When it’s event season and you get that dreaded winter weather
Event Season + Winter Weather
You’ve worked hard for a year. You and your committee are in the final stretch to the big event day. Guests are excited and you’re focused on finalizing all of the details. Suddenly you have a new concern coming from a weather forecast: snow.
What do you do? This event is critical to supporting the work of your organization. The show must go on. Right? Maybe there’s another way. Here is our guide for making hard decisions and creating response plans when weather gets in the way.
When weather forecasts advise people to stay home, it becomes a difficult decision for your guests. While they are big supporters and want your organization to be successful, they also have other things to consider. Perhaps they live on a hill that gets really icy. Maybe they don’t have great traction devices or rely on bike transit. Maybe they travel by bus and mass transit takes time or is even cancelled in bad weather. Maybe their babysitter canceled on them. All sorts of things can prevent them from coming when the weather is extreme.
First, start tuning in and listening for forecast clues. If the weather report is recommending that drivers stay off the road, then your guests are getting the same message. Time for a plan B.
We have had to make this decision a number of times for snow, ice, flooding, even hurricanes. Generally, we have found that if you make a plan with enough notice, you can greatly reduce your cost impact and in the event that you have to cancel, you create some empathy from your guests who come ready to support when you reschedule.
The Risks
No Show Guests
Think about where your guests live. How will the weather impact their ability to get to you? Do they live in icy hilly neighborhoods or close to flooding rivers? If they have obstacles in their way, they are likely not to show. The impact of this can be a significant loss in giving if you choose to go on in inclement weather.
Perishable Food
While finding a new date for your event might create some challenges, the real cost is going to be if you have to pay twice for the food order. By thinking ahead you can work with your catering team on when decisions need to be made to create the smallest impact to your bottom line.
Vendors
While you are working with professionals that care about your event, they also have to make hard decisions about the safety and well-being of their team. If you choose to continue in bad weather will you have a full catering team available to serve your guests? Will your AV team be able to support your production?
Staff + Volunteer Safety
How will this weather impact the safety of your team? Will your staff and volunteers be able to get to and from the event safe? Do you risk their well-being?
Liability
Consider the impact that bad weather has on road safety, sidewalk safety and even the safety of your building. If the power goes out or a guest slips and falls, the long-term impact can be crushing to your organization.
Decision Making
So how do you make the tough decision to cancel an event? We would never recommend canceling but instead we recommend rescheduling. Do some homework by contacting your vendors. If you have several days of advance warning, reach out early and ask them to help you identify cost implications, alternative date availability and most important: a deadline for when to make the decision with as little cost as possible. This often means trying to make the decision before perishable food has been ordered.
Start first with your venue and catering teams. Once you have identified cost implications and alternative dates it is time to contact the rest of your vendors. Keep in mind that you may lose a vendor in the shuffle and might have to engage a back-up vendor for support.
Venue should be first. Can your venue accommodate another date? If they are unable to you will lose the full rental fee with the venue and will need to identify another venue with equal size. This might be the hardest part of a rescheduled event and the key piece that you have to work around.
Locking in a venue of appropriate size at short notice can be challenging. So we recommend that you start the conversation by talking to your venue.
Once you understand venue options it’s time to work with catering. In some cases, the venue and the catering are one in the same. In other cases, you will have to contact your caterer and identify with the time you have remaining, what the cost implications will be to a reschedule. On short notice you might have to pay for the loss of food product. With longer notice 3-5 days you might be able to avoid the cost before the food has been procured. The deadline for your final headcount is usually the time when food gets ordered. So, if you are before your headcount deadline you might be able to avoid additional fees.
Communication
Regardless of your decision, it is now time to communicate to your key stakeholders. If you are rescheduling the event, seek feedback from your big sponsors before announcing it publicly. They have invested in the event happening and deserve clear communication so that they can be your advocate and ally when the news goes out. Additionally, notify your staff, committee and board before the news goes out to attendees. These are the folks that have recruited guests and are hosting tables. You want to be sure they know that the announcement is coming before their guests do so they are not caught off guard and can be in support of the changes that need to happen. Finally, update your website, send an email to all guests and reach out to each table host or sponsor to be sure that everyone receives the message. If you are able to have a date and plan for the future event at the time that you communicate, that is ideal. If you do not, be sure to let them know that reschedule plans will be announced soon.
When you announce news of rescheduling be sure that your communication is positive, proactive and addresses the safety of guests and the excitement to see them soon on another date.
If you choose to go on, communication is equally critical. Because guests are making hard decisions for their own safety you don’t want them wondering if the event is going to happen. Assure them that the event will continue. Let them know if anything has changed such as timing of the event. Perhaps you are starting earlier to get everyone home before dark or are holding the program to leave time for arrivals. Also let them know who to call with questions and how to donate if they are unable to attend.
Don’t forget your vendors. If you choose to move forward in inclement weather, be in touch with your vendors early to make sure that you have the resources you anticipate. If you have time to trouble shoot gaps you can ensure that you don’t have any surprises. Additionally, have something prepared for your venue, should anyone call to inquire about the event. Venues often receive calls from guests once you have left the office.
Emergency Planning
Finally, if you decide to move forward during a weather event, have a safety plan in place. You may want to create a communication touch point for your staff and volunteers if they have trouble getting to the venue. For your guests you should work with your vendors to have a plan in the event of a power outage. Most importantly your servers and your emcee are the people that guests will turn to if the lights go out.
The Plus Side
In the past we have had to reschedule events for weather conditions. And what we discovered was that guests appreciated the clear communications. They understood how much work went into the move and felt bad for the organization impacted. In the end turn-out for the rescheduled dates was great and guests came prepared to give and give big. The weather crisis led to empathy and a big show of support.
It’s always a hard decision. But some planning can often help you avoid costs and clear direct upfront communications can help you keep the support of your community.
