Even with the best planning in place, adverse weather can wreak havoc on your event. New Zealand has seen its fair share of this over the last few months.

Making the decision to cancel or postpone any event is not an easy one. Loss of revenue, the ability to communicate the cancelation with ticket-holders, co-ordinating suppliers etc can feel overwhelming.

We have pulled together some event-cancellation top tips when it comes to adverse weather.

1. Have a plan in place for this eventuality

When planning for your event, also plan for the possibility of it being canceled or postponed. This way, if adverse weather conditions do eventuate, you and the team can spring into action. Having a plan will ensure your communication to vendors, suppliers, ticket-holders and even transportation providers is slick and as stress-free as possible. Event insurance is also available from a number of suppliers throughout New Zealand. Chatting to them early to ensure you understand the cover in place will also alleviate pressure when the time comes. The health and safety of your team, suppliers, vendors and attendees is paramount, and communicating your plans with them early will help everyone understand what needs to happen. Working together is key. The promoter needs to work closely with the venue.

“From site flooding, to high winds, to artists being stuck in Auckland, thunderstorms predicted and heavy rain tomorrow as well, we are unable to safely and logistically deliver One Love 2023.”

— Event organisers, One Love

2. Why is the event not going ahead as planned?

Before you can communicate your decision with ticket-holders/ attendees, you must first determine why this event is not going ahead. If this is due to adverse weather conditions, the likely reason is that it is not safe for people to attend. Health and Safety is paramount. Perhaps transportation to and from the venue has been compromised, which again will deny ticket-holders from getting to and from the event safely.
It is heart-breaking to make the decision to postpone or cancel your event, but keeping attendees, staff and suppliers safe needs to be your main priority.

3. Should you postpone or cancel

We all know a number of factors contribute to this decision, and it is not an easy one to make. You need to determine if the talent, suppliers, venues etc will be available on another date. You also need to think if the content will still be relevant at another time. If this is a ticketed event, you will need to chat with your ticketing provider to work out what options are available to you.

“This is a very difficult decision which doesn’t come lightly, and I’m so sorry to all my fans who bought tickets. Cancelling shows is always the very last resort, but we have to think of my team, the venue staff and fan safety,”

— Sir Elton John

4. Communication is key
When planning for your event, you may want to take the time to work out cancellation clauses in your vendor/supplier contracts or come up with backup options.

When the heart-breaking decision is made to cancel or postpone your event, communicating promptly and efficiently will be crucial to your future success. Update your website and social media platforms, send emails and/or text messages. If you had an event app, send push notifications. Encourage your talent, suppliers and vendors to communicate on their platforms also. Try to answer all of the questions they may have. The more specific you are, the less questions that will come flying back to you. These include the reasons for cancelling or postponing, how to get ticket refunds, and if applicable, the new date, time and venue. Also ensure your team are available to answer any questions people may have.

If you have already created content for your event, use it. Even through the event has not gone ahead, this content can be used for future promotion and brand awareness.

5. Insurance

Loss of profits is likely to be one of the biggest concerns with cancelling or postponing your event. It is heart-breaking, and overwhelming to think of the loss of potential revenue. Having insurance in place will ease your mind in the event of a cancellation. There are a number of insurance companies in New Zealand that can help cover your event. Speak to them to discuss options.

6. Reflect and assess
No matter the reason for cancelling or postponing your event, it’s important to evaluate what went wrong and determine if there are mitigation strategies you can put in place for future events. You won’t be able to prevent natural disasters or major weather events, but you may want to take the time to work out cancellation clauses in your vendor contracts or come up with backup options.
Consider sending a follow-up survey to your ticket buyers to find out how satisfied they were with your cancellation communications and refund process.

If you would like to speak to someone about the implications of cancelling your event, here are a list of some of our members who can help:

All About People

Safety Set Consulting

RANDLx Events

EventCover NZ

Here are some links for further information:

Note: These are reference points generally sourced from the UK and US so some specific references contained within may not be directly applicable to New Zealand.

The Purple Guide - Chapter 30 Coping with the Weather