As the dust begins to settle from the past year of the Coronavirus pandemic, a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel is the return of summer outdoor events. Beyond the normal Midwest winter making us all feel trapped indoors, interactions among friends and family have been limited, and most gatherings and sporting events were cancelled—but 2021 is a new year, and thanks to a rapid roll-out of vaccines, we’re seeing the return of outdoor events. We’re eager to welcome back carnivals, festivals, outdoor concerts, and craft shows. With warmer days in mind, we’ve assembled some helpful tips for outdoor event planners.
Parking & Pedestrian Safety
The beautiful thing about so many urban farms and fairgrounds is the expansive, flexible parking. Open field with no painted lines? No problem. Set up some orange tree protection/orange mesh fence and create rows for cars to park. Protect pedestrians walking along the edges with pedestrian barricades to clearly mark safe passage rather than roaming through the makeshift lot.
Gated Entry
If your event is a ticketed event, be sure to enclose the festival area with either chainlink panel fence or post-driven chain link fence, which can be rented cost-effectively for as little as a few days on up to several months. Set up gates at specific entry points where tickets are sold or collected, and be sure to include a safe pedestrian area along the perimeter with crowd control barricades.
Be Mindful of Lighting
If your event extends past dusk, consider renting generator-powered flood lights to keep event attendees safe as the sun dips. Make sure signage and pathways to the lot (and the lot itself) are well-illuminated, and free from obstructions. I’m pretty sure the end of a perfect day does not include a visit to the emergency room for a twisted ankle.
We hope you find these tips helpful, and if you’re in the Southern Wisconsin, Chicagoland, or NW Indiana regions, we’d love to be your fence rental partner at your next outdoor event. If you’d like a free price quote for any of the aforementioned fence products (and many more), please reach out to us by phone or fill out our online quote request form and we look forward to serving you very soon!