7:40 AM. At this time, I inform my CL via crew call that I’ll be on time, grab my PPE, food and beverages, and head to the location.

9:00 AM: official start of work. This time, I’ll be working with sound;) It is a small stage with several bands, so I think this is going to be really cool. Oh, before I forget! Here the tip of the day right away: XLR is used differently in sound than in lighting.

We get a short introduction from the sound crew, followed by a discussion of the stage plan with the team, and then we get straight to work: The multicore is laid from the FOH to the stage, stage left (through the cable defender, of course).

On the stage itself, we set up a case line so we know where everything is – XLR, Soca, microphone stands, and much more that I haven’t even touched yet. Once that’s done we run the Soca cable along the front edge of the stage to the stagebox. A small side note: the stagebox is like the lightning black box – it has multiple channels, usually 16 in and 4 returns. This saves lots of cable runs across the stage.

Next, we set up the monitor system for the bands (those are the black boxes that are always placed on the front edge of the stage). That’s where the artists get the mix set by the technician.

My colleague explains to me that today we’re using a standard setup: one monitor on the left, two in the center, and one on the right. Then we quickly set up the drum fill: one sub bass, one top placed on a case, and we are already done.

While we’re doing that, the other bastards are backstage building the risers. These are small movable platforms on wheels so changeovers happen faster (we usually use them for drum kits and/or larger groups of instruments). Each riser has a different height and is equipped with carpet, skirting (the fabric cover), and brakes.

1:30 PM: Time flew by so fast! It’s already lunch break.

After the break, we check the riders of the four bands so we know what setup they’re using. Thanks to the bastard power, we can already start wiring the first band and even put them on the stage right away so that we don't lose any time during the changeover (the time between two bands that we have for the set change).

The plan shows us where microphone stands go and how they’re wired. For example: 1SN, 2HH, 3BD, 4TH, 5TM, 6TD, 8 & 9 OH (these abbreviations stand for the corresponding positions). With the stagebox, we’re pretty fast. As soon as the drum set is finished, we move on to the keyboard riser. For that, we need a couple of DI boxes (which convert the digital signal into an analog one). Guitar and bass are even simpler: they each get an SM-57 microphone in front of the amp. Then we place two vocal mics at the front, and the band is ready for the soundcheck.

In the meantime, we take care of the remaining risers. We proceed as before: plan, stands, stagebox, cables, etc. After a short time, we’re well-coordinated and are making good progress.

First changeover: The band on stage gets unplugged, rolled out, and the next one is already rolled into position. We plug everything in, tidy things up a bit, tape down the cables, (don’t forget the skirting on the risers), lock the brakes… and then it’s time for the line check (a quick test to see if all signals are arriving at the mixing console).

The band’s own technicians take care of the line check, which gives us time to start dismantling and clearing everything backstage. That includes packing away cables and mics, breaking down stands, and putting everything – including the stagebox – back in the cases. Then we’re already waiting for the next changeover.

6:30 PM: The last changeover is happening, and I’m clearing the previous band’s setup.
7:00 PM: My CL checks me out because they can handle the last band’s teardown on their own. I’m definitely happy about that!

Today was a really exciting day. I saw a lot and learned even more.

Hope to see you again soon – maybe for rigging?

4:40 AM: I start my day by giving my crew leader (cl) a heads up about my arrival. Before driving to the location, I pack my personal protective equipment (PPE), food, and drinks.

6:00 AM: Get In. I inform my cl that I am running late, as I missed my connection. Once I arrive, I put my backpack away, put on my safety shoes, and go straight to the briefing. We unload the semi-trailer and the 18-ton truck. Four colleagues go inside the truck while the rest of the crew waits outside for the cases. Thanks to the VSB training, unloading is quick and easy. Afterwards we sort the cases and small items into lighting, audio, and rigging.

8:00 AM: I work with the lighting crew. The head of lights shows us the plans explaining the positioning and cabling of the lamps. Afterwards we go straight to marking the positions on the trusses with colorful tape. Each colour is for a specific lamp: Aura is red, P-6 green, Ultra yellow, etc.

9:30 AM: After finishing the markings, we work in pairs to mount about 80 lamps. Once my colleague and I finish, we help the others and then take a quick break before starting the cabling. The plan shows the sockets for the protective contact plugs, so I take my time wiring everything and daisy-chaining the DMX signal.

