Can't Miss Outdoor Event Planning Tips

Summer is in full swing and so are the summer soirées! If you're planning on hosting an out door event, we've got some great tips you'll want to take a look at.

BE PREPARED

• The first and most important morsel of advice, is the most obvious and should probably go unsaid, but we'll say it anyway: check the weather forecast. CONSTANTLY. Check the day of, the day before, the week before, 2 weeks before, and so forth and so on.

RAINY DAYS

• Look into purchasing weather insurance to protect you from event cancellations thanks to inclement weather.
• Come up with a contingency plan: set up tents, or use a venue with an indoor space, as well as an outdoor space guests can move into when the weather takes a turn for the worse.
• Plan in advance to provide guests with inexpensive parkas. They may not be the most attractive fashion statement, but they'll keep attendees dry and may even provide a logo branding opportunity.
• Provide umbrellas to help escort guests to the event location.

HOT DAYS

• Always have Emergency Services ready at a moments notice, and be aware of the symptoms of heat stroke, which can at times be hard to spot. Make the safety of your guests, your highest priority.
• Make sure you have enough water to provide to guests, and then some, to keep people from over heating. You can never have too much water, but if do you run out of water, you can count on guests running out on you.
• Set up shady spaces for guests to get away from the heat.
• Bring sunblock, bug spray, hand sanitizer in case an attendee requests it. You want to anticipate any and all of their needs.
• Like your guests, don't let mobile devices and tablets sit out in the sun for too long. Most will shut down when over heated.

ALL DAYS

• Make sure there are enough bathrooms. If you are renting portable ones, a good rule of thumb is to have 1 bathroom per 75 guests.
• Test all equipment beforehand. Outdoor event locales can drown out sound, block signals, damage equipment, so check thoroughly for any snafus.
• Don't forget to provide adequate lighting. Events taking place at sunset and later need to have properly lit walkways, parking lots and bathrooms.

Mother nature has the habit of throwing a wrench to even the best laid plans, so all you can do is be prepared. Hope for the best, but don't forget to expect the worst.Please share with us any outdoor event planning tips you didn't see on this list!