Schedule and Presentations
17th ISF WEEK AT A GLANCE
May 5 – 10, 2019
The following information will be included in the Symposium Program that registered participants will receive on arrival. Download the information on this page as a printable PDF.

Special Mexico Host Committee (MHC) Events
Monday 6
- 19:00 Meet and depart from the Sheraton Buganvilias
- 20:00 “Sender of Light” procession
- 20:30 Opening Ceremony by MHC
- 21:30 Fireworks-– Pirotecnia Santiago / Oaxaca
- 22:00 Fireworks – Unión de Pirotécnicos del Estado de Jalisco
Tuesday 7
- 20:00 Meet and depart from the Sheraton Buganvilias
- 21:00 Fireworks – Piroshow / Puebla
- 21: 30 Fireworks – Fireworks Martarello Ramos, Zumpango, Estado de México
Wednesday 8
- 13:00 Daytime Fireworks – Pirotecnia El Caperuzo, Tultepec, Estado de México
Thursday 9
- 20:30 Meet and depart from the Sheraton Buganvilias
- 21:00 Fireworks – Unión de Pirotécnicos de San Mateo, Tlalchichilpan, A. C.
- 22:00 Fireworks – México Bailando, Tultepec
Friday 10
- 17:30 Meet and depart from the Sheraton Buganvilias
- 18:00 GALA DINNER (17th ISF Event, Optional)
- 22:30 Fireworks – Grupo de Pirotécnicos de San Pedro Zumpango, Zumpango, Estado de México
Registration
Registration for the 17th International Symposium on Fireworks includes entry to receptions, meals and refreshment breaks, all technical sessions (paper presentations), workshops, full access to the Trade Show, and all events and activities organized by the Mexico Host Committee (MHC).
Registrants will receive a distinctive attendee bag, both a printed and digital copy of the 17th ISF Proceedings, which is a compilation of the scientific and technical papers presented at the symposium, a printed Program, and other promotional materials supplied by sponsors and advertisers.
Trade Show
Exhibits will open each day at 9:00 Monday to Friday, and will close at the same time as the technical sessions. Attendees are strongly encouraged to visit our outstanding exhibitors and discuss their products and services. The exhibitors’ participation is a highly welcome and necessary part of the Symposium.
17th ISF PRESENTATIONS SCHEDULE
SUNDAY: May 5, 2019
13:00 to 17:00 – Registration
19:00 – Welcome Reception (Sponsored by FireOne – Pyrotechnics Management, Inc)
MONDAY: May 6
8:30 OFFICIAL OPENING
- Opening by the ISFS Ltd – Dr. Roger L. Schneider, Vice President and Secretary of the International Symposium on Fireworks Society, Ltd.
- Welcome by the ISFS Ltd – Ettore Contestabile, President of the International Symposium on Fireworks Society, Ltd.
- Welcome, Local – Ing. Arturo Dávalos Peña, Presidente Municipal de Puerto Vallarta, Mayor of the City of Puerto Vallarta
- Welcome, Local -Enrique Alfaro Ramírez, Gobernador Constitucional del Estado de Jalisco, Governor of the State of Jalisco
- Presentations – mementos, gifts and certificates of appreciation
- Introduction of Honorary Chairman – Maestro Gerónimo Miguel Zamora Nuño
Ceremonial transfer of the Honorary Chairman Name Tag from Mr. Yoshihiko Satoh (Vice Mayor, Daisen City, Japan, representing the 16th ISF Honorary Chairman, Professor Masamitsu Tamura) to the 17th ISF Honorary Chairman, Maestro Gerónimo Miguel Zamora Nuño.
Guest Speakers
- 9:00 – Observations on the Mexican Fireworks Industry (10 Year Challenge)
Jorge Mauro Márquez Márquez, Lux Pirotecnia, S.A. de C.V., México - 9:30 – The Psychology of Safety in the Fireworks Industry – Creating a safer environment by nurturing the conscience and culture of safety in the fireworks industry
Alberto Navarro and Susan Hunt, Infinity Visions Inc., Bellevue, WA, USA
10:00 BREAK
SESSION 1
Session Chairperson: Alejandro Mantecón González – Pyrosmart Mexico
- 10:30 – Creation of Pyrotechnic Standards in Mexico – Colleen S. Patton, Promedsa, Naucalpan de Juárez, Mexico
- 11:00 – Mestre Coheter – History, Relationships and Rituals in the Pyrotechnic Communities in Puebla, Luis Manuel Mora del Carmen, Puebla, Mexico
- 11:30 – 16th International Symposium on Fireworks – Omagari Report – Shinetsu Sakaki, Omagari Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Daisen, Akita, Japan
12:00 LUNCH
SESSION 2
Session Chairperson: Lino Flores, Piroflores, Mexico
- 13:30 – Comprehensive Safety Considerations for Businesses Handling Explosives – Björn Eckhardt and Dietrich Eckhardt, PyroKnowHow/Modicolitor, Germany
- 14:00 – Fireworks Disaster – A Preventable Tragedy – Nir Haimov, The National Fireworks Laboratory, and Aharon Goren, The Israeli Explosives Safety Center, Caesarea, Israel
- 14:30 – Ballistic and Safety Advantages of Modern Propellants in Fireworks – Gabor Tasnadi, TÜV InterCert, Budapest, Hungary, Dietrich Eckhardt, PyroKnowHow/ Modicolitor, Berlin, Germany, and Marc Speer, Speer Pyrotechnik, Bremen, Germany
15:00 BREAK
SESSION 3
Session Chairperson: Dietrich Eckhardt, PyroKnowHow/Modicolitor, Germany
- 15:30 – Fragile Coloration Mechanism of Traditional Japanese Sparkler, Senko-Hanabi – Chihiro Inoue, Taiki Watanabe, and Yuzo Inokuchi, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Kyushu University, Japan
- 16:00 – Fireworks Accidents in Japan During 2016-2017 – Yuji Wada, Research Institute of Science for Safety and Sustainability (RISS), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), and Institute of Advanced Sciences, Yokohama National University, Ryoji Makino, Shoko Abe, Takako Itou, Maki Suzui, Nobuo Nakajima, and Masahide Wakakura, Research Institute of Science for Safety and Sustainability (RISS), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Akiko Matsuo, Dept. Mechanical Engineering, Keio University, and Atsumi Miyake, Institute of Advanced Sciences, Yokohama National University, Japan
- 16:30 – Study of the Influence of PM2.5 Concentration in Ambient Air Quality in China – JiangYou Huang, Liuyang Fireworks Administration Bureau, BenHua Tao, Liuyang Zhitong Fireworks Industry Development Strategy Research Center, Liuyang Fireworks and Firecrackers General Association, Hunan, China
CLOSE
TUESDAY: May 7
SESSION 4
Session Chairperson: Martyne Gagnon, Entertainment Manager and Director of L’International des Feux Loto-Québec, Canada
- 8:30 – Challenges Facing the China Fireworks Industry – Carson Lee, Up Pyro & Boomwow Fireworks, Liuyang, Hunan, China
- 9:00 – Sync or Swim – Achieving Reliable Time Code – Dan Barker, FireOne – Pyrotechnics Management, Inc, USA
- 9:30 – External and Internal Ballistics Study and Pressure Evaluation for the Safe Design of a 1,575 mm (62 Inch) Mortar – Eric M. Krug, Krug Consulting LLC, Loveland, CO, USA
10:00 BREAK
SESSION 5
Session Chairperson: Kevin Li, General Manager of Chili Fireworks, President of Chamber of Liling Fireworks Commerce, China
- 10:30 – Chemical Products Storage and Handling in the Pyrotechnics Industry – Francesc Lleches Barber, Pyrolab, S.L., Valencia, Spain
- 11:00 – Transport, Storage, Standards and Brexit – Andy Hubble, Star Fireworks Ltd, Berkshire, United Kingdom
- 11:30 – Safe Use and Storage of Fireworks in The Netherlands – Piet Timmers and Soedesh Mahesh, RIVM, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment Centre for Environmental Safety and Security, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
Presentation by a representative of Chamber of Liling Fireworks Commerce, China, Sponsor of Today’s Lunch
12:00 LUNCH
SESSION 6
Session Chairperson: César Cantú, Pyrotech, Mexico
- 13:30 – Basic Methods for Assigning Firing System Addresses – Will Harvey, Finale Fireworks, Palo Alto, CA, USA
- 14:00 – Automatic Translation of Effect Names from Spanish and other Languages to VDL – Will Harvey, Finale Fireworks, Palo Alto, CA, USA
- 14:30 – “Secured E-Match” – Revolution: How to Set a Display Safely and Fast! – Luigi L. P. Monetti, Monetti Srl, Italy
15:00 BREAK
SESSION 7
Session Chairperson and Workshop Moderator: William Adan Palma, Pirotecnia Espectacular ADAN, Mexico
- 15:30 Workshop: Fireworks Regulations – Presentation by representatives from various countries, followed by a Question and Answer Period
All are welcome, including non-registered guests.
CLOSE
EXTRA PRESENTATION
“Normas Oficiales Mexicanas para Pirotecnia NOMs” – A discussion topic led by Jorge Márquez and Francisco Lleches from Pyrolab
All are welcome, including non-registered guests.
WEDNESDAY: May 8
SESSION 8
Session Chairperson: Sara Vergara, Promedsa, Mexico
- 8:30 – The Pyrotechnics Guild International – Celebrating 50 Years of Collaboration between Professional and Amateur Pyrotechnists and Pyrotechnicians – Bruce Blom, Vice President, PGI Publications, Michael Scott Swisher, FSA Scot, John Steinberg, 1st Vice-President, PGI, USA
- 9:00 – Testing for Fireworks Safety in a Global Market – John D. Rogers, American Fireworks Standards Laboratory (AFSL) Bethesda, MD, USA
- 9:30 – Products and Processes Certification Procedure in Pyrotechnics – Ángel Santamaría Martín, Juan Casín Loya, Natalia Vázquez Viñuela, Isabel Amez Arenillas, and Blanca Castells Somoza, Laboratorio Oficial José María Madariaga (L.O.M.), Madrid, Spain
10:00 BREAK
SESSION 9
Session Chairpersons: Mitsuru Arai, University of Tokyo, Japan, and Jorge M. Márquez M., Lux Pirotecnia, S.A. de C.V., Mexico
Moderated Sessions
10:30 – 12:30
Each of the moderated session topics listed below will be assigned to a designated table. The number of participants at each table will be limited. Symposium attendees wishing to take part in the discussion of a particular topic will be required to place their name on the appropriate Moderated Session Form. This should be done prior to 9:00 on Wednesday.
Each topic will be presented for discussion in two separate, 45 minute sessions, with a short break between the two presentations. This will provide participants with the opportunity to attend two different topics, if they wish. Note that translation services will not be available for the moderated sessions; however, some moderators can converse in more than one language.
Tentative Topics and Moderators
- Large-Diameter Mortar Design and Shell Launch – Eric Krug
- Safe Handling of Explosives – Dietrich Eckhardt
- Japan 16th ISF preparation and Japan society’s fireworks support structure – Sakaki Shinetsu
- Music for Fireworks – Martin Hildeberg and Dominykas Juknelevicius
- Consumer Fireworks Retail Sales Facilities – Reference to Tultepec Fireworks Market (Before and now rebuilt) – Shulin Nie, Jorge Marquez, Ettore Contestabile
- Opportunity to help improve VDL for understanding effect names in your native language – Will Harvey
- Resisting the Impact of an Exploding 6” (150 mm) Dud Aerial Display Shell: Design and Testing of a Protective Roof Pergola – Roger L. Schneider
- Modern Propellants – Marc Speer
- The Positive side of Fireworks as it relates to Tourism in Malta – Roderick Zammit and Lionel Gerada
- Developing Workplace Strategies for a Safety Mindset (English and Spanish) – Alberto Navarro
- Normas Oficiales Mexicanas para Pirotecnia (NOMs) – Francesc “Paco” Lleches
- The Impact of Safety Regulations on Market Growth – John Rogers
12:00 CLOSE – Free Afternoon
THURSDAY: May 9
SESSION 10
Session Chairperson: Roderick Zammit, Executive Events, Malta Tourism Authority (MTA), Malta
- 8:30 – Using Calculations to Determine and Control Electrostatic Hazards in Fireworks Manufacturing and Use (Part 1) – Roger L. Schneider, Rho Sigma Associates, Inc., USA
- 9:00 – Using Calculations to Determine and Control Electrostatic Hazards in Fireworks Manufacturing and Use (Part 2) – Roger L. Schneider, Rho Sigma Associates, Inc., USA
- 9:30 – Comparative Analysis of Fireworks Transport Dangerous Classification Test Results and Default List – Zhang Guanghui, Xiao Jiayong, Tan Aixi, Jiang Zicheng, Qiu Lina, Tan Jingru, Fireworks & Firecracker Inspection Centre of Hunan Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, China, and Y. S. Chua, International Quality Assurance B.V., China
10:00 BREAK
SESSION 11
Session Chairperson: Dan Barker, FireOne – Pyrotechnics Management, Inc, USA
- 10:30 – Determination of Measures for Safe Production Depending on the Hazardous Properties of Explosive Substances (Pyrotechnic Compositions) – Lutz Kurth, Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
- 11:00 – The Assessment of the Dangerous Characteristics of Pyrotechnic Composition and Articles (For Safe Production) – Lutz Kurth, Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
- 11:30 – Overview of ISO Standards of Fireworks – Andrew Tang, General Manager, TCPL, Deputy Secretary General, IFA, and Asian Section-China Director, Treasurer, ISFS, China
11:50 18th ISF Location Proposal Presentation
12:00 LUNCH
SESSION 12
Session Chairperson: Gilberto Caballero, Pyrotech, Mexico
- 13:30 – Study on the General Safety Standard of Firework Machinery Touching Gunpowder – Shixing Ouyang, Liuyang Ouyang Technology Trade Co., Ltd., Liuyang, China
- 14:00 – Effect of Carboxylate Coating on Degradation of Magnesium Based Fireworks – Yosuke Nishiwaki, Graduate School of Yokohama National University, Mitsuru Arai, The University of Tokyo, Takehiro Matsunaga, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Mieko Kumasaki, Graduate School of Yokohama National University, Japan
- 14:30 – Blue Strobe Pyrotechnic Compositions with Different Additives – Dominykas Juknelevicius, Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences, Vilnius University, Lithuania, Thomas M. Klapötke, Department of Chemistry, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany, and Arunas Ramanavicius, Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences, Vilnius University, Lithuania
15:00 BREAK
SESSION 13
Session Chairperson: Osvaldo Avalos, Atomic Professional Fireworks, Mexico
Workshop: Siempre Seguro (Always Safe) – Presentation by representatives from various countries, followed by a Question and Answer Period
All are welcome, including non-registered guests.
CLOSE
FRIDAY: May 10
SESSION 14
Session Chairperson: Jorge Márquez , Lux Pirotecnia, S.A. de C.V., Mexico
- 9:00 – Historical Aspects of Firework Safety: The Introduction of Potassium Chlorate and Potassium Perchlorate into Pyrotechny, Barry T. Sturman, Australia
- 9:30 – The Cause of Muzzle Breaks – Ken G. Nixon, Pyrolock LLC, Pebble Beach, CA, USA
10:00 BREAK
SESSION 15
Session Chairperson: Colleen Sharon Patton, Promedsa, Mexico
- 10:30 Pyro Safety: Is it Enough, … Or Until Someone Gets Hurt? – Maque daVis, Fremonstor Theatrical, Retired USA State Safety Inspector, Seattle, WA, USA
- 11:00 The Fireworks as a Symbol of Culture and Crafts in Tultepec – Mayra Denise Torres Hernández, Tultepec, State of México, México
- 11:30 Tultepec Magic and Color – Claudia Hernández Sánchez, H. Town Hall of Tultepec State of México, México
12:00 CLOSE
Closing Remarks and Ceremony