Outdoor events and activations are in a class by themselves. In addition to the difficulties of production requirements, parking and crowd control, you also have to add fencing, porta-potties and the tempestuous moods of Mother Nature. In this post, we’ll discuss how to plan for bad weather conditions at live events and the specific conditions that our technicians are trained to look for when determining whether or not to continue an event in bad weather.
Unpredictable weather and live events
Safety During Bad Weather Conditions is the Number One Priority for In Depth Events
In our home State of Texas, weather can be… fickle. It’s an old joke here that “If you don’t like the weather in Texas, just wait a minute and it will change.” Of course, our touring and logistics groups handle activations and experiential events all over the nation. We’ve been drowned in Denver, deluged in Duluth and snowed on in St Paul. We’ve been hailed on in Helena, had sleet in San Antonio and tornadoes in… well, you get the idea. The point is we are very experienced with bad weather conditions at live events and how to make sure the equipment and your attendees are safe before, during and after bad weather strikes.
As a production company, we have to be ready for all types of weather at an outdoor event. Rain gear and pop-up tents are part of every single pack that goes on the truck. All of our electrical distribution systems are water resistant and rated for outdoor use. Our ballast plans for our rooftops are specifically designed with high wind conditions in mind.
Speaking of rooftops – whenever we do a stage and roof system, we will always have a roof tech on site to monitor the roof and the weather conditions at any time there is activity on the stage. On most of our outdoor rental stage and roof system builds, you’ll see a weather station including an anemometer and a rain gauge on the structure. Monitoring the weather at all times is a big part of our commitment to safety on the event site.
Make sure your event company has a bad weather plan
After the rain – back to the show!
Especially when using rooftops or mobile stages – it’s imperative that production company that you have contracted has a bad weather plan. With our company, it’s our Rooftop Emergency Procedures. This document has very specific tolerances for wind and rain and clearly explains our responsibility to our clients in case of bad weather.
In addition to this document, it’s also important for everyone to sit down long before the event and discuss the issues related to bad weather conditions at live events. The promoter, production company, venue owner and (if possible) the municipality should all be given well-defined roles and responsibilities for dealing with bad weather. Knowing these roles beforehand can save precious minutes and provide a well-organized response for attendees.
Do you have questions about weather and your outdoor activation, concert, or festival? Ask a Question of the bad weather safety experts at In Depth Events. We’re happy to take our knowledge and experience and apply it to your event. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you!
Do you use 24/7 weather monitoring services?
If so, who do you use?
Thanks for your message! Local airports and other certified weather monitors are great for insurance claims. However, while onsite, we typically rely on doppler radar on our phones, our portable weather station that we mount to our rooftops, and the judgement of our on-site technicians.