12:00 PM: Lunch Break. We have one hour for lunch. Half of the work is already done, so we eat peacefully. Afterwards we continue with cabling and handle the empty cases as instructed by the project leader. Once the power and DMX cabling are done, we address the fixtures according to the plan. If I feel unsure about a fixture, I ask a colleague for help.

3:00 PM: All fixtures are working, so we focus on cable management. We secure all cables to the truss with tape. For some fixtures, like the Source Four, extra cable length is needed. We check all fixtures to make sure they can move freely and are secured with safety cables. Then we raise the truss, paying attention to the power lines.

3:30 PM: We pack up the remaining gear and check out with the crew leader, who confirms with the client that we are done. I head home feeling satisfied with the day. Maybe next time I will try sound ;)

I - Stina Stani - have the pleasure today of telling you, our excited blog readers, more about the origin of the Safety Days.

The annual occupational safety training is more often than not just a lecture where you try your best not to fall asleep, or, in the worst case, just a sheet you sign and promptly forget about.

Since the VSB was founded, I have not only been responsible for the safety training but also conducted it. I always tried to make it at least a bit more interesting and engaging, but in the end, a lecture is still a lecture.

And then COVID happened, which gave us some time to rethink internal structures and processes. An idea hit me: I wanted to apply the concept of Christmas parties and team events to the annual safety training. So, instead of a lecture, we would hold a station-based course and competition. Just like that, the whole thing became much more engaging. After all, it was about honor (and a prize!).

2023: The VSB hosted its first internal Safety Days, for which we were even nominated for the "Goldene Securitas" award for its concept and execution.

2024: We wanted to take it a step further, and together with our partners - Kärnten Crew and Wide Angle - we were able to expand the concept to include the PFPE part. Thanks to our sponsors (livecom, MTR, coop, am-t, Teamazing, MS Medientechnik) and the additional partner companies - Team Blacky and Westend - the Safety Days transformed into a cross-company event.

2025: Thanks to new partners and even more sponsors, it was possible to make the Safety Days United even bigger. Thank you to Habegger, livecom, eventshop.info, Volksbank Wien, Nuntio, am-t, MS Medientechnik, and printfabrik for the incredible sponsoring! Thank you to our partner companies Kärnten Crew and Wide Angle, for the fantastic hosting of the PFPE station (again). And of course, a big thank you to all the participants from Sick Event, Team Blacky, AC Staff, and Habegger - it wouldn't have been half as much fun without you!

2026: We want to think bigger. So, of course, we are already busy planning the upcoming Safety Days United, where even more people will be able to participate. After all, safety is the foundation of healthy work, and only if we all apply the same standards can we keep working safely and healthily together.

#safetyfirst

Our yearly Safety Days United were about to arrive, and this time, I (Lyn) had the chance to support the preparation and design of these two days, which were full of work safety content.

The Safety Days United in April 2024 were my first ever big event with the VSB, as I had just started working there in March. Last year, we saved all the documents concerning the planning phases - templates, timetables, participants, ideas, etc. - online, which made planning this year's SDU much easier.

We quickly organised a location, arranged the conditions, and agreed on a date: The Safety Days United 2025 would take place from the 26th to the 27th of March 2025 at the "Szene Wien."

Since our caterer was not available this year, we decided on vouchers for food and beverages for the participants. The inquiry, correspondence, and the organisation of the pick-up were all my responsibility.

This time, the participants formed cross-company teams and could participate in a competition. It was a new way to engage them with our theme-specific stations and PFPE (Personal Protective and Safety Equipment) station in theory and practice. For more incentive, we were especially happy to be able to provide two different prizes: one for the team that got the most points during the station run and one individual prize for the "Best Newcomer" in PFPE.

We advertised quite a lot for the Safety Days United on Social Media. We even managed to get our first private participant! The processing of the registration, diverse information emails (like meeting point, schedule, etc.), the creation and distribution of the checklists, the participant lists, and the group division were all part of my duties. I can say that I was truly excited, and I really enjoyed it.

One more thing that needed to be organised was the winning prizes I mentioned earlier, so I went on a hunt for sponsors. I texted "small" and "large" companies, all of which had a connection to work safety. The search was more difficult than I thought, which is why I even sent sponsoring requests to our clients. I also decided to make some calls and, in the end, we actually got some great prizes (probably due to this personal contact). The prizes ranged from T-shirts to helmets, and everyone was really happy about them.

