Planning and hosting an outdoor event can be difficult when dealing with inclement weather, but the magic of a calm evening, a gorgeous sunset and a fun group of people is the reward for thinking ahead about precautions to take and “Plan B”s to put in place.
There are few things more dependable than the unpredictability of the weather. You’d think this sort of thing would be getting more predictable thanks to ongoing advances in technology, but with funding being cut for weather balloon launches, forecasts are actually getting less accurate. In the absence of data, meteorologists are forced to guess.
Dealing with the unknown is a fact of life in the events industry and this blog will give tips, tricks and advice for how to plan an outdoor event. There’s more to it than just the weather, but that’s a good place to start.
Beating the Heat
Summer events can catch you and your guests off guard. If you’re not typically out in the bright sun, a few hours of dancing and drinking can really knock you out.Being ready for the conditions and planning ahead is key to keeping guests hydrated and protected from the heat.
Having a shaded area that guests can retreat to is a big help. If your venue lacks a structure or a nice shade tree, take care of your guests by providing personal cooling items like sunglasses, visors, umbrellas, folding fans or other such items.
Additionally, a self-serve hydration station with cold drinks such as iced tea, lemonade or a selection of plain and infused waters is not only a nice, touch, but often a necessity.
Put the drinks in an easily accessible location rather than off in a corner somewhere to encourage frequent visitation by your guests. And keep them full. There’s nothing worse than an empty water jug when you really need a drink.
Simply stocking bottled waters in an ice chest works if your event is more casual.
Don’t wait until it’s too late to hand out waters. Have them at every part of your event from beginning to end.
Take Care of Yourself First
Of course you want to think about your guests, but don’t be a victim of dehydration yourself either. The simple thing I see a lot of people overlook is prepping their bodies for a hot weather day. With all the planning, decorating, vendor management and timeline fretting hosts do, is they can easily forget to take care of their physical needs. If you know you’re going to be out in the heat, then a few early precautions can do a lot to help you look and feel your best on your event day.
To feel your best, make sure to hydrate consistently in the days leading up to your event. This is more effective than chugging a couple of bottles when symptoms of dehydration appear, because drinking excessive water quickly can lead to heavy sweating, and if you got that going on you won’t be the hostess with the mostess for long!
Air Conditioning and Misting
I grew up in the upper Midwest, so I know summers can be brutally humid, and as someone who now calls Las Vegas home, I’m no stranger to brutal heat. But these unwelcome conditions don’t have to be a deal breaker.
If you’re a venue owner, I suggest you add an outdoor misting system to your venue to offer a cool spot to guests at an event. The evaporative cooling these systems provide can cool the temperature up to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s a nice luxury that guests and clients will really appreciate on days with record breaking temperatures.
Another alternative is an outdoor spot cooler. These sorts of industrial units are great at art festivals, concerts, and sporting events but could easily be placed at a reception venue as well. They won’t cool a whole barn yard, but in addition to being useful in tight spaces such as mobile TV studios and polar bear enclosures at the zoo, they can give overheated guests a place to pause long enough to get the cool air they may desperately need.
Indoor vs. Outdoor
Rather than trying to force an event outdoors, know when it’s time to go to Plan B and take the proceedings indoors.
A sloppy field could end up being a nightmare for you and your guests. This could be true even if it isn’t raining on the day of your event. Maybe recent rains have rendered the outdoor venue too wet or muddy, even though the forecast calls for clear skies on your event day? Sometimes you just can’t battle things.
This happened to a colleague of mine on their wedding day. They were getting married at a country club in Illinois in mid-April. During a lot of years, mid-April is filled with warm spring days. But you can never be too sure. So, they chose their venue based on the fact that if the weather was too poor to utilize the Plan A patio space ,then the ballroom inside could be the fallback option. And what do you know? It snowed the day before his wedding! All his hopes for an outdoor ceremony went out the window, but all wasn’t lost because they had a good Plan B.
This could happen to you if you live in the Mountain West. It’s not as unusual as you think to get a “surprising” snow storm in June in some western states.
One last thing to think about before taking your event outdoors, is accessibility. We all love outdoor venues for their scenic surroundings, but make sure your venue choice has accommodation for guests with limited mobility. Indoor venues must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. So, if you’ve got a handful of mobility-impaired guests, an indoor venue may be better.
If this is a concern for your party, maybe it’s best to seek venues that have all of the views of the actual outdoor spaces you love, with the modern conveniences already built in.
Book Your Reception Today
If you’ve got more questions on choosing a great venue for your next event. Get in touch with my incredible coordination team at Gather After. We’ll help you select the best venue and menu for your group and also help out with photography needs, entertainment, decor and more!
