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Outdoor Celebration? 4 Rainy Day Contingency Tips for NYC Event Professionals

The best, most effective event planners don’t just plan and coordinate the event at hand. They also make arrangements and backup plans for circumstances that haven’t yet arisen. One of your contingency planning strategies involves outdoor events and untimely weather. Spring and summer celebrations are coming. And this is the gentle reminder roster of contingency planning ideas, to make sure that neither gale-force winds nor afternoon showers negatively impact your outdoor event.

1. Be Mindful of Weather Predictions

You can’t control weather conditions. However, you can be diligent about knowing what could potentially impact your upcoming outdoor event. Look ahead and follow up on predictions regularly. If there is the slightest chance of inclement weather, you can start early with backup plans for moving your celebration indoors. But you can’t plan ahead if you’re not in the know. So, download the weather apps and keep up with the latest news, just in case. As your event date approaches, if the weather appears to be more than just a chance of rain, with potentially dangerous winds or intense thunderstorms, it may be worth moving forward with an indoor plan from the outset or rescheduling.

2. Back-Up the Essentials First

When carving out a contingency plan for your outdoor event, start with the essential elements first. Have a change in venue to move your party indoors, meaning make those calls now and know what indoor options will be available. You’ll also still need to make sure event attendees have food and drink options. So, coordinate with your caterer about secondary plans to relocate an event indoors. Seating arrangements will matter, too. And the party “must go on,” meaning any entertainment you have booked will need to be ready to move indoors, as well.

3. Health and Safety First

Know the difference between a contingency plan and a safety emergency plan for your outdoor event. If the weather becomes dangerous in any way or results in power outages or other hazards, you’ll need to keep health and safety protocols on hand. While most of the worst-case scenarios are unlikely to occur, it’s best to have a contingency plan in place to escort guests to safe spaces or to cancel your event altogether and reschedule.

4. Contingency Plan Communication Strategy

Even the best-structured contingency plans won’t be effective without the right communication channels and strategies in place. Consider establishing ground rules for making the decision to move the event indoors. Then discuss with all your vendors what those weather conditions might be and how they’ll know you’ve made the call to relocate. Have a list of everyone that can be instrumental in communicating an event change at the last minute, including someone to announce to the guests about where to go.

If the idea of planning one outdoor event is already overwhelming, let alone working up a second contingency plan, it might be time to bring in pros. Let EMRG Media handle all of your event planning needs, from intimate outdoor celebrations to red-carpet galas and corporate outings. We’ll handle every detail of both the outdoor event and the backup plan should mother nature not be cooperative!