We are already busy planning the Safety Days United 2026, and I am excited to see how many new and old faces I will get to see again!

At the Safety Days United 2025 I had the pleasure of hosting a station for the second time. Since I received such positive feedback last time, holding this years presentations felt much easier and I was in general way calmer.

This year’s station focused on mental stress in the workplace and the strain caused by weather and outdoor conditions. We got supported by AUVA (Austrian Social Insurance for Occupational Safety and Health), who provided a „touch box“ ans special thumb-less gloves. Participants had to feel and guess various objects inside the box without being able to use their thumbs. This activity helped raise awareness of how important our fingers (and especially our thumbs) are in our everyday life.

Before the event began, we divided the participants into groups and informed them about the general schedule. The first ten minutes of my presentation took me back in time: I felt like I was giving a presentation in school again, worrying only about staying on time and making sure everyone understood what I was trying to explain.

Once I managed to stay on time, things got easier for me with each group. By the second day, there was no trace of nervousness left, and everything ran smoothly and routinely.

For me personally, the SDU were another success. Talking with the different groups was quite insightful and highlighted new perspectives and approaches to the issues discussed. Furthermore, there were many discussions within the groups, which led to helpful tips and tricks.

I am happy to say, that this year we again received great feedback and consistently positive responses from the participants. This motivates us – and especially me – for the next Safety Days United in 2026.

I – Mr. Fritz – had the opportunity to hold lectures over two full days at the Safety Days United 2025 in the Szene Wien. The topics covered included forklifts, aerial lifts, truck loading, and hand signals.

At first, it was a bit difficult for me (as always), but as time went by, we all grew calmer, and some great conversations developed.

Since the groups were mixed, I was able to gain fascinating insights into various areas of our industry and learn about different working methods across the federal states.

What I like most about the Safety Days United is probably the mutual exchange between people who have never worked together before. This helps you understand better “who does what and why,” and the participants, in particular, gained a lot of helpful tips and tricks that they will hopefully put into practice.

Luckily, we had many participants on site with both forklift and truck licences, allowing us to benefit from their perspectives and experiences. In general, I always try to explain the driver’s point of view (which was very well received) because people outside of the truck often don’t realise how stressful the situation can be.

Through various scenarios, I was able to demonstrate effectively how forklift, lift truck, and truck loading work. Together, we discussed and explored different approaches. With all these topics, the most important thing is that there is only one signaler and that everyone not actively involved keeps a safe distance from the forklift operator during (un)loading.

Overall, the interaction among participants was very respectful. That, along with the fact that everyone had the chance to share their own story, made it easy for me to give my presentation.

All in all, the Safety Days United 2025 were a great example of collaboration and once again a real success.

Yo guys, what’s up! It’s Tim again. The Safety Days United 2025 was my first training in occupational safety, so I was pretty nervous standing in front of Szene Wien at 8 AM, waiting for the truck with a few other participants.

First on the agenda was unloading the truck and setting up the climbing station. Once that was done and all the participants had arrived, Stina gave a short presentation about the event before we were divided into teams.

Right after that, my group headed out to the courtyard, where we started the morning with an informative lecture about climbing, including safety measures and possible risks. After the one-hour lunch break (we received vouchers and grabbed something at the supermarket), we moved on to the climbing itself in the afternoon. The experienced staff helped me put on the equipment, and after a short rain shower, the moment of truth arrived. With a bit of help from the station supervisors, I was allowed onto the Layher, climbed over a traverse, and descended on the other side. After an exciting rescue exercise, the first day came to an end. I was already looking forward to the next one, as the actual competition was taking place.

On the second day, after another presentation by Stina, we went through a station course. First, we went to Mr. Fritz, who taught us all the basics about forklifts, trucks, and aerial lifts, followed by important information on general workplace safety.

Afterwards, we headed to Mr. Ernie: his station was all about weather conditions, especially how to survive the heat in the hot summer months. After that, we had a short break, during which the AUVA showed us how important our thumbs are for fine motor skills.

To wrap up the competition, we visited the station led by Simon, our team leader. He gave us a talk about workplace safety and followed it up with a short exercise. After the eventful station course, we took a short test to show what we learned.

While the results were being evaluated, we already started dismantling the climbing station. Before loading up the truck again, the award ceremony took place. My team narrowly came in second place, and besides the award for the best team, the "Best Newcomer" was also honored. Then we cleaned up and loaded the truck.

And that’s how the Safety Days 2025 came to an end – I’m already really looking forward to being part of it again next year and learning even more!

I’ve already been working in the back office for a year, but I decided to join the construction crew this summer.

Physical labour for three days straight, nine hours each day, turned out to be quite challenging. I’m only 17 years old and I have no prior work experience, since I am still going to school. I realised on the very first day how rewarding this experience was, even though it was exhausting.

The opportunity to meet new people was a nice and amusing experience. I also really appreciated how patient everyone was with me, even when I didn’t understand things right away. The best moments were conversations and stories shared by people with years of experience.

It was exciting and fascinating to learn so many new things in such a short amount of time. On the 3rd day I felt way more confident in what I was doing and could almost call myself a “pro.”

Getting a glimpse of what my dad (Mr. Fritz) does every single day, was something that made this experience special for me. Being there in person really made me understand how physically demanding this job is and how much respect the workers deserve.

It feels amazing to be a part of it.

The work of VSB United GmbH rocks. And that's even though Novarock, Frequency, and stadium shows are not our construction sites. Because our rock'n'roll is classical.

High culture leads us continually to the historically most significant and beautiful places all over the country.

For example, for the Vienna Symphony Orchestra's Prater Picnic, we head to the world-famous - and released for the citizens by Emperor Joseph II in 1766 - amusement area of ​​the Vienna Prater.

We also regularly work on the grounds of Austria's most important attraction: yes indeed, in and around Schönbrunn Palace! Whether for the open-air musical around the legendary Empress "Elisabeth" or year after year as part of the Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert.

But we also get into the feudal feeling during ball season when our stagehands and technicians ensure setup and dismantling, sound, and light in the most magnificent palaces and halls in Austria.

The Musikverein? They're our buddies. The Wiener Konzerthaus? It's practically our living room. Everywhere here, our #BestCrew acts as a well-coordinated symphony and with the necessary finesse for the best stages, perfect sound, or the most flattering light. With safety. And almost exclusively classical.

If that's not rock'n'roll, then we don't know what is.

Our story begins in Tyrol. In the well-known ski area of Kühtai.

But the #viennastagebastards weren't there for snowboarding. Instead, we were there for a gigantic Layher dismantling of the TV production "The Jump" at an altitude of over 2,000 meters. Yes, it was cold too.

Sounds like a pretty awesome monster project, right? It gets even better!

As the #BestCrew, we weren't just up to the job. We were also up to the accommodation.

Imagine four strong men, already welded together by their previous work at VSB. Seasoned stagehands, experienced stage builders. Nothing can knock them down.

And then, for the twelve days of work in the Tyrolean mountains, well – there was exactly one apartment available. One. Did that faze us?

Of course not. Come on. We used the free time for spontaneous and unofficial team building as a small group: like a joint trip to the magnificent Tyrolean landscape on the only day off.

What emerged was an ultra-strong team spirit that nothing could knock down. Not then, not now. Where even now, when the nights get longer, we still reminisce about our 13 "love" nights in the fresh-air-conditioned region of Imst.

That was something, back then. And so, our story today ends peacefully and strongly right where it began: in Tyrol.

We probably don't need to introduce you to LIDO Sounds: the multi-day music festival not only brings the coolest artists from various genres to the capital of Upper Austria but also attracts around 35,000 visitors.

Just like in 2023. It was huge. So huge that, of course, we were first on board for the trial setup in Germany along with other Austrian crews, which went fantastically well.

In Linz itself, it was time to get down to business: 30 steelhands and stage builders from a total of four crews from different Austrian states were involved. Our #viennastagebastards from VSB were, of course, fully on board.

Together, we did it: successfully built the largest festival stage in Austria. With the goal of having Big Paul ready to play after three days.

Conclusion? Mission accomplished. Proud of it. Took away some good learnings. Of course, nerves were lost along the way – but reliably found again.

With experience, know-how, and even cross-crew teamwork, anything is possible. Even creating the biggest stage in the country.