Climate Change Impacts for Today’s Event Management

As event professionals gathered at the Event Safety Alliance annual summit, one topic loomed large: climate change. It came up in conversations with attendees and on stage. I was fortunate to be moderating a panel titled “On the Horizon: Regulations and Impacts in a Changing Climate,” which aimed to address these concerns and discussed actions to be more weather-ready.

Kevin Kloesel, Event Safety Meteorologist, Baylor University Athletics, and Steve Adelman, Vice President of the Event Safety Alliance joined me onstage.

 

(L-R) ESA Summit emcee Steve Fleck introduces Renny Vandewege, Kevin Kloesel, and Steve Adelman to speak on event regulations and impact in a changing climate.

 

New extreme heat regulations

Potential weather disruptions have increased over the past five years. According to the Storm Prediction Center, in 2023 severe weather reports in the United States were 128% over average. At DTN, we have seen the same trend. Advisories and consultations for weather risks have increased by 14% in the past three years.

Extreme heat tops the list for increased cancelations or postponed events.

Extreme heat tops the list for increased cancelations or postponed events. This year several cities experienced heat waves with over 100°F for weeks that posed life-threatening risks for event attendees and personnel.

“We’re seeing heat deaths in places where we don’t normally see,” Kloesel noted at the session.

He pointed out that new federal standards were proposed in July to protect workers from extreme heat in the workplace and warned, “this is not only a federal issue.”

“It turns out that there are states who are proactively putting in place heat regulations for outdoor workers, including on festival sites, entertainment, concerts and other outdoor events.”

Adelman, an attorney specializing in sports and entertainment law, emphasized that while regulations may change, the legal duty of care remains constant.

“Statutes and regulations may be superseded by common law,” Adelman explained. “As event organizers, we all have a legal duty to behave as a reasonable person under the same or similar circumstances.”

 

The case for weather risk plans

This shift in climate patterns is forcing event organizers to rethink their approach to planning and risk management, which includes getting ahead of disruptive weather events by relying on more than forecasts. Weather information is only as good as understanding the weather impact to event operations.

Weather information is only as good as understanding the weather impact to event operations.

One key challenge highlighted during the discussion was the need for more comprehensive weather plans.

“It’s not just a conversation about lightning and rain and heat,” Kloesel noted. “This is a conversation about educating, monitoring and anticipating the risks. But then, what do you do when risks happen?”

The experts agreed that event managers need to consider cascading effects and secondary impacts in their planning. For example, evacuating an area due to lightning risk could create new heat-related dangers if people are then crowded into enclosed spaces for extended periods.

 

Technology informs the tough decisions

Technology plays an increasingly important role in weather prediction and risk management. It can add context and confidence to the “stop, pause, or continue” decisions that are critical from both safety and financial perspectives.

Like most weather companies, DTN uses weather forecasting simulations, called ensembles, to evaluate multiple weather models. A risk communicator looks at variances in the model to assess potential impacts. As a result, the output becomes greater confidence in the forecast.

This improved forecasting allows event organizers to make more informed decisions, sometimes days in advance.

An audience member shared their experience: “We review our (weather) trigger charts and make plans five days out. If by 48 hours out, things haven’t adjusted, we are pretty sure of how to call that with good advice.”

However, the panel also addressed the challenges of communicating weather risks to the public. One audience member raised concerns about sensationalized weather reporting potentially hindering an event’s attendance. The panel acknowledged that it is a complex issue that balances safety and logistics with potential economic impacts.

A weather-risk plan communicated and understood by event workers and having confidence in the event professional’s weather-risk decisions will help drive proactive communication with the public.

 

The future of climate impacts on live events

Looking ahead, the panel emphasized the need for a more holistic approach to weather and climate risk. This would include considering not just immediate weather threats, but also long-term changes to event venues and surrounding areas.

This is where artificial intelligence and machine learning shines. Machine learning uses historical weather data, like the 40+ years archived at DTN, and current weather and climate trends to run scenarios about potential impacts for a precise location. For example, MetStorm^® with historical precipitation can run scenarios such as how a one-in-1,000-year flood would impact a specific location.

The discussion concluded with a call for event managers to take a broader view of weather and climate risks.

“Our maturation needs to be getting more macro, getting at a wider view, getting at a longer timeframe, and understanding the complexity of risk isn’t an A or B decision.”
– Kevin Kloesel

As Kloesel stated, “Our maturation needs to be getting more macro, getting at a wider view, getting at a longer timeframe, and understanding the complexity of risk isn’t an A or B decision. Decision A creates decision B, which creates decision C. All of this needs to be mapped out in terms of a risk profile.”

This statement sums up the challenges for event professionals and the resulting regulations that will come from these increasing weather events. Further, there’s not one type of event that is affected; from festivals and sporting events to community and corporate events, and even crowds standing in-line to get into the event, organizers are grappling with these new challenges.

This also points to an opportunity for the industry to better plan and prepare for weather impacts months – and up to a year— before an event.

By embracing advanced forecasting technologies, comprehensive risk assessments, and flexible planning strategies, event professionals can create safe and successful events in an increasingly weather-risk environment.

As usual, ESA did a fantastic job hosting the Event Safety Summit. The annual event brings together event professionals from around the globe and across the entertainment, sports, and corporate event industries to discuss all aspects of safety, security, and health at live events.

Event Safety Summit provides attendees with actionable ideas, enables collaboration and communication with like-minded professionals, and sends attendees home with new motivation to put safety first in their daily work.

I am fortunate that I had the opportunity to be among event professionals who are passionate about hosting a safe, enjoyable and successful event. Moderating the ESA panel and participating in conversations about this complex issue is one way I can help build weather resiliency for an industry always needing to make the call on whether the show will go on.

To learn more about why DTN is a trusted source for event management visit here.

 

About the author

Renny Vandewege is the General Manager for Weather and Climate Intelligence at DTN. He leads strategy, vision, and direction for the commercial organization in delivering innovative and relevant weather solutions for DTN customers. As a meteorologist, he focuses on helping businesses become more resilient to the impact of weather events using actionable intelligence. Renny serves on the PRIMET Board of Directors.