Kongres Magazine 分析气候变化给会展活动组织带来的五类风险

According to the EEA, extreme weather and climate events between 1980 and 2024 caused 822 billion euros in economic damage in the European Union. A whopping 208 billion EUR, or nearly a quarter of the damage, occurred in the last four years of this period.

Behind the numbers lies ravaged infrastructure, lost homes, disturbances in the economy and countless human tragedies. So what do these billions have to do with organising a congress, festival, trade show or business event?

A lot more than we can imagine. Climate change doesn’t stay out of our event bubble. It affects prices, destination accessibility, logistics, attendee safety, and an event’s financial success.

Let’s see five risks every responsible event organiser should know:

1. Climate risks are becoming operational risks

Extreme weather events, energy uncertainty, and supply chain disruptions can quickly affect event organisation costs. More expensive electricity can mean higher cooling and heating costs and venue rental expenses. Draughts and floods can affect food prices and, consequently, catering costs. Even if an event is held in a state-of-the-art, air-conditioned event hall, it does not mean it is safe from climate risks.

Climate change can affect your budget long before the first attendee registers.

2. The risk of low attendance is growing

An event’s success is often closely tied to attendance. Yet what happens when extreme weather prevents them from arriving? Floods can close roads and rail lines, storms can cancel flights, and sweltering heat waves can reduce attendees’ willingness to travel. As a result, event organisers can expect last-minute cancellations, fewer attendees, unhappy sponsors, and poor financial results. The risk is even greater for international events, as the event organiser depends not only on conditions at the venue, but also on weather at key air and traffic hubs.

3. Outdoor events are becoming especially vulnerable

Festivals, concerts, sports events and other outdoor events are particularly exposed to the elements. Heat waves can seriously endanger attendees’ and staff’s health. Strong winds, storms, and floods can threaten the safety of walls, temporary installations, and other infrastructure. In extreme cases, organisers must postpone or cancel an event. This prompts a sharp demand for stronger safety measures, a plan-B location, and suitable guarantees. Insurance costs and accessibility can also become problematic for the most exposed events. The question is thus no longer whether the weather will hold up on the day of the event, but whether an event is designed to function safely in unenviable conditions.

4. Climate resistance is becoming a financial question

We still don’t discuss climate resilience enough in our industry. It is an event’s capacity to prepare for potential weather and climate disturbances, respond quickly, and limit their effects. To do so, event organisers must plan for contingencies, book alternative venues, create flexible schedules, use suitable infrastructure, and implement clear crisis protocols. These measures come with a price, though. But being caught off guard can cost significantly more. A cancelled event can mean lost revenue, one-way expenses, contractual obligations, and possibly a tarnished reputation for the organiser. One weather disturbance can endanger the business outcome of an entire project, especially for grand events. Hence, climate risk assessment should not be an appendix to a contingency plan, but an integral part of an event’s financial plan.

5. Butterfly effect: risk is not limited to event venues

In chaos theory, the butterfly effect explains how a small change can produce massive, often unpredictable consequences in a complex system. A similar rule of thumb applies to how climate risks connect. A flood on one side of Europe can interrupt equipment supplies for your event on the other side. A drought in an agricultural region can impact food prices. A storm at a major European airport can delay speakers’ and attendees’ arrivals at a conference in Ljubljana. Event organising is an extremely intertwined activity that relies on numerous external systems we can only influence so much.

An event can be safe from the elements but still vulnerable to the climate.