As the UK experiences yet another intense heatwave, major venues, festivals and promoters are working tirelessly behind the scenes to protect fans, artists and staff while keeping the summer’s biggest events on track.
With temperatures soaring into the high 30s, the resilience of both organisers and audiences has been on full display. Concert-goers and sports fans have shown remarkable determination, braving the searing heat and potential travel disruptions to enjoy the live experiences they love.
Alex Whitaker, Director of Hyperion (part of the QuestGates group),
commented: “With each more significant heatwave, the venues and promoters are adapting swiftly to ensure the safe staging of scheduled outdoor events. It is incredible to think that were it not for a fallow year, Glastonbury Festival would have opened in 37 degree heat. In spite of these extreme weather events, which warrant the advice to stay home and avoid unnecessary travel, what this recent heatwave has shown is that concert goers and sports fans will persevere, regardless of the exposure to the searing heat and potential travel delays. Venues and promoters are working hard to ensure the safety of the ticketholders and staff and avoid cancellations due to hot weather.”
Organisers have rapidly introduced a range of practical and thoughtful measures to help keep everyone safe and hydrated, including:
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- Significantly increasing the number of First Aiders on site
- Relaxing rules to allow personal water bottles inside venues
- Providing substantially more free drinking water points throughout the sites
- Reducing the price of bottled water at catering outlets
- Offering free sunscreen to attendees
- Permitting small umbrellas for personal shade, alongside the creation of additional shaded areas using temporary structures
- Relocating queues outside venues to keep people out of direct sunlight
- Stepping up welfare messaging, particularly around the risks of combining alcohol with extreme heat
- Shifting performance times later in the day where curfews permit
- In the most extreme cases, temporarily reducing capacity by limiting day tickets to protect the overall weekend event
While these adaptations have led to some unbudgeted additional costs and potential impacts on net profit, they are proving highly effective in preventing far greater losses that would result from full event cancellations.
By acting decisively and putting fan welfare first, the live events industry is demonstrating real ingenuity and responsibility in the face of our changing climate,” added Whitaker. “At the end of the day, the priority is straightforward – keep the events running safely for everyone.”
About Hyperion:
Hyperion is a specialist loss adjuster and part of the QuestGates group, providing expert support to the insurance industry and policyholders across complex claims in the entertainment, media, film & TV, leisure and events sectors.