Blog Viewer

Preparing your venue for weather — have you made plans?

By Kayla McKinley posted 11-28-2012 09:19

  
The energy in even a modest thundercloud can be impressive. Hail causes more than $1 billion in damage to property and crops each year, and large hailstones can travel at 100 mph. A hailstone even as small as a golf ball can be deadly. Straight line winds are responsible for most thunderstorm wind damage. In an average year, 1,200 tornadoes cause 70 fatalities and 1,500 injuries nationwide. These are powerful facts and should be a powerful motivator to inspire venue managers and concert and outdoor event planners to be prepared. 

With this goal, the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), the Academy for Venue Safety & Security (AVSS) and theNational Weather Center have teamed up to provide a unique learning experience in severe weather preparedness for public assembly venues. March 5-6, 2013, IAVM will host its annual Severe Weather Preparedness Specialized Course at the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma. 

The two-day curriculum helps venue managers and other individuals responsible for overseeing a variety of large outdoor festivals, concerts, and events develop a severe weather preparedness plan. The course is taught by some of the most well-respected meteorologists in the world. The instructors are recognized by their professional peers and represent specialties in large damaging hail, strong straight-line winds, tornadoes and atmospheric electricity. 

At the conclusion of the Severe Weather Preparedness Advance Course, students will: 
  • Be able to assess the severe weather threats that could impact their public assembly venue or outdoor event and what preparedness activities they need to undertake in order to protect the safety of guests, performers and employees.
  • Understand the basic structure of severe weather preparedness plans and draft plans for tornadoes, hail, straight-line damaging winds, flash floods and lightning.
  • Learn how to mitigate injury and the loss of life to patrons and participants attending venues of all kinds.
New this year, a session titled "Safe Sheltering — Architectural & Structural Considerations" will feature table-top exhibits from private meteorology firms and suppliers and introduce "Trigger Charts," which allows venue managers to make decisions before the storm(s) arrive. In addition, a new class-exercise has been developed around the creation of "Trigger Charts" for four different types of severe weather threats. 

Make time to join IAVM on March 5 & 6 for this unique opportunity to learn from the experts at one of the world's leading weather research facilities. Visit IAVM.org and sign up for the Severe Weather Planning and Preparedness course today.
0 comments
16 views

Permalink

https://venuenet.iavm.org/blogs/kayla-mckinley/2012/11/28/preparing-your-venue-for-weather-have-you-made-plans