Don't Let Winter Weather Ruin Your Events!

Here in Connecticut we woke up to a foot of snow. Being that it's a Friday, there's a high likelihood that many events around the state are going to be impacted. 

If you've been following our blog, you know that when planning your events you should hope for the best and plan for the worst, and always make plans to minimize weather worries. Sometimes, no matter how much planning you've done you're still going to have some last minute decisions to make regarding the status of your event. Here are some questions you'll need to ask yourself and some tips for dealing with them.

 

Should I make backup plans?

If you're planning a winter event, be sure you've considered how it will change if snow threatens to ruin your day. While weather problems like rain or extreme heat may allows for a change of venue, snow is likely to prevent people from getting to your event no matter where it's held. You should always have a "Snow Date" in mind and advertise it in advance. If you're contracting with vendors, musicians, or anyone else, you should be able to work out an alternate event date when you first negotiate your contracts and service orders.

 

Can I still hold my event if there's snow?

If you're able to modify your plans sufficiently to make sure your event is safe and are confident that guests will be able to travel to your event safely, then you can proceed even if there's snow on the ground. This is advisable if the snow ends hours before your event is scheduled to begin or if there's only a light snow expected. If it's still snowing during your event or if a storm could come in earlier than expected, it may not be wise to proceed. Sometimes you may not even have a choice, as your venue could decide not to open or event staff might not be able to get to the venue. If you are able to go on with the event as scheduled, make sure all parking areas and walkways have been plowed thoroughly to ensure guest safety. 

 

Is it alright to simply cancel the event when it snows?

In many cases, the best decision may be to cancel to ensure guests' safety. If you do cancel, make sure everyone scheduled to attend is aware of the decision. Send out a message via email and/or social media saying "This event will be cancelled on account of snow." If it's a paid event, let guests know how they will be refunded.

 

If it's snowing or threatening to snow, how and when should I implement alternate plans?

Making this call can be tricky, and sometimes unpopular, and takes a person or team with confidence in their decision-making abilities. Sometimes there won't be snow early in the day, but major storms threaten to hit during your event. You need to decide if it's safe, financially smart, and worth proceeding. This plan should really be custom to every specific event, but some elements that are common to help making this decision include:

• Who will make the call?
• What safety concerns need to be considered?
• What are the costs/losses associated with cancelling, moving or postponing vs. going forward with potentially smaller attendance?
• When will you make the call? (Some timelines may depend on contracts you've signed)
• Who needs to be notified?

 

What if a presenter/performer is delayed due to the weather?

If you know far enough in advance that your presenter or performer can't make it, it's best to work with your presenter to try to reschedule or make a call for a cancellation. Contractual agreements and ticket sales/refunds will affect how you handle this. If the news comes last minute and you already have an audience at your venue or on their way, you might choose to think creatively about an alternate offering. Do not plan to stall the start of the event for longer that 20 minutes without communicating changes to your attendees.

Quick Planning Tips to Minimize Weather Worries

Spring and summer are popular times for many events from graduation parties, to community festivals, to family reunions, and concert series. Unfortunately, mother nature is not always cooperating. Having worked many, diverse events at an up-scale banquet facility, I can tell you that nothing puts a damper on festivities like inclement weather.

For most events, well-intentioned people put in months of planning to coordinate the facility, invitations, catering, and decorations. They invest their hopes and often reputations into organizing event logistics so that everything will go off without a hitch. Violent, seasonal weather has the power to destroy all of this planning in short moments.

Here are a few simple strategies to minimize the inconvenience of seasonal storms:

1. Plan for power! In case of a power outage, check that your event location has back-up generator power available. 
2. Be flexible! It is wise to include a 'rain date' whenever possible for events that take place partially or completely outdoors. Another option is to have weatherproof tenting or indoor locations on standby in case of bad weather. These accomodations may be slightly less than ideal, but this is where event planners should work in some flexibility for the safety and comfort of guests. 
3. Consider event insurance! You can purchase an event insurance policy to cover the loss and expense associated with cancelling and rescheduling an event. This can go a long way to minimize grief and aggravation when things don't go exactly according to plan.

At any event with an outdoor venue, always be sure to provide adequate relief from too much wind, sun, and precipitation with stable shelter and adequate refreshments. Another practical step for your guests' comfort and convenience is to have valets walk guests into the event with an umbrella in the case of rain.Your guests will certainly appreciate the attention to detail! 

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.

ezEvent™ Debuts Weather Controlling Device

Announcing ezWeather, ezEvent™'s new weather control system for indoor and outdoor events.

Now with ezEvent™’s powerful event management and ticketing software, not only will you be able to create a webpage for your event, sell tickets, and promote through social media, you will finally be ready to take full control of your event, and this includes the weather!

“ezWeather enables ezEvent™ users to select from a wide variety of weather conditions, allowing them to meticulously plan events, right down to the exact, minute-to-minute climate conditions," suggests Cary Prague, Product Manager of ezEvent.com, “it’s going to utterly revolutionize the event planning industry.”

“Oh and just to be clear – ezEvent™ has absolutely no affiliation with any government organizations, domestic or foreign,” he added, despite no one asking him.

ezWeather's usefulness for event planning is limitless! With ezWeather, you can guarantee a snowball fight in July, a seaside volleyball tournament in the depths of winter, or even schedule some rain showers to clear everyone out when you want them to get off your lawn!

The final stages of ezWeather testing were completed in March 2013. Lion and lamb conditions were easily overcome by the weather control system, and ezWeather is scheduled to go live just in time for April showers.  Be sure to register your next event with ezEvent™, because beginning April 1, 2013, you can even control the weather.