Turning Epic Weather Fails Into Revenue Opportunities

Photo Credit:  Wedding Pros

Last year,  California was under an "El Niño" warning, with all doom predicted to possibly break loose with floods, landslides, epic rain fall, and more.  It never happened.  But we were prepared for it, from our private homes to the events industry.   Especially concerned about it were event professionals - many of whom had outdoor venues - and were concerned about current clients as well as prospective clients not booking because of it.  


This year the Pacific Northwest- my beloved Portland, Oregon in particular - got blindsided with "Snowpocalypse".   There is a difference between knowing epic bad weather is on its way (as with El Niño) and being blindsided by it and not having the chance to prepare (Snowpocalypse).  But no matter what the issue, if looked at in the right light, bad weather can actually cause you to go inward and to become more of a community in bringing in revenue and/or making sure the revenue you already have is going to stay there - and possibly even upgrade  - with additional services.  It's all about thinking creatively and reaching out to your fellow creative partners for collaboration as if you were all one big company with in-house services readily available to clients. 

Photo Credit: Wedding Music & Lights

When we addressed a Southern California NACE group last year, we spoke about the "Protection Plan" every event professional should know.  It included a whole session of  thinking ideas.  Below are just a few highlights, with number 6 being the most important and providing the most potential for revenue increases: 

1.  Be prepared to be informed in real time.  Reach out to every government or disaster resource you can and have their apps and any information at your fingertips on your mobile devices.  Examples: Red Cross, FEMA, Wunderground, FloodSmart.gov .  Encourage clients to be prepared, too. Taking out wedding insurance has never been more important - and have them read the fine print carefully to make sure it covers cancellations due to weather.  We love WedSafe.com, but there are others from which to choose, too. 

2.  Be prepared to anticipate guest needs with items on hand for guest comfort:  umbrellas, wellies (galoshes), hay for ground covering (to help super soggy areas of dirt outdoors that still may be able to be used);  order extra towels for guests, have extra clear plastic tarp on hand;  candles, flashlights;  rain ponchos or blankets can also double as guest favors (hint: upsell opportunity);  repurpose the practical into the fun and inspirational.  For linens for outdoor spaces, if there is the chance of rain, use mostly polyester based linens and stay away from cottons and true silks.

 3.  Know your rental limitations: sometimes tenting is not a good option, depending on the weather and ability to tent at the location.  All rental companies will be backlogged and over-sold for many weather-type products, so building in your inclement weather plan way in advance is paramount. 

4.  When possible, make the weather work to your advantage and make it a part of the event decor and feel for a memorable experience. Unexpected snow?  Rent lanterns, fire bowls for late evening s'more activities (hint: upsell opportunity) and guest- interactive stations; perhaps your venue, with inclement weather, can only hold one part of the event (i.e. the reception and not the ceremony).  What can you do to combine both in the same location with a little re-thinking and re-arranging;  or perhaps have the ceremony there, shuttle guests to another partnering location for a brief cocktail hour (splitting the revenue) while you re-set for the dinner and dancing back at your venue.  Upcharges for specialty guest transportation and coordinating and providing services for the temporary cocktail hour would be a welcome "expense" for guests who may be thinking their only option is to cancel.    

5.  Are you a venue?  How about tagging with another venue who can host the event (if you cannot) or who can supplement a part of the event and selling this option to the client, rather than a cancellation?

And finally, the single most important thing in understanding the potential of turning bad weather into potential revenue for any special event business is:

6.  Creating a saleable package with other event partners that automatically takes care of all the issues pertinent to the rained out/snowed-out event and then selling (or upselling) that package and experience to current and future clients. 

While we share the details of these specifics in our workshop and training session specializing in this topic, we can tell you this:   It takes:

a)  Collaboration
b)  Getting bold (working with the competition when necessary)
c)  Confidence
d)  Making it known - broadcasting it to the world (to the community, event partners, clients and potential clients).

Want to know more specifics and how this can apply to your venue or business revenue?  Contact us! 

Tahoe Inspired's Wedding Planner Susie Tell wanted and planned for snow for her wedding day and made it part of the whole experience with an epic heli-ski wedding |  Photo Credit:  Ruby Mountain Heli Ski |

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Engaging Inspiration provides sparkling marketing, social media, training and customer service education to the thinking special events and hospitality partner.