Hope for the Best; Plan for the Worst

"'In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." – Benjamin Franklin

We are very aware of the fact that many uncertainties must be considered when planning an event. Weather is certainly one of these. While it would be nice to be able to control the weather, ezWeather is ultimately a child of our imaginations here at ezEvent™. For now, we'll have to continue to rely on meteorologists and information from places like The Weather Channel. 

Really good event planners know that planning to contend with the unlikely can make or break an event. Hope for the best, and plan for the worst is the mantra of event planners with the skill to keep guests entertained and comfortable, while dealing with meltdowns, crises, and malfunctions behind the scenes. Coordinating an event brings together many different vendors, talents, and personalities. Negotiating all of these when a freak hailstorm or weather event threatens to dampen spirits is a talent that comes with planning, skill, and experience.

Outdoor events are most susceptible to weather changes, but even navigating to and from indoor events can leave guests subject to wind, rain, etc. You could plan an event in a luxurious ballroom, but in the case of a power outage, your guests would be in the dark if you failed to plan ahead and check that a generator in working order was on standby for just such a disaster.  

Too much sun and high heat can be every bit as uncomfortable to guests as wind, rain, or snow. When planning an outdoor event, think about the time of year and the likely weather issues you may face. Provide places of shelter and shade for guests when they need respite from whatever nature has in store. Attractive umbrellas on hand can offer guests relief from surprise rain showers, and can also double as parasols to protect sun-sensitive people. You can coordinate the umbrellas with your event's decorations and color scheme.

We'll talk more about pitfalls to avoid and opportunities to contend gracefully with problematic issues at events as this blog develops. In the meantime, as you are planning your next big event, think ahead like the pros. If you can imagine an obvious potential disaster, think of clever ways you would like to be able to deal with the circumstance.