Rain is here to stay so are you wet-weather ready?
El Nina, El Nina, El Nina. We are pretty sure that this term is familiar to you.
Word on the street (ie. the countless weather pages on the internet) are saying that there is going to be a third year of El Nina.
While we are not meteorologists, we “think” we know what this means.
Rain….and lots of it.
This of course will have a significant impact on the Australian events industry which really is the last thing it needs after a rocky two and a half years. However, with this much notice being given about El Nina, it is entirely possible for you to factor in wet weather when getting ready for the busy season ahead. Importantly, the “heads up” about El Nina means that you can have conversations with your clients now about what happens if there is rain and not leave in to the last minute.
Start the conversations now.
It is important that you have frank discussions with your clients about what happens if there is rain. This discussion will obviously depend on what kind of goods and services you will be providing but it is to be assumed that any significant rain event will most likely impact all involved. The first question should be “do you have a wet weather plan in place”? If they have a wet weather plan, it needs to take you into account. If they don’t have a wet weather plan, it may be that you suggest that they put one in place. You may even want to help them prepare it.
Protect your own interests.
It may be that you are providing hire items that cannot be left exposed to rain. It may be that you are a musician whose equipment may be damaged if you’re asked to perform without shelter. You may be an event stylist who will need to reconfigure an entire event set up if wet weather was to happen at the last minute. You may be a Celebrant who has a PA system not suited for wet weather.
You must be upfront with your clients about what you will allow and what you will not. Whilst you may want them to have an awesome day, this shouldn’t come at your financial expense or risk to your safety and well being.
Terms and Conditions - Have them.
If you’ve been hanging out with us for a while now, you’ll know we are a big fan of having a decent set of terms and conditions - and those terms and conditions must contain clauses relating to wet weather.
Your terms and conditions should deal with three scenarios - (1) where wet weather impacts the event in a minor way; (2) where wet weather impacts the event in a major way but adjustments can be made; and (3) where weather makes it impossible for the event to proceed.
The first two should outline how adjustments to the event may be made so as to ensure that loss or damage is prevented from occurring. The latter may be dealt with in what we call a “force majeure” clause.
Lastly, you need to outline the consequences if wet weather is not taken into account and you suffer loss or damage as a result (psst…make them responsible for it).
Use Event Law Templates
The good news is that Event Law’s legal templates deal with these three scenarios so that you don’t have to go it alone in drafting them. These easy-to-use, affordable legal templates means that you don’t need to approach the forthcoming busy season with trepidation. Our contract templates have been drafted by us, but can be customised by you with our help. These templates are provided to you in word format so that you can continue to use these documents for your business on an ongoing basis.
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Kathryn and the Event Law Roadies
xoxo
