It’s the last quarter of the year and the Autumn conference season is now in full swing. Event planners/organisers have a busy schedule ahead either executing and delivering autumn events or planning a calendar of events for next year. Have you ever thought to yourself, “When should I start planning my event?”. It is a fundamental question event organisers constantly ask.
The type of event planning we’re talking about here, however also includes promoting your event and to put it in context, event planning is a process of managing a project such as a meeting, conference, tradeshow, ceremony, teambuilding, party, etc. Planning an event involves many steps and tasks from concept to promoting and delivering the event.
The best time frame to plan and promote any event is as early as possible. As a general rule of thumb, event lead times can be as little as 90 – 180 days for certain types of events. Major and larger events need a lot more time because of the volume and complexities of planning, promotion and coordination.
Pulling off a successful event is no easy feat. Juggling different tasks and balancing deadlines, budgets, suppliers, stakeholders, exhibitors, attendees and venue staff can be stressful. Giving yourself and your events team plenty of time to coordinate all of these things will reduce stress levels.
The benefits of planning your event early are huge. We discuss five key benefits below:
1. Cost savings
Your chances of securing suppliers and services at good rates are a lot higher when you plan your event well in advance. Venues and service providers are likely to offer early booking discounts to win your business. Planning your event well ahead also gives you more time to patiently consider and compare offers.
2. Availability of suppliers
Getting in quickly to secure the availability of suppliers and services providers will help avoid disappointment. This is especially important if you are organising an event during peak seasons. A big part of any event hinges on the right venue, the choice of venue options becomes very limited when you leave your planning too late.
3. Generate more interests
Don’t forget you can start promoting an event even before you’ve planned it, so there is no need to hold off promotion until your plan is perfected. Planning early gives you more time to build up hype about your event. The greater the interests, the better your chances of increasing registration and attendance.
4. Flexibility to change options
Planning an event involves input and coordination from different parties. A good planner expects the best but anticipates things may not always go to plan. Planning ahead will prepare you for any obstacles and challenges and allow you the flexibility to consider other options if necessary.
5. Reduce stress levels
Event planning is a stressful job. Stress isn’t always bad but when stress exceeds your ability to cope, it stops being helpful and causes damage to your mind and body. Early planning allows you to have better control of your event project, breaking it down into smaller manageable steps.
Need help with your event planning? The team at Lenio Hospitality can save you time and money, we can help with all or part of your event planning process. Click
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