Bright sunshine. Warm temperatures. Vacation vibes. Summer is a great time of year to host an event. From music festivals and outdoor concerts to food fairs, sports tournaments, and cultural celebrations, there's something for everyone to enjoy.
But hosting a summer event comes with its own set of challenges. Before you send out invites, it’s important to understand the common pitfalls of hosting summer events. Plus, check out our top hacks to make sure your event goes off without a hitch.
Summer Event Challenges
Weather
Summer weather can be unpredictable. High temperatures, humidity, sudden rain showers, or even storms can disrupt outdoor events. You need to have contingency plans in place to deal with any weather-related issues.
Heat and Sun
Dealing with extreme heat and sun exposure can be challenging for both organizers and attendees. Providing adequate shade, hydration stations, and even cooling stations becomes crucial to ensure the comfort and safety of everyone present.
Crowd Management
Summer events often attract large crowds, which can be difficult to manage, especially in outdoor venues. Ensuring smooth traffic flow, proper security measures, and crowd control becomes essential to avoid chaos and ensure everyone's safety.
Seasonal Availability
Some vendors, performers, or suppliers might have limited availability during the summer months due to vacations or other commitments. Securing necessary services and resources well in advance becomes crucial to avoid last-minute disappointments.
Competing Events
Summer is a popular time for events, which means you may have to compete with other festivals, concerts, or activities for attendees and resources. Effective marketing and offering unique experiences can help attract participants despite the competition.
Seasonal Staffing
Finding reliable staff can be challenging during the summer months when many people are on vacation or have other commitments. You may need to plan your staffing needs well in advance and offer competitive wages to attract and retain workers.
Logistics
Transporting equipment, setting up outdoor infrastructure, and managing logistics can be more challenging in the summer due to factors like increased traffic, limited parking, and the need for additional permits for outdoor spaces.
Pests and Wildlife
In outdoor venues, you may encounter issues with pests like mosquitoes, bees, or ants, as well as encounters with wildlife like birds or small animals. Implementing pest control measures and educating attendees about wildlife encounters can help mitigate these issues.
Health Concerns
Summer events can pose health risks, including heatstroke, dehydration, and sunburn. Providing first aid stations, sunscreen, and reminders about staying hydrated can help mitigate these risks.
Environmental Impact
Outdoor events have a greater environmental impact, especially in sensitive ecosystems. Minimizing waste, implementing recycling and composting programs, and considering the environmental footprint of your event are important considerations.
Addressing these challenges requires careful planning, flexibility, and attention to detail to ensure a successful and enjoyable summer event for everyone involved.
Summer Event Planning Hacks
Now that you understand the challenges of planning a summer event, you can address those issues before they dampen the guest experience. Here are 14 hacks to help your event go smoothly:
1. Bring on the Shade
The sun’s glare gets extra strong during the summer months. If your event takes place outdoors, provide ample shaded areas such as tents, umbrellas, or covered seating to offer relief from the sun and heat.
2. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
Offer free water stations throughout the venue to keep attendees hydrated. Consider providing reusable water bottles or cups to minimize waste. You can even encourage guests to bring their own refillable water bottles!
3. Cool Down
If you’re in a humid location, shade alone might not be enough to really help guests find relief from the heat. Set up misting fans, cooling tents, or air-conditioned areas where guests can take a break before they get back to the fun. These locations can also double as concessions area or gift shops, so you’re able to gain additional revenue while offering a benefit to your guests.
4. Protect Against the Glare Bear
The last thing you want the day after your event is a bunch of photos on social media where guests look like lobsters. Offer sunscreen stations with free or affordable sunscreen for attendees to protect themselves from sunburn. You can also provide hats or visors for extra protection.
5. Take a Seat
Sore feet and tired legs can cause guests to leave an event early, instead of staying for another drink or a bite to eat. Make sure there are enough comfortable seating options, including chairs with back support, lounge areas, or even a picnic area. A shady field with soft grass is an inexpensive way to let your guests get off their feet and recharge. Encourage folks to bring their own picnic blankets!
6. Keep Pests Away
Your guests aren’t the only ones who think the barbecue from your food truck smells delicious. Bees, flies, mosquitoes can really put a damper on an otherwise fun summer event. Provide insect repellent or citronella candles, or use fans to keep the bugs at bay.
7. Simplify Check-In
A long line to enter your summer event can leave your guests baking in the hot sun. Streamline the admission process by having a separate line for guests who already have tickets and one for those purchasing on site. Place a few extra team members at the entrance when the gates open so you can quickly scan guests in. It helps to use ticketing software with extra-fast scanning, too, like Passage.
8. Prepare for Minor Medical Issues
Have easily accessible first aid stations equipped with basic medical supplies to address minor injuries, heat-related issues, or allergic reactions.
9. Make Sanitation a Priority
Sticky hands and calls of nature are inevitable at some point during a summer event. Ensure there are enough restrooms and handwashing stations available, especially in outdoor venues where facilities might be limited.
10. Take Out the Trash
Prevent litter from piling up around your event and attracting flies by making it easy and convenient for guests to dispose of their trash. Place bins for trash, recycling, and composting throughout the venue to encourage responsible waste disposal.
11. Make Information Easy
An amazing cooling station is no good to a guest who can’t find it. Set up information booths where attendees can get assistance, find event schedules, maps, and learn about the (free and paid) amenities at your event.
12. Serve a Summer Menu
Free H2O is great, but you can also offer guests a variety of paid food and beverage options. Consider adding hydrating drinks, fresh fruits, and lighter, refreshing meals to your event menus to help guests stay nourished and energized.
13. Entertainment and Activities
Especially with summer events, it’s important to offer guests a diverse range of entertainment and activities to keep them engaged & entertained. Depending on your event format and theme, that might include music performances, games, workshops, or interactive exhibits.
14. Be Safe
Implement visible security personnel and emergency protocols to ensure the safety of attendees. Provide information on emergency exits and procedures.
Final Thoughts
Longer daylight and warmer temperatures mean your summer event can be hosted just about anywhere, at any time of the day. By using these simple hacks, you can enhance the overall guest experience, mitigate potential challenges, and ensure that everyone has a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable time.
