Starting off with a mouthful! But then again, most events are handful no matter how you look at them. Being prepared for all situations is a big part of pre-planning. No one likes to have to sit down and go through everything that can go wrong, and in most cases, you don’t have to think about every little thing that may happen. Secret underground facility underneath your venue accidentally released an experimental gas that transforms your guests into sentient, man-sized mice? Great improv prompt, probably not something you should be worried about when planning a birthday party.

The most important situation to plan for when dealing with tent installations is severe weather. This is because:

1. Large groups of people are hard to round up and it may be difficult to disseminate information, such as where official safe spaces are and why people need to leave in the first place.
2. Tents are not permanent structures and should never be used for shelter in any storms of a moderate to severe level. This doesn’t include rain of course, which on its own is relatively harmless, but as lightning and wind joins the party it’s time for your guests to start moving to other places.

With a few short preparations before your guests start to arrive, you can have piece of mind in addition to and actual plan to follow when things get a little hairy (or windy, or lightning-y) with foul weather.

Second Choices

While not technically a requirement (the primary action is ‘get away from tents’ in these situations), it’s generally a good idea to have a place in mind when considering where all of these people will be going when they exit your tent. Now, if you aren’t in charge of the event – for example, you set up a tent at a fair – you can simply ask guests to vacate the tent area. As a host of a venue, consider any larger buildings in the area. If they can be used as a safe zone in the event of harsh weather, have someone on hand who can open the area to guests when the situation arises.

A Concerted Effort

Once you have the secondary location(s) in mind, make sure to gather your employees or event workers and let them know about it. Simple, yes? Short of creating emergency route signs, which aren’t the easiest option if you don’t own the venue, there needs to be clear communication beforehand so that directions can be given to create the least amount of confusion possible. This way all “official” directions will be the same; all employees working the event or in the area should be able to agree on where people need to be directed. This way there aren’t three or four different sets of instructions out causing confusion.

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While most weather isn’t going to break your side poles or pull stakes from the ground, all preparations are in pursuit of the number one important aspect of all tent events – safety. Make sure your celebrations are recalled with happy memories by keeping everyone involved safe and sound. For more tips and tricks on running a tent event, feel free to visit our Knowledge Center for more articles and helpful PDFs. You can also call any of our Customer Account Managers at (866) 761-1192, who are on hand answer any question you may have. Call us today!