Massive flooding in Minot, ND. A devastating tornado in Joplin, MO. For many meetings industry professionals, in the wake of recent, tragic headlines regarding destructive weather occurrences, thoughts often turn to contingency planning and what-if? questions. For instance: what if disaster strikes during your event?
Here in the Midwest, most residents are familiar with the seasonal woes and serious dangers caused by weather patterns such as floods, tornadoes, snowstorms, and the like, but even minor weather upsets can cause serious glitches in the event agenda. How do the locals carry on, business as usual, around such uncooperative natural factors? How do planners stay abreast of unpredictable situations that can occur suddenly and without warning during their events? In short... how do folks plan for this stuff?
Here in the Midwest, most residents are familiar with the seasonal woes and serious dangers caused by weather patterns such as floods, tornadoes, snowstorms, and the like, but even minor weather upsets can cause serious glitches in the event agenda. How do the locals carry on, business as usual, around such uncooperative natural factors? How do planners stay abreast of unpredictable situations that can occur suddenly and without warning during their events? In short... how do folks plan for this stuff?
“Blame it on Murphy's law or bad luck, but if there is horrible weather to be had, it is likely to fall on the day of your event,” says Anna Treyer-Simakova, event director for Global Advertising Strategies. “That is why the planning process should account for all possible scenarios, including bad weather.”
Here are the stories of a few industry pros who’ve battled the elements to pull off successful meetings and events.
Here are the stories of a few industry pros who’ve battled the elements to pull off successful meetings and events.
Philip Arbuckle, CMP, MeetingTrack, Inc.
For Philip Arbuckle, CMP, president and CEO of MeetingTrack, Inc. in Olathe, KS, historical norms no longer necessarily cover the worst-case scenario when it comes to planning ahead for weather complications. For example, extreme heat “that pops up one day and is gone the next” has created event-related complications for Arbuckle’s events in recent months.
“Just last week, we had a cocktail party outdoors at 7:00 p.m.,” he says. “It was still 98 [degrees], and extreme heat and alcohol can be a problem. This has happened twice this spring, causing us to implement a ‘sunny sky’ backup plan.”
In another recent case, a more severe weather incident involved a 3,000-person outdoor event that had to be moved inside in a hurry.
“We moved the event inside the convention center that morning due to forecasts of very high winds,” Arbuckle recalls. “That evening, a tornado was spotted on the ground one mile from the convention center. It was heading in our direction, so we stopped the event and took everyone to the basement.”
While attendees huddled underground on a concrete floor, awaiting the all-clear signal, the band struck up an acoustic performance and led the group in song to ease minds and pass the time.
“The storm blew over with no damage, causing some to say we were overly cautious,” Arbuckle says. “Weather calls are tough, but I would rather be cautious than sorry.”
“Just last week, we had a cocktail party outdoors at 7:00 p.m.,” he says. “It was still 98 [degrees], and extreme heat and alcohol can be a problem. This has happened twice this spring, causing us to implement a ‘sunny sky’ backup plan.”
In another recent case, a more severe weather incident involved a 3,000-person outdoor event that had to be moved inside in a hurry.
“We moved the event inside the convention center that morning due to forecasts of very high winds,” Arbuckle recalls. “That evening, a tornado was spotted on the ground one mile from the convention center. It was heading in our direction, so we stopped the event and took everyone to the basement.”
While attendees huddled underground on a concrete floor, awaiting the all-clear signal, the band struck up an acoustic performance and led the group in song to ease minds and pass the time.
“The storm blew over with no damage, causing some to say we were overly cautious,” Arbuckle says. “Weather calls are tough, but I would rather be cautious than sorry.”
Tina Jackman, Special D Events
A few years ago, Tina Jackman, meetings and conferences manager for Special D Events in Royal Oak, MI, handled an offsite, outdoors dinner for an annual conference that necessitated permits for restrooms, DJs, catering, and more.
“We had discussed at length what our backup plan would be in case of bad weather, and everyone assured me ‘it won’t rain,’ but as an event planner, I was leery… you never know!” Jackman says. “We had discussed renting a tent to cover the area, but it was out of the budget for the event. When we got onsite - you guessed it! - it poured rain during the day of our offsite dinner.”
As Jackman notes, “there’s always a chance the weather won’t cooperate,” so it’s essential for every event to come with a Plan B. In the case of the offsite dinner that got rained out, she says, a scheduled decision time had been agreed upon in advance, at which point the call was made to move the event to the host hotel.
“From there, it was a whirlwind of activity,” Jackman recalls, including “phone calls, emails, etc. to get all of our vendors to switch gears and make it happen.”
A complete vendor list aided in the last-minute scramble to change locations. Jackman says her team always maintains a contact sheet that includes phone numbers and email addresses for everyone involved in a given event.
“Once we made the decision to cancel, we had to call all of the vendors and either cancel them or direct them to the hotel,” she explains. “Some vendors, like the portable restrooms, we no longer needed. Those we had to cancel and cut our losses. Others, like the caterer and the living statues, we had to redirect. It was very important that in our hurry, we didn’t forget to call any of the vendors!”
By keeping a key contacts list on hand, Jackman’s team had no trouble making sure everyone was covered - she just “checked them off the list” as new arrangements were made, and the event went on.
“We had discussed at length what our backup plan would be in case of bad weather, and everyone assured me ‘it won’t rain,’ but as an event planner, I was leery… you never know!” Jackman says. “We had discussed renting a tent to cover the area, but it was out of the budget for the event. When we got onsite - you guessed it! - it poured rain during the day of our offsite dinner.”
As Jackman notes, “there’s always a chance the weather won’t cooperate,” so it’s essential for every event to come with a Plan B. In the case of the offsite dinner that got rained out, she says, a scheduled decision time had been agreed upon in advance, at which point the call was made to move the event to the host hotel.
“From there, it was a whirlwind of activity,” Jackman recalls, including “phone calls, emails, etc. to get all of our vendors to switch gears and make it happen.”
A complete vendor list aided in the last-minute scramble to change locations. Jackman says her team always maintains a contact sheet that includes phone numbers and email addresses for everyone involved in a given event.
“Once we made the decision to cancel, we had to call all of the vendors and either cancel them or direct them to the hotel,” she explains. “Some vendors, like the portable restrooms, we no longer needed. Those we had to cancel and cut our losses. Others, like the caterer and the living statues, we had to redirect. It was very important that in our hurry, we didn’t forget to call any of the vendors!”
By keeping a key contacts list on hand, Jackman’s team had no trouble making sure everyone was covered - she just “checked them off the list” as new arrangements were made, and the event went on.
Andy McNeill, American Meetings, Inc.
In Andy McNeill’s experience, surprise weather occurrences are no surprise. As CEO of American Meetings, Inc., McNeill has seen “everything from hurricanes to Super Bowl snow-ins.” In one case, a Chicago advisory board turned into a captive audience when a snowstorm interrupted air travel to or from the meeting destination.
“We got snowed in for three days with 30 people, and the other 30 people didn’t make it,” McNeill recalls. “About half the people got in [before] a huge storm came in that [wasn’t expected] to shut down the airport, but it did.”
Bad weather or no bad weather, the meeting had to commence. McNeill’s team responded on the spot by setting up an online conference to bring in the attendees who couldn’t make it in person. For that particular group, Plan B represented a complex undertaking due to the nature of the meeting.
“It was actually a real challenge because [the meeting] was with physicians, and they're known for their technical savvy,” McNeill says. “It was a pretty involved meeting. We had to pull in cameras to show live speakers… it was a little more detailed than a standard WebEx meeting.”
The process of arranging and rearranging for the online component took McNeill’s team 24 hours to complete, he says, and some portions had to be delayed or rescheduled. In the end, the meeting carried on with about 85% coverage for the attendees who couldn’t make it to Chicago - a percentage that was more than satisfactory for McNeill, all circumstances considered.
“It went well, considering it was pretty crazy,” he says. “The hotel was great. They did a great job helping us with the bandwidth issues. I think because we had fewer people there, it made it easier for the staff to coordinate [at the last minute].”
“We got snowed in for three days with 30 people, and the other 30 people didn’t make it,” McNeill recalls. “About half the people got in [before] a huge storm came in that [wasn’t expected] to shut down the airport, but it did.”
Bad weather or no bad weather, the meeting had to commence. McNeill’s team responded on the spot by setting up an online conference to bring in the attendees who couldn’t make it in person. For that particular group, Plan B represented a complex undertaking due to the nature of the meeting.
“It was actually a real challenge because [the meeting] was with physicians, and they're known for their technical savvy,” McNeill says. “It was a pretty involved meeting. We had to pull in cameras to show live speakers… it was a little more detailed than a standard WebEx meeting.”
The process of arranging and rearranging for the online component took McNeill’s team 24 hours to complete, he says, and some portions had to be delayed or rescheduled. In the end, the meeting carried on with about 85% coverage for the attendees who couldn’t make it to Chicago - a percentage that was more than satisfactory for McNeill, all circumstances considered.
“It went well, considering it was pretty crazy,” he says. “The hotel was great. They did a great job helping us with the bandwidth issues. I think because we had fewer people there, it made it easier for the staff to coordinate [at the last minute].”
Scott Cullather, inVNT
When the show must go on, snowfall can spawn all sorts of creative solutions, according to Scott Cullather, founder and managing partner of inVNT, a specialized communications agency that recently opened a Detroit-area office. Earlier this year, inVNT produced a launch event for the iPad Daily in New York City, which involved a live press announcement and necessitated various parking permits for dozens of production and news trucks. To complicate matters: a week before the event, two and a half feet of snow hit the streets. In response, the mayor voided all parking permits, leaving the inVNT team “in a pickle,” Cullather says.
“Those cars that were snowed in would have typically had to move because we had permits, but because of the parking release, they didn’t have to move,” he explains. “We had roughly 30 trucks showing up, so our team went into immediate backup-plan mode.”
Luckily, that backup plan was already in place, and inVNT moved quickly to rent vans, trucks, and a Bobcat machine. Team members printed and distributed fliers to neighborhood buildings to spread the word to local residents about a wide-reaching Plan B initiative.
“Basically, [the plan consisted of] us offering to shovel your car out and pay for your parking in a parking garage for a week in return for your agreeing to move your car,” Cullather recalls. “We had guys canvassing the neighborhood and introducing themselves and talking about the challenge at hand, meeting the doormen and the neighbors, trying to locate who owned all these cars.”
In the end, the inVNT team cleared about 80 vehicles from the area in the course of a seven-day period.
“We were able to locate every owner to every vehicle except for one,” Cullather says, and as the neighborhood cars were moved out, inVNT’s rented vehicles moved in as placeholders. “If we were able to get two or three spaces open, we would pull a U-Haul truck in there to hold the space for us.”
In the end, everyone involved found a parking spot ready and waiting, and inVNT was able to pull off the launch event without a hitch.
“Those cars that were snowed in would have typically had to move because we had permits, but because of the parking release, they didn’t have to move,” he explains. “We had roughly 30 trucks showing up, so our team went into immediate backup-plan mode.”
Luckily, that backup plan was already in place, and inVNT moved quickly to rent vans, trucks, and a Bobcat machine. Team members printed and distributed fliers to neighborhood buildings to spread the word to local residents about a wide-reaching Plan B initiative.
“Basically, [the plan consisted of] us offering to shovel your car out and pay for your parking in a parking garage for a week in return for your agreeing to move your car,” Cullather recalls. “We had guys canvassing the neighborhood and introducing themselves and talking about the challenge at hand, meeting the doormen and the neighbors, trying to locate who owned all these cars.”
In the end, the inVNT team cleared about 80 vehicles from the area in the course of a seven-day period.
“We were able to locate every owner to every vehicle except for one,” Cullather says, and as the neighborhood cars were moved out, inVNT’s rented vehicles moved in as placeholders. “If we were able to get two or three spaces open, we would pull a U-Haul truck in there to hold the space for us.”
In the end, everyone involved found a parking spot ready and waiting, and inVNT was able to pull off the launch event without a hitch.
Treyer-Simakova, Global Advertising Strategies
As always, in various circumstances, a thorough understanding of a meeting location can save the day in the event of unexpected events. Treyer-Simakova recommends simple measures that can be taken to reduce the uncertainties of Mother Nature based on the particulars of any destination.
“Cooperate with the weather,” she says. “For events in extreme-weather locations and those ‘no-reception’ areas, have an old-fashioned radio and an extra bottle of water. Make sure to keep the number of a fire department handy. Know the evacuation plan as well as the address for the nearest shelter. If you prepare in advance, you can still have a successful event.”
Even not-so-severe weather conditions can put a damper on a gathering, and planners can counteract complaints ahead of time by taking a common-sense approach to potential discomforts. If a friendly forecast isn’t on the event horizon, forward-thinking planners might employ proactive measures that take attendees’ physical wellbeing into consideration.
“Plan to hand out goody bags filled with premiums to ease the unfriendly weather conditions,” Treyer-Simakova suggests. “Brand ‘weather-appropriate’ takeaways: umbrellas for rainy days, portable individual fans for extreme heat, and scarves or bags with comfort treats for chilly outdoor events.”
As in every aspect of contingency planning, industry professionals should make a practice of walking every event from beginning to end, asking what if? at every step - and ensuring an answer lies in the backup plan prior to the event dates.
“Cooperate with the weather,” she says. “For events in extreme-weather locations and those ‘no-reception’ areas, have an old-fashioned radio and an extra bottle of water. Make sure to keep the number of a fire department handy. Know the evacuation plan as well as the address for the nearest shelter. If you prepare in advance, you can still have a successful event.”
Even not-so-severe weather conditions can put a damper on a gathering, and planners can counteract complaints ahead of time by taking a common-sense approach to potential discomforts. If a friendly forecast isn’t on the event horizon, forward-thinking planners might employ proactive measures that take attendees’ physical wellbeing into consideration.
“Plan to hand out goody bags filled with premiums to ease the unfriendly weather conditions,” Treyer-Simakova suggests. “Brand ‘weather-appropriate’ takeaways: umbrellas for rainy days, portable individual fans for extreme heat, and scarves or bags with comfort treats for chilly outdoor events.”
As in every aspect of contingency planning, industry professionals should make a practice of walking every event from beginning to end, asking what if? at every step - and ensuring an answer lies in the backup plan prior to the event dates.
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