SAN ANTONIO, Tx. — Benjamin Rabe, event director at 360 Live Media is in San Antonio this weekend where his client, the Association for Healthcare Resource and Materials Management (AHRMM), is setting up for their annual conference. The temperatures will be 97-100 degrees. “We’ve added water stations and first aid. We’ve also adjusted dress code recommendations to allow staff to wear shorts or capris and coordinated with the convention center to ensure they keep the air conditioning on so the temperatures inside the exhibit hall won’t go over 80 degrees even when the dock doors are open during setup,” he said.
His situation isn’t unique this summer. The Trade Show Network Marketing Group counts 303 trade shows and professional exhibitions running across the United States during the summer of 2026. They’re arriving just as North America stares down an unusually hot season, fueled by a historically strong Super El Niño in the Pacific and record-warm Atlantic sea-surface temperatures. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration outlook points to widespread above-average warmth, putting 2026 on track to rank among the hottest years on record.
Heat puts real strain on convention-center HVAC systems and the regional power grids that feed them. It can scramble freight schedules, ruin temperature-sensitive products, and turn outdoor programming into a safety problem. It also drives up labor hours, medical risk, and operating costs long before anyone steps onto the show floor.
“Asking the right questions in high-risk markets has become imperative,” said Alisa Stewart, CMP, CMM, CMP Fellow and Senior Global Event Strategist at Maritz. “Rolling government-imposed blackouts were something we only dealt with in emerging markets a decade ago — they’re now a real consideration in major metropolitan areas.”
Air Conditioning Is Not a Heat Plan
Confirming the ballroom is cool isn’t enough. Planners now need to know whether the venue has generator backup, whether outdoor sessions have realistic indoor alternatives ready to go, and exactly which temperature or wind thresholds will force a move.
Those questions matter across a wide range of summer events. The PGA Buying Summit in Frisco, Texas, combines indoor exhibits with golf experiences and outdoor programming. Overland Expo Mountain West in Loveland, Colorado, depends heavily on outdoor exhibits, demonstrations, education and camping. Anime NYC adds a different vulnerability: large crowds arriving in layered cosplay costumes waiting outside before entering the Javits Center.
The practical response starts with a written heat plan. 360 Live is now discussing heat with venues in advance. “If we are heading to a venue that might have extreme heat, and they will not work with us like San Antonio, we are budgeting for air conditioning to be turned on to help keep temperatures tolerable,” Rabe said. Unfortunately, not every venue has an HVAC system that can support this. “When that happens, air conditioning during extreme temperatures then becomes a concession negotiation with the center/DMO,” he said.
Sweat the Fine Print
“Force majeure terms have never mattered more,” Stewart said, adding that organizers and suppliers have to agree on what the language actually means before anyone signs. In higher-risk cities she recommends spelling out weather emergencies, setting percentage-based thresholds for transportation disruption, and defining the contractual consequences if rolling blackouts hit a specific property.
Insurance then has to cover what the contracts leave open. Stewart advises reviewing coverage for weather-related cancellation, force majeure events that fall short of full contractual relief, and business-interruption losses.
Extreme heat doesn’t shut a show down. More often it just chips away at the experience — a delayed load-in, a shortened reception, spoiled samples, an overheated attendee, or a power blip that stops business on the floor.
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