Extreme Weather Impacting Events

Shauwa McKinley, principal at Clear Current Consulting, has made a career balancing event planning, travel and tourism, environmental education and sustainable business consulting. She has worked with diverse organizations wrestling with the trade-offs between delivering positively impactful human experiences and minimum environmental impact.

In this episode of the Skift Meetings Podcast, McKinley discusses the impact of climate change on events and how the industry must adapt to increasing extreme weather disruptions. Ethical responsibility, institutional change, and regulatory influence are some of the factors at play as the event industry seeks to adapt to the challenges posed by climate change.

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Key Points

Climate Change Impact on Events: How climate change is causing more frequent and severe weather disruptions, significantly impacting events globally. This includes rising events disrupted by extreme weather, such as the increase from three in 2013 to 72 in 2023 in Canada alone.

Event Planning Adaptations: Event planners and venues must adapt to this new reality by developing more systematic ways to prepare for climate risks. This includes integrating emergency response plans, air quality monitoring, and understanding regional climate projections.

Destination Preparedness: Destinations should assess their climate risks and develop adaptation plans. This includes evaluating the vulnerability of venues, particularly those in high-risk areas, and considering how to protect and maintain these spaces against future climate impacts.

Ethical Responsibilities: Destinations and event planners face moral challenges in promoting and hosting events in areas prone to extreme weather. Transparency and honest communication about climate risks is essential, rather than downplaying risks to attract events.

Upgrading Venues: There is a growing trend towards upgrading venues to be more energy-efficient and resilient against climate change. However, there is much more to do to support local communities and businesses in their climate adaptation efforts.

Carbon Footprint of Events: Large-scale events, particularly international trade shows and conferences, have significant carbon footprints. The industry needs to calculate these footprints accurately and consider whether current business models are sustainable in light of climate change.

Industry Challenges: The event industry is not moving fast enough to address its climate impact. Institutional changes are necessary, including rethinking funding structures, improving transparency, and creating continuous support systems for climate action.

Regulatory Influence: Government regulations, particularly in Europe, are starting to drive more significant changes in managing events, focusing on reducing carbon emissions and increasing sustainability. This includes potential future regulations specifically targeting large events.

Future of Event Planning: The industry needs to adopt a psychologically informed approach to managing the changes required by climate adaptation. It must move beyond incremental improvements to more comprehensive strategies, including community care and ongoing support.

Episode Summary

Shauna McKinley, Principal at Clear Current Consulting, delves into the growing impact of climate change on the events industry. As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, event planners, venues, and destinations must rethink their strategies to ensure safety and continuity. McKinley shares insights from her extensive research, including a startling rise in weather-related disruptions.

The conversation highlights the urgent need for the industry to adopt more systematic approaches to risk management. It also highlights things that are less often considered, like air quality monitoring and climate projection analysis. McKinley emphasizes that destinations have an ethical responsibility to be transparent about climate risks and should also support local communities in their adaptation efforts.

McKinley also touches on the significant carbon footprint of large-scale events. She questions whether the industry is moving fast enough to address its environmental impact. With government regulations tightening, particularly in Europe, McKinley argues that the industry must adapt quickly or face increasing challenges in the years to come.

This episode of the Skift Meetings Podcast is a must-listen for anyone involved in event planning or destination management.