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In the first six months of 2024, an “unprecedented” number of record-breaking temperatures were reported around the world, The Guardian reported.
The 20,000-plus attendees who traveled to Las Vegas in July for EVO24, a global event where participants compete in virtual fighting games with names like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter, arrived in the city during a historic heat wave, days after the temperature reached 120 degrees F.
The gaming news website EventHubs took time out from its coverage of upcoming virtual battles to warn about the very real danger that extreme heat could pose to those participating in the event, held July 19-21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. In stories EventHubs reporter Dakota Hills posted on its website and shared on social media, participants were advised to avoid walking outside as much as possible and to plan their rides and routes to the convention center in advance. And although event organizers would provide more than enough free water for everyone inside the event venue, Hills wrote, “it would still be a very good idea to travel with extra water on hand and know where to get more if needed,” and for participants to familiarize themselves with the signs of dehydration and heat stroke.
The outside temperatures rose to 108 degrees F during the event, a few degrees lower than the forecasted 111 degrees F, and there were no publicly reported instances of participants suffering severe effects from the heat. But providing such warnings to event attendees, along with making other adjustments to events because of extreme heat, will become increasingly important as global temperatures continue to rise. In 2023, which was the planet’s hottest year on record, the number of deaths related to excessive heat were the highest recorded in 45 years, according to an analysis by Associated Press. This year could be even hotter — in the first six months of 2024, an “unprecedented” number of record-breaking temperatures were reported around the world, including “tens of thousands” of new local records reported from monitoring stations worldwide, climate historian Maximiliano Herrera told The Guardian in a story published Aug. 14.
Although extreme heat is the No. 1 weather-related cause of death in the U.S., killing more people most years than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined, the threat is less well understood compared with more dramatic events such as storm surges and wildfires, according to a July 2023 story in Scientific American. “People tend to feel more uncertain about what to do under the threat of extreme heat and don’t perceive as much personal risk,” the article said. Heat-related risks are also more complicated to assess than the danger of rising water because multiple factors affect how outdoor temperatures will affect people, including humidity, wind, and the availability of shade, and individuals’ age and health conditions, which make some people more vulnerable to heat.
Staying hydrated is one of the smartest ways to beat the heat.
‘The Heat Happened Suddenly’
Cities in desert and other environments with a history of high temperatures have experience in adapting to the heat, as well as resources, including widespread air conditioning, which destinations in regions with more moderate temperatures often lack.
The heat wave that hit the forested Pacific Northwest from June 25 to July 2, 2021, “was something I’d never seen before in my lifetime,” said event sustainability expert Shawna McKinley, a principal at Clear Current Consulting in Vancouver, Canada. On June 29, temperatures rose to 121 degrees F in Lytton, British Columbia, setting an all-time heat record in Canada. There were hundreds of fatalities in the metropolitan Vancouver region, McKinley said, as well as in other parts of the Pacific Northwest, including Oregon and Washington. In British Columbia and elsewhere in the region, “people were not set up for air conditioning or prepared for [extreme heat],” McKinley told Convene. “The heat happened suddenly and it was made more likely by climate change.”
The unexpected heat’s devastating consequences in the region resulted in a number of changes designed to keep people safe, including public alert systems integrated with meteorological warnings about heat and delivered via mobile apps, McKinley said. “Residents get alerts when the temperatures go above a certain threshold for a minimum number of days and does not drop below a minimum temperature overnight, so that people can prepare.”
Those are the kinds of resources that destinations can be making event organizers aware of, and which can be used as part of a heat response protocol, McKinley said. The technology can help guide event organizers who are making decisions about bringing receptions indoors in the case of extreme temperatures or implementing things like cooling areas and hydrating refreshments to keep people safe in the shade at lower temperatures, she said.
Four Ways to Respond
Rising global temperatures impact not only the safety of participants, but meeting design and site-selection strategies, said Rhanee Palma, CDME, operations and events manager for the Davis, California–based UC Davis Air Quality Research Center (AQRC). Palma plans AQRC’s global conferences, including the annual Aviation Noise & Emissions Symposium, which was held in March 2024 in Palm Springs, and will be held next March in Las Vegas.
Palma shared ways to protect attendees from extreme heat in four areas:
Safety of participants — To protect attendees from heat during a conference, it’s essential to be proactive, including making water stations available in all meeting and common areas to encourage regular hydration. Communicate in advance with attendees about dressing appropriately for the weather, including, in some cases, suggesting they bring aids such as personal fans to help them stay cool.
Train staff to recognize the physical signs of dehydration or overheating, so they can respond quickly if an attendee is in distress. Finally, establish a clearly detailed safety plan with specific instructions on what to do in case of a heat-related emergency, ensuring that everyone knows how to act swiftly and effectively to protect the wellbeing of all participants.
Working with venues — Collaborate with venues to create open layouts that promote air circulation, with open doors and wide spaces. Create dedicated cooling areas throughout the conference space that ensure that attendees have comfortable spaces to retreat to and include hydrating catering options, such as watermelon and salads. Since heat can impact air quality, Palma also uses air purifiers to enhance the overall air quality in the event space.
Destination selection — A common cost-cutting strategy for many organizations is to book event venues during off-peak seasons to secure better rates. However, this often means traveling to destinations during extreme weather, such as during triple-digit temperatures in the summer, which increases the risk of heat-related injuries at your conference. To mitigate this, Palma collaborates closely with CVBs to identify the peak-season dates when the destination needs business. If shifting the program by a few days or weeks is necessary, Palma makes the adjustment. “This flexibility allows me to host meetings in top destinations during peak seasons — a win-win for everyone involved,” she said.
Venue selection — When selecting a conference site, choosing an energy-efficient hotel is key, because such hotels typically have advanced climate control systems that allow for consistent and easily regulated temperatures throughout the event spaces. Not only are attendees more comfortable, but the properties are less likely to experience heat-related equipment malfunctions. By prioritizing energy efficiency in your site selection, you can create an environment where temperature is reliably managed, regardless of the external weather conditions.
And energy-efficient hotels are likely to employ sustainable practices that contribute to a more environmentally friendly event, Palma said, “aligning with the growing emphasis on sustainability in the conference industry.”
Calculating Heat Risk
The U.S. National Weather Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have developed a new index designed to make it easier for decision makers to calculate the risk that heat poses to the general population. The NWS HeatRisk index, which is searchable by ZIP code, combines multiple factors that contribute to heat stress to gauge the risk of heat-related health impacts, and provides heat-protection recommendations.
Barbara Palmer is deputy editor of Convene.
More From Convene
- “How Extreme Weather Impacts Events” covers event sustainability expert Shawna McKinley’s research report on the impact of extreme weather on events in Canada in 2023.