You're facing unexpected weather during an event. How can you adjust your crowd control strategy effectively?

Your event should have an Adverse Weather Plan or similar, which will prove invaluable in this situation. That said, there is always a need for dynamic risk assessments to be made. A plan sometimes needs to be adapted, tweaked, bent or abandoned - but this should only happen on foot of a dynamic risk assessment done by someone suitable trained, experienced and willing to do that RA on the fly.

While this has a much clearer effect when it is an outdoor live experience, we tend to ignore this within the indoor contexts, so I'll share some tips for that: ?? Queueing: Unless the venue has sufficient spaces for free access, it is best to consider a tepee along the queuing section. This is the first point of audience experience. ?? Stalls: If there are kiosks of brands/partners, do ensure that their sections are well-protected from the weather issues for good footfall. ?? Rotations: Sometimes the crowd wishes to go out for a smoke, a chat with someone, or between segments - this should be smooth to ensure a good take of the event.

The assessment of weather related risks should be planned well in advance of the event. We know we experience weather, we know that it will impact our event, so we should have an existing weather plan to account for all types of needs. A safety plan that does not have pre-planned weather scenarios... is not a complete safety plan.

In case of unexpected weather, assess the situation and adjust your crowd control strategy by providing shelter, rerouting foot traffic, or adjusting the layout of outdoor spaces. Communication with attendees is crucial, so ensure they are informed of any changes.

One of the things I had to do in Toronto as part of my forecasting position up there was to give the most likely scenario, as well as where the uncertainty in the scenario might be. Where this was most key was when advising the Skydome (now Rogers Centre) in Toronto with a 30 minute window on inclement weather, as that was the amount of time it would take to close the roof to keep the turf from getting wet (among other issues). And closing the roof wasn't without consequence, since the Blue Jays apparently got extra cash from MLB if the roof was open as an outdoor game, compared to closed, an indoor game. But for the most part, my timing and the timing of my co-workers of inclement weather helped a ton on their bottom line and fan safety.

When talking about the Skydome, they received several updates on the games, starting the night before with the normal forecast package, then regular intervals through the day, narrowing the timing and probability of hazards potentially as needed. Then when it came to about 2-3 hours before the game, those updates became hourly if the situation warranted. But we had their number and the electronic means to send quickie updates if the situation needed updating. And sometimes it was bad news, some times good. But it was delivered in a format they could understand to make the right decision.

Monitoring a very dynamic situation was a main part of my meteorological experience. Whether that was updating stadiums on incoming conditions; briefing government officials on cleaning up after a series of large snowfalls as I did after the 1999 Toronto Blizzard so that CN Rail, CP Rail, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, the megacity of Toronto Public Works, the Toronto Transit Commission, and even the Canadian Military (who was called in for that storm), had the best tools to get the streets cleared; rail companies to monitor winds in aiding the cleanup after a bunker-oil spill; etc. All required not only precision forecasting in a timely manner, but sharp eyes to make the needed changes if something shifts unexpectedly.