Why do people keep planning outdoor events without a weather plan?

We saw an incident this weekend in #Charlotte that highlights the need for weather planning again, but it’s not isolated to just this event. I see it happening a lot from small to large outdoor festivals, kids tee ball or soccer, major sporting events to wedding planning. People don’t have a weather plan for some reason.

I have a saying that, “Technically there is never a 0% or 100% of rain but there’s always a 100% chance of weather”. The reason this is important is that if you are having any kind of outdoor event you need to have a weather plan. While we all know we can’t control the weather we most certainly can plan for it and can predict it within reason. Yet people keep planning every single part of their outdoor event except for how to get weather information and how to handle bad weather. Some just rely on optimism bias that it will all work. While others say, “hey we’ll just use this app I have on my phone”, with no idea where the information comes from or if it’s even reliable.

Here’s what you can do.

#1 Have a Plan:

I know this seems like a no brainer, but just putting together a written plan for what you will do if there is bad weather is a start. It will let you identify areas you need to be ready for like getting tents, more water for heat, more ice, more shade or will the parking lot be a mud pit! To where will everyone go if we get severe weather? Is there shelter for all of them? If there is weather how could we keep the event going in spite of this or do we have a rain date? The biggest part of this is communication and transparceny. Do you have a point person who will monitor the weather and how will they pass that information along. How will you communicate with your guests, clients etc?

#2 Get professional guidance:

I consult with many event planners and outdoor venues including Charlotte Motorspeedway. I provide guidance ahead of time help develop a weather plan to offering remote weather support or even having Meteorologists on site to help monitor the weather in real-time. This is an expense but it can help make sure you are ready, plus it gives you peace of mind that someone is watching the weather for you. Now you still need to plan for it but you won’t be surprised by the weather and this can be cheap for remote monitoring by phone or text.

#3 Get Weather insurance:

I bet you didn’t even know you could do this. You can buy weather insurance for your event and recoup all the money you spent putting this event on in case bad weather cancels it. Now, this can be pricey but more reasonable than you might think. Usually, your premium is based on how much rain falls during the covered time period. It’s cheaper to buy for higher rainfall amounts around .25″ or higher. There also is the expense of having a trained meteorologist on site to monitor and record rainfall which is required by most insurance companies to file a claim.

#4 Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!

This might seem easy but be upfront with people let them know what is going on. They have weather apps on their phones as well you don’t want the people attending your event knowing more about the weather than you. Let them know what to do if there is bad weather, where to go and where not to go. Don’t assume they know you have to make sure you guide them. It just helps to over-communicate with your attendees as much as possible.

Reach out if you need help:

I love helping people be weather aware. The weather is more predictable than you think you just need someone watching it daily and giving you more personalized updates and information. Don’t rely on just any app, I can recommend some that are better than free stock apps but you still should get expertise in understanding radar. While we can never control the weather, we can control how we deal with it.