It’s no secret that climate change will increase the frequency of extreme weather conditions, and the unpredictability of what we find when we check the weather app is only set to get worse. 

During the UK summer months and into September, heatwaves can wreak havoc on underprepared event organisers, who haven’t accounted for temperatures that can reach the low 30s.

During the planning stages of a summer event, it’s unlikely that you’ll have any way of knowing if your event will take place during a heatwave, but you can certainly put measures in place to help your attendees and staff attend your event comfortably if temperatures soar, whilst also limiting your impact on the planet. Even if your event is now quickly approaching, there are still last minute adjustments you could make.

Top tips for summer events

During the planning phase, consider your infrastructure

• How will people be travelling to your event? Well-connected venues with public transport access will limit the need for attendees to travel via car. In the early stages of planning your event, ideally, contact local transport hubs to ensure the appropriate measures are in place. Consider whether you can also provide a shuttle service for staff, so they can arrive in one vehicle, instead of multiple.
• For outdoor events it is essential that shade is available for attendees and staff. This could come from trees, or structures like tents and gazebos and it’s especially important to provide shade in queuing areas. You may need to book extra marquees, or pop-up gazebos and umbrellas for staff working outdoors.
• If your event is indoors, opt for spaces with minimal south-facing glazing, but with good ventilation and air circulation, to prevent overuse of energy-intensive air conditioning.
• Your guests and staff need to stay hydrated, whatever the weather! Ensure you have provisions in place for water bottle refill points, if your venue doesn’t have them as standard. For contingency water supplies, use tankers rather than individual plastic bottles.
• To help people stay cool, ensure your vendors are offering cold beverages and chilled food options. 
• Let people know where they can find hydration stations, chilled food and shade by creating a clearly labelled, digital map.
• Use comms to provide reminders about self care by encouraging attendees and staff to apply sunblock, stay hydrated and find shade where possible. You may want to also advise on the best arrival windows to avoid queues, so that crowds are minimised.

Look after the team

• Access to water is essential for everyone and sports drinks may help replace lost electrolytes. Ice-lollies will also go down a treat! Plan to have runners dispatch refreshments to staff members who are working further afield, or can’t easily reach hydration stations themselves.
• During the build and de-rig phase, schedule breaks during the hottest parts of the afternoon, even if this extends the build time. Night working may be the best way to protect staff from the heat, especially if they’re working in marquees.
• Providing an event kit containing some essentials will make life easier for your team and it’s an extra touch to help look after their wellbeing. Where appropriate, the kit could include sunblock, hats, dust masks and shade umbrellas to enable your staff to work safely. Adding rehydration salts to your first aid kit is also a good idea.
• Have you included more vulnerable members of staff in your risk assessments? Adding extra breaks to their schedule or positioning them so that they’re exposed to less extreme temperatures will help.
• Consider whether your staff uniforms are weather-friendly, or if you can relax the rules to allow everyone to work comfortably. For example, thick black polo shirts or formal attire will be less heatwave-friendly. 

Consider your impact on the environment

• Limit your use of air conditioning, where possible, especially where windows and marquee side walls can be opened to allow through-breeze instead. Where it is used, keep an eye on the temperature. It doesn’t need to be cold enough for people to be reaching for their jumpers. Some European countries have set an emergency limit of 27 degrees for air-con, however, most people will feel comfortable around 25.
• Attendees and staff should be encouraged to bring their own refillable water bottles, to be used at the refill points. 
• Hire items such as umbrellas, to avoid waste.
• What are your staff uniforms made of? Consider organic cotton or other renewable fibres, which are more comfortable to wear and better for the planet. For some events, it may be appropriate for staff to wear their own clothes.

Although it is always best to plan for every weather eventually during the planning stage of any event, it is never too late to make last minute adjustments to your plans when you hear that a heatwave is approaching.