Doug Shockley
Doug Shockley, vice president, Business Development and Global Events at www.GES.com, has over 22 years of industry expertise.
More than 108 million people tuned in to last year’s Super Bowl. With so many eyes on the big event, careful planning of each and every detail begins years in advance. This year’s game is going to be great.
The commercials will be extraordinary, the teams are talented, and for the first time ever, the Super Bowl is being played in an outdoor stadium. Sunday’s forecast calls for frigid temperatures and we all know with complicated weather comes every event planner’s nightmare… and the need for a good back up plan.
If plan B must be used, then so be it, the best event planners make the most out of any situation (my team’s motto). But, when you’ve been slaving away at an event since the last one, it’s hard to part ways with your initial plans.
The forecast for Sunday’s game is in the upper 30s and there’s a slim chance of snow. My corporate events mind tends to wander to the scenario where the weather doesn’t work out as predicted. A massive snowstorm with a few feet of snow? Ice cold rain that won’t stop then becomes black ice? A duplicate of the power outage that happened in New Orleans?
Here are three unique ways the team behind the Super Bowl 2014 production group has been one step ahead of the weather since they knew it would be outdoors:
1. Snow Melting Machine- This machine can melt up to 600 tons of snow per hour. This means that there is no mountain of snow high enough to stop those fans from getting to their game and watching it!
2. 800-plus Snow Plows- The deputy commissioner of the New Jersey Transportation Department has explained that 821 trucks will be ready for snow duty within 30 miles of the stadium with the ability to call in 2,400 additional trucks from around the state. New York is also providing more than 2,000 garbage trucks that double as plows.
3. Warm Weather Kits- Each ticket holder will be greeted with complimentary kits on their seat cushions that include hand warmers, ear muffs, hand mufflers, lip balm and tissues to keep old man winter away.
What back up plans have you made for your outdoor events? Share your thoughts below and enjoy the game. I’m going to be enjoying this year’s game from the warmth of my house since my Cowboys didn’t make it to the Bowl (insert my “don’t judge me” emoticon)…
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