This text is part of the Weather Preparedness & Resilience Toolbox developed by the YOUROPE Event Safety (YES) Group within YOUROPE’s 3F project (Future-Fit Festivals). It is aimed at everyone involved in planning, building, and operating open-air events. It helps festivals and other outdoor events become truly weather-ready by offering both practical and research-based resources as well as background information on weather and climate. Learn how to design safer and more weather-resilient outdoor events.

Communication Phase Matrix (Phase × Channel × Message)

A Communication Phase Matrix (Phase × Channel × Message) is a structured communication planning instrument used to design, preload, and control the operational communication rhythm of an event day.

Its primary function is to ensure that:

• communication is phase-appropriate,
• messages are pre-approved and unambiguous,
• responsibilities are clearly assigned, and
• updates follow a predictable cadence, even under stress.

The matrix transforms communication from an ad-hoc reaction into a managed operational system, aligned with decision-making, safety objectives, and duty-of-care requirements.

A Communication Phase Matrix should be created for

• event preparation to preload messages,
• live operations to maintain consistency under pressure,
• escalation and interruption scenarios (weather, technical failure, security),
• restart and egress phases.

Phases may be expanded or merged depending on event complexity.

It is particularly effective in

• multi-hazard environments,
• complex sites with multiple audience zones,
• events with layered command structures (Event Control / Ops / Show / Safety).

Principles

Every event phase has a defined communication posture.

This posture determines:

• who communicates,
• what is communicated,
• through which channel,
• under which trigger, and
• at what frequency (cadence).

Make sure that everyone understands who the matrix works:

• Messages are pre-approved during planning
• Live changes are limited to variables only
• Ownership is role-based and non-transferable
• The matrix is part of the command documentation set

Structure

Each matrix row represents a single communication action

1. Phase: Operational phase of the event lifecycle.
2. Channel: The communication medium used.
3. Target Group: Clearly defined recipients.
4. Core Message (Pre-Loaded Template): Short, directive, and variable-based.
5. Owner: Role, not person.
6. Trigger/Condition: Objective condition that activates the message.
7. Update Cadence: Defines repetition or next update commitment.

Example Phase Matrix

This examples can help to create your own matrix depending upon your individual conditions and resources.

Remember:Each matrix entry must comply with the following rules:

• Action first – what to do, not why
  • Specific and local – zone, gate, shelter, route
  • One instruction per message
  • Redundancy by design – PA + staff + visual if relevant
  • Predictable updates – always state next update
  • Accessibility – plain language, short sentences, pictograms where applicable

Build-Up Phase (Examples)

Phase	Channel	Target Group	Core Message (Template)	Owner	Trigger	Cadence
Build-Up	Crew Briefing	Crew & Contractors	“Weather outlook today: [summary]. Wind monitoring active. Report anomalies immediately.”	Ops Manager	Start of shift	Once per shift
Build-Up	Internal App / Chat	All Staff	“Site status: OPEN FOR BUILD-UP. No operational restrictions.”	Control Room	Site opening	On change
Build-Up	Dashboard	Command Staff	“Overall risk status: GREEN. Monitoring only.”	Weather Lead	Continuous	Live

Ingress Phase (Examples)

Phase	Channel	Target Group	Core Message (Template)	Owner	Trigger	Cadence
Ingress	PA (Loop)	Audience	“Welcome. Please follow steward instructions and use designated entrances.”	Event Control	Gates open	Every 15 min
Ingress	Radio	Stewards	“High inflow at Gate B. Redirect overflow to Gate C.”	Control Room	Density threshold	As required
Ingress	Event App / Social	Audience	“Expected waiting time at Main Gate: [X min].”	Comms Lead	Queue buildup	On change

Show Phase: normal (Examples)

Phase	Channel	Target Group	Core Message (Template)	Owner	Trigger	Cadence
Live	Dashboard	Command Staff	“Risk status: AMBER. Lightning detected within [X km].”	Weather Lead	Threshold exceeded	Live
Live	Internal Chat	All Staff	“Status: NORMAL OPERATIONS. Monitoring continues.”	Control Room	Stable conditions	Every 30 min

Show Phase: Interruption (Examples)

Phase	Channel	Target Group	Core Message (Template)	Owner	Trigger	Cadence
Interruption	PA (Directive)	Audience	“Attention: Move now to the nearest shelter marked BLUE.”	Show Caller	Shelter decision	Repeat until complete
Interruption	Radio	Stewards	“Guide audience to shelters. Confirm completion by zone.”	Ops Manager	Shelter decision	Continuous
Interruption	Internal Chat	All Staff	“Status: EVENT PAUSED. Next update in 15 minutes.”	Control Room	Pause decision	Every 15 min

Restart Phase (Examples)

Phase	Channel	Target Group	Core Message (Template)	Owner	Trigger	Cadence
Restart	PA	Audience	“All clear. Program will restart in 10 minutes.”	Show Caller	All-clear confirmed	Once
Restart	Internal Chat	All Staff	“Restart confirmed. Resume normal operations.”	Control Room	Restart decision	Once

Egress Phase (Examples)

Phase	Channel	Target Group	Core Message (Template)	Owner	Trigger	Cadence
Egress	PA	Audience	“Please leave via marked exits and follow lighting guidance.”	Event Control	Show end	Every 10 min
Egress	Traffic / Social	Audience	“Car Park South closed. Use Route [X].”	Mobility Lead	Congestion	On change

Post-Event Phase (Examples)

Phase	Channel	Target Group	Core Message (Template)	Owner	Trigger	Cadence
Post-Event	Internal Mail / Log	Management	“Operational summary due by [time]. Include deviations and lessons learned.”	Event Director	Site clear	Once

A Communication Phase Matrix is not a communication checklist.
It is a control instrument that stabilizes decision-making, reduces ambiguity, and ensures that communication remains operationally effective under stress.

Used consistently, it becomes a powerful tools for safe, predictable, and legally robust event operations.