The outdoors are a great place to host an event. It creates a sense of community and allows for an event with no boundaries (literally). Just like choosing the right venue to enhance your attendees’ experience, the weather surrounding your outdoor event acts the same way. The big difference between an indoor and outdoor event is the unpredictability of your “venue”. This typically increases the cost of outdoor events. Within minutes, your event could change from a clear, sunny day to a thunderstorm or snow. This article will teach you how to properly plan for that moment when your beautiful outdoor event is threatened with bad weather.
The best teams are always prepared for the worst; emergency response teams are the first that come to mind. Teachers and faculty prepare their teams with fire and tornado drills, Pilots prepare in training with engine failure simulations. Our team strives to always have a plan, this way we simply have to follow it instead of create a new one on the spot.
When You Need to Plan for a Rainy Event
For the purposes of this section of the article, we’re going to focus on events where the attendees can simply walk inside if it starts to rain and continue mingling. When the goal of the event is networking, human beings can do that just about anywhere. However, when the goal of the event is a key moment: a ribbon cutting, the deferring of degrees, or an altar call, the show must go on.
What if it rains during the show?
This is priority one. It’s the most natural, knee-jerk way that first-time event planners respond to possible rain. They look at their weather app, watch the radar, and are constantly refreshed to see if any precipitation will happen during their event. Don’t catch yourself saying, “it seems like it will clear off” or “it should miss us by an hour.” These are beginner mistakes. Weather forecasting is just that: forecasting. It’s not factual until it’s historical data. Those forecasts may move. If there is any reasonable risk of rain during your event, our recommendation is to move the event if possible. Ceremonies, shows, services, and concerts all have pinnacle moments. If “the show must go on” then make sure you have a team that’s prepared to safely execute the components of your event that are necessary.
Weather Issues Before the Show
Whether set-up happens the day before or the day of your show, planning for the rain must include all the hours around your event. It can be easy to assume the show can still go on without considering the time needed for setup. It often takes hours of decoration, rehearsal, preparation, and testing to pull off an event and those hours are typically all on a fixed timeline. Our recommendation would be to work alongside your AV Team to determine the needs and changes that must be made to navigate the weather. Not everything can simply be covered with a tarp until the weather passes.
Weather Issues After the Show
Who cares, right? The setup happened, the show happened, the audience had a great experience, but you still have to tear down. Decorations, staging, and equipment all have to be packed up safely. Damaged gear, no matter what the cause, is disappointing and costly. The best solution for potential weather damages is for everyone on-site to work together and stick to the plan for taking care of the gear.
Guests May Need Direction
A core value at avad3 is over-communicating. A month before your event, write to your audience with a Plan A and a Plan B. Keep it simple. Have one or two backup plans, and inform your attendees of those plans. For example, providing on-site signage may be helpful to show attendees where they need to go